General Motors recently has unveiled “Ultium Drive,” a family of five interchangeable drive units and three motors. It will help the company transition its current portfolio to a fully electric lineup,and the next-generation EVs are expected to be powered by it.
GM is going after every aspect of the EV ecosystem to make a meaningful impact toward building a zero-emissions future. The automaker aims to build EVs that are desirable and affordable for customers and benefits its employees and investors.
Ultium Drive, according to GM, will be providing significant advantages over its previous EVs in performance, scale, speed to market and manufacturing efficiencies.
Some of the features, according to the company, are as follows:
- It combines electric motors and single-speed transmissions to apply power – generated by Ultium battery cells – to the wheels of GM’s upcoming electric vehicles.
- GM will lead the design and development of Ultium Drive’s modular architecture.
- Ultium Drive will be more responsive than its internal combustion equivalents with precision torque control of its motors for smooth performance.
- By integrating the power electronics into the drive units’ assemblies, the mass of the power electronics has been reduced by nearly 50 percent from GM’s previous EV generation, saving cost and packaging space while increasing capability by 25 percent. The consolidation of parts and features also makes it easier to scale Ultium Drive across GM’s future EV lineup.
- The power and versatility of these drive units will help GM migrate high-output segments like pickup trucks and performance vehicles to all-electric propulsion while providing the bandwidth to propel GM’s EV portfolio well into the future.
- The GM Ultium Drive family covers front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive propulsion combinations, including high-performance and off-road capabilities.
- All five drive units are expected to be powered by one or more of three motors including a primary front-wheel drive motor, which can be configured for front- or rear-wheel drive, and an all-wheel drive assist motor.
- All GM electric vehicles built on the Ultium platform will be powered by Ultium Drive, providing EVs with flexibility and modularity.
GM will save on vehicle design and production costs by developing Ultium Drive alongside its next generation of EVs, leveraging internal expertise to improve efficiency and fit drive units and motors into future vehicles.
Most of the Ultium Drive components, including castings, gears and assemblies, will be built with globally sourced parts at GM’s existing global propulsion facilities on shared, flexible assembly lines, allowing the company to more quickly ramp up its EV production, achieve economies of scale and adjust its production mix to match market demand.
Source: GM
