GM Eyes Affordable Electric Pickup With 350-Mile Range
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General Motors hinted at developing a lower-cost electric pickup truck that could boast a 350-mile range.
The Detroit-based automaker is working to secure a North American supply of lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries, according to Kurt Kelty, GM’s vice president of battery strategy. Chinese automakers often use LFP batteries in their electric vehicles due to low costs, making them an ideal candidate to power a more affordable EV pickup.
“We have enough space in our truck platform that, with clever engineering, we can use low-cost LFP batteries to get range over 350 miles,” he said Oct. 8 during an investor presentation. “Our team is actively working to localize supply of LFP.”
The effort highlights how Kelty has been working to change the company’s battery strategy since the former Tesla Inc. executive joined GM in January. He’s pushing to lower the cost of GM’s current EV lineup, in part by using different chemistries and battery packs designed to better suit each particular model.
GM has been in talks with Japan’s TDK Inc. about building a plant in the U.S. that would make LFP batteries with technology licensed from Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. of China, Bloomberg reported in September.
Rival Ford Motor Co.’s F-150 Lightning pickup tops out at about 320 miles of range. GM’s current Chevrolet Silverado pickup trucks get more than 490 miles of range running on lithium-ion batteries, which are more expensive than LFP.
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