General Motors says it set aside traditional vehicle development in selecting LG Electronics as its partner in developing the upcoming series production Chevrolet Bolt EV, which it claims will travel more than 200 miles on a single electric charge.
GM says the project to develop and affordable long-range EV required an “unprecedented supplier relationship combining expertise in infotainment, battery systems and component development with GM's proven in-house capabilities in electric motor design, battery control, system validation and vehicle body/system integration”.
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The Bolt EV concept was shown at the North American International Auto Show in January this year. Chevrolet confirmed in February that the Bolt EV would go into production at GM's Orion Township, Michigan (USA) assembly plant in late 2016.
GM says LG supplied an array of new components and systems for the Chevrolet Bolt EV, including:
- Electric Drive Motor (built from GM design)
- Power Inverter Module (converts DC power to AC for the drive unit)
- On Board Charger
- Electric Climate Control System Compressor
- Battery Cells and Pack
- High Power Distribution Module (manages the flow of high voltage to various components)
- Battery Heater
- Accessory Power Module (maintains low-voltage power delivery to accessories)
- Power Line Communication Module (manages communication between vehicle and a DC charging station)
- Instrument Cluster
- Infotainment System
"Chevrolet needs to be disruptive in order to maintain our leadership position in electrification," said Mark Reuss, GM executive vice president of Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain. "By taking the best of our in-house engineering prowess established with the Chevrolet Volt and Spark EV, and combining the experience of the LG Group, we're able to transform the concept of the industry's first long range, affordable EV into reality."
LG Electronics' Vehicle Components led a team of LG companies including LG Chem, LG Innotek and LG Display to help develop the Bolt EV. LG Electronics has invested more than US$250m in an engineering and manufacturing facility in Incheon, Korea, to support the component development and manufacturing for Bolt EV components.
"Being selected as GM's EV technology partner positions LG as a key player in next-generation vehicular technologies," said Woo-jong Lee, president and CEO of the LG Electronics Vehicle Components Company. "The opportunity to work with GM on such game-changing technology is indicative of exactly the type of contributions that traditional tech companies can make in the automotive space."
The Chevrolet Bolt will be built at General Motors' Orion Assembly facility near Detroit.
