General Motors Is Exploring Solid-State Batteries As EV Push Expands

• General Motors’ battery research and development team is exploring solid-state and sodium-ion batteries.
• Its Wallace Battery Cell Innovation center in Michigan allows it to develop and test new chemistries and cells all in-house.
• The automaker is actively working on seven different anode and cathode chemistries. 

General Motors is working on multiple next-generation battery technologies to address the most pressing concerns regarding electric vehicle range, charging performance, and cost. Among them are solid-state batteries, sodium-ion batteries, and silicon anodes.

“Our R&D team at GM has actively continued to look at solid-state technologies, whether it’s all-solid-state, sulfide-based, oxide-based, or ceramic,” Kushal Narayanaswamy, the director of advanced battery cell engineering at GM, told InsideEVs in an interview last week. “Our R&D team is also looking at sodium ion,” he added.

The high-voltage battery is both the most expensive and most critical component in an electric vehicle. Its voltage architecture and charging/discharging capabilities directly influence how quickly an EV can accelerate and how far it can travel. Because of the battery’s high cost, EVs generally remain more expensive than their gas counterparts. On average, EVs cost about $9,644 more than gas cars in May, according to Cox Automotive.

Automakers and battery companies are working to reduce those costs and also improve the range, charging speeds and safety compared to traditional lithium-ion cells. GM is going all-in, even though it’s also developing next-generation combustion engines in parallel. Along with its main battery supplier, LG Energy Solution, GM is now the largest producer of cells in North America, eclipsing even Tesla. GM execs claim it can produce cells at a lower cost than its rivals.

Photo by: Suvrat Kothari

Now, the automaker wants to increase its lead with next-generation battery technologies. Narayanaswamy leads GM’s new cutting-edge Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center in Warren, Michigan. The facility is located just north of Detroit and it opened in 2022. It is the automaker’s lesser-known weapon helping it develop and scale new chemistries and improve current ones.

Historically, automakers have relied on battery suppliers for cells, which were then adapted for use in vehicles. But that model started shifting when Tesla brought battery development in-house back in 2016 with its Panasonic partnership. Now GM is doing that too, with more control over the entire process, from raw material selection to cell design and vehicle integration. 

A case in point is GM’s work on the lithium manganese-rich (LMR) chemistry, where the company built and tested 300 large-format cells across 18 variants, all internally, before involving its joint venture partner LG Energy Solution for mass production. The Wallace Center allows GM to rapidly prototype, build internal expertise and scale more efficiently with its suppliers, Narayanaswamy said. 

It also gives the company greater flexibility to develop and implement large-format cells across a range of chemistries and formats. What was once a process of picking batteries off the shelf is now becoming a fully integrated, automaker-led innovation effort. This in-house R&D muscle, and a seemingly start-up-like freedom GM enjoys in battery development, means it can also explore other chemistries such as solid-state and sodium-ion.

Narayanaswamy said GM is working across seven different anode and cathode chemistries, which also include some of its current nickel-based applications, as well as the new LMR cells.

Photo by: CATL

Sodium-ion batteries are still in the early stages of development. They’re nonetheless attracting growing attention as a promising low-cost battery alternative. While they have lower energy density than typical lithium-ion batteries, they avoid the use of rare earth materials, are significantly safer and remain largely unaffected by cold temperatures. 

Sodium is approximately 400 times more abundant than lithium. It is widely available in our seas and oceans, according to a study published in the academic journal IOP Science. It costs $150 per ton, far lower than the $5,000 per ton for lithium.

In 2024, China became the first country to install a sodium-ion battery in a production EV—the JAC Yiwei 3, a compact hatchback similar in size to the BYD Seagull. It features a 23.2 kWh battery and delivers 230 kilometers (142 miles) of range on the CLTC cycle. Chinese battery giant CATL revealed its first sodium-ion batteries early this year, both for low-voltage and high-voltage applications. The high-voltage pack has a CLTC range of 310 miles. It is claimed to work near flawlessly down to -40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Where sodium-ion technology is really gaining traction is in the electric two-wheeler space in China. In that segment, the trade-off in energy density is offset by the lower cost and sufficient performance for short-distance use cases.

“We do have the technical know-how,” Narayanaswamy said of GM’s ability to make sodium-ion batteries. “It’s more about getting the right supply chain and making sure the right application is there for it,” he added.

Meanwhile, solid-state batteries are on the opposite end of the spectrum, promising more energy density and performance than most other chemistries.

In a traditional lithium-ion cell, the electrolyte—the material that shuttles ions between the charging and discharging cycles—is typically a liquid chemical. Solid-state batteries swap that out for a solid electrolyte, often made of polymer, sulfides, or oxides. Studies show this combination vastly improves energy density, increases charging speeds and makes the battery safer and far less prone to fires.

Industry experts often refer to solid-state batteries as the holy grail of battery technology. But scaling the technology for mass production has proven challenging. Still, several automakers believe it’s only a matter of time before they accomplish that.

Mercedes-Benz and BMW have already installed solid-state batteries in prototype vehicles. Toyota plans to debut its first application in a hybrid by the end of the decade, while Stellantis is expected to test one in the Dodge Charger Daytona next year. Meanwhile, several production EVs in China are already using semi-solid-state batteries, which replace the liquid electrolyte with a gel-like substance—an interim step before full solid-state batteries can be produced.

BMW i7 Solid-State Battery Prototype

Photo by: BMW

GM hasn’t confirmed the commercialization of solid-state cells yet, but said the technology is being “actively explored” in its R&D labs.

Narayanamswamy also reiterated GM’s work on silicon anodes, which InsideEVs first reported in February.

In an EV battery, the anode is the electrode where lithium ions are stored when the battery is charged. It typically consists of graphite. A higher silicon content can improve an EV’s range and charging performance, GM previously told InsideEVs. Silicon anodes have been around for the past few years, but in tiny amounts. Now, its proportion in the anodes is set to increase.

The automaker is now looking to integrate silicon anodes in its EVs, and is currently testing large-format, automotive-grade silicon anode cells at the Wallace research center, Narayanaswamy said.

The first fruits of GM’s work at the Wallace battery center will be seen in 2028, when the automaker plans to launch its novel lithium manganese rich (LMR) prismatic cells on a production truck, with over 400 miles of range, hundreds of pounds of weight savings and the cost will apparently be similar to LFP cells.

As for the other chemistries, it could take a while before they become worthy of a vehicle application.

But Narayanasawmy said the automaker will continue its research and development efforts regardless of what happens on the policy side, where the Trump administration is attempting to dismantle nearly all of the Biden-era clean energy programs, including repealing the consumer tax credits, manufacturing credits for EV battery plants and the EPA’s emissions standards.

None of that would slow down GM’s R&D efforts concerning batteries, Narayanaswamy said.

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