GM unveils $900 million mini-factory to fast-track cheaper EV battery cells
GM has opened a half-million-square-foot Battery Cell Development Center near its Warren campus to prototype lower-cost EV batteries using AI and new chemistries.
Inside two anonymous white buildings on GM’s Warren, Michigan campus, the company is constructing a 500,000-square-foot Battery Cell Development Center costing about $900 million. The low-volume mini-factory will fabricate prototype lithium-manganese-rich (LMR) prismatic cells and, later, sodium-ion cells developed with startup Peak Energy, using AI-powered virtual modeling to cut development time roughly in half. Engineers will run full-scale mixing, coating and assembly equipment to validate new chemistries before handing them to Ultium Cells LLC’s high-volume plants in Ohio and Tennessee.
GM’s battery leaders Kurt Kelty, Mo Gallegos and Radu Theyyunni say the center bridges the gap between R&D and mass production, aiming to lower the 30-40 % battery cost share of EV prices and keep pace with Tesla and Chinese manufacturers. The first test cells are slated for the fourth quarter, with volume production not expected until 2028. Success could determine GM’s ability to offer affordable EVs at scale.
Why it matters
Faster, cheaper battery development could make GM’s electric cars more affordable and competitive worldwide.
In this story
