On the evening of September 14, 2021, General Motors officially launched its Ultium electric platform in the Chinese market, named “Auton.” The event was attended by Julian Blissett, General Motors’ global executive vice president and president of General Motors China, Landy Ho, CEO of McKinsey China, and Zhang Yu, general manager of Automotive Foresight (SHANGHAI).
During the launch event, General Motors Chairman and CEO Mary Barra announced the Chinese name for Ultium – Auton. She stated that the inflection point of electric vehicle market growth has arrived, and General Motors will lead this transformation.
Meanwhile, Julian Blissett, Global Executive Vice President of General Motors and President of General Motors China, stated at the event, “Auton will bring passionate and worry-free electric vehicle experiences to Chinese consumers. We believe that everyone can resonate with this platform and embark on a wonderful journey to open a new era of personal mobility with us.”
Intelligent innovation, outstanding performance, and safety and reliability are the three pillars of Auton. The core battery architecture of Auton is compatible with various electric core choices, and can quickly absorb the latest battery technology to accelerate product iteration. Meanwhile, the wireless BMS removes 90% of wiring, creating more space for battery expansion, increasing energy density, and improving layout flexibility.
BMS, based on VIP smart electronic architecture, enables OTA upgrades through wireless connections, precisely managing battery health while adapting to the latest battery technology on the platform. The Auton platform is highly adaptable, from the Cruise Origin pure electric autonomous shared vehicle, BrightDrop pure electric logistics vehicles, to the GMC HUMMER pure electric series and Cadillac LYRIQ intelligent pure electric luxury SUV.
Thanks to the above-mentioned technological advantages, the GMC HUMMER EV has a dual-layer battery pack with a whopping capacity of 200 kWh. The Ultium-powered Otecan electric drive is based on three electric motors developed independently by General Motors, which have industry-leading torque and power density. They can be flexibly combined into five different drive units, supporting front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, and four-wheel drive. The combination of electric drives does not exceed 20 types.
By 2025, General Motors will launch more than 30 pure electric vehicles worldwide, of which over 20 will come to China. It is reported that Otecan’s battery cells and other key components have ensured 100% localization. As the flagship model, the intelligent, pure electric luxury SUV, Cadillac LYRIQ, with a length of nearly 5 meters and a wheelbase of 3,094 mm, which is the first model based on the Ultium platform, will officially go on sale next year.
🔗Source: General Motors China
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.