The Ultium line of electric drive motors includes three different models
These motors are designed to be scalable and to incorporate many electronic controls, which reduces production costs
The first vehicles equipped with Ultium motors will be the GMC Hummer EV and the Cadillac Lyriq
As a part of its commitment to building electric vehicles, General Motors recently introduced its new range of Ultium electric drive motors.
Three different motors will be used in future vehicles from the company, the smallest being a 62 kW assist motor designed for use in All-Wheel Drive powertrains.
A 180 kilowatt motor will take care of Front-Wheel Drive applications and a 255 kilowatt unit will be used in both Front and Rear-Drive scenarios.
In order to reduce cost, all of the Ultium motors share similar design principles, tooling and manufacturing principles.
These motors can be combined to form multi-motor drivetrains that can power everything from compact cars to performance vehicles and pickup trucks.
The 2022 GMC Hummer EV which will reach customers by the end of the year is the first vehicle to make use of Ultium motors, with the Cadillac Lyriq being second.
In the case of the Hummer, three of the 255 kW units will work together to produce 11,500 lb-ft of torque.
In order to make this system as efficient as possible, General Motors utilised artificial intelligence and machine learning to understand the best way to distribute torque in three motor systems.
Batteries for Ultium powered vehicles will be built by GM and LG through a joint venture called Ultium Cells LLC in a factory in Ohio.
Important to know is that the LG-made batteries that caused so much trouble recently for GM in the Chevrolet Bolt have nothing to do with the new Ultium batteries, so they shouldn’t be affected by the same problems.