General Motors has partnered with LG to develop the Chevrolet Bolt EV, which is able to travel up to 321 km on a single charge. The new electric vehicle shares its lithium-ion battery technology with the next-generation Chevrolet Volt.
Following joint planning and research, GM and LG Corp. brought the Chevrolet Bolt EV to reality. The Bolt EV concept was shown at the North American International Auto Show in January this year. Chevrolet has confirmed in February that the Bolt EV would go into production at GM’s Orion Township (Michigan) assembly plant in late 2016.
LG supplied a range of new hardware for the new Chevrolet Bolt EV, which includes:
- Electric Drive Motor (built from GM design)
- Power Invertor 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.”
“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 Co. “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.”
