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General Motors announced that it has partnered with Palo Alto-based OneD Battery Sciences to lead a joint research and development process on new battery technology for electric vehicles.
Along with the partnership, GM Ventures also invested in OneD as part of a $25 million Series C funding round. The goal is to offer better electric vehicles with improved battery energy density, extended range and more affordable price points. Basically fixing some key weak spots when it comes to electrification.
OneD’s SINANODE nanotechnology uses unique silicon nanowires to enhance the graphite in battery cells. The hope is to offer a 10-fold increase in power, which would open the door to smaller EV battery packs, lighter vehicles, or potentially more performance in smaller spaces.
These SINANODE cells are more efficient and can increase the range, something every electric vehicle owner wants. We’ve seen a lot of movement on this front too, with a Chinese battery brand claiming its new pack can go over 600 miles on a charge. Here’s what GM had to say about the deal:
“GM designed Ultium to be an extremely flexible platform so that we can continually improve our cells as battery technology advances. Our collaboration with OneD will focus on efforts to continue advancements in the range, performance and cost of electric vehicles.”
Being two American companies means that if the partnership works, GM could move closer to vehicles made entirely in the US to qualify for more federal EV tax credits in the future. And that’s in addition to the other improvements being touted. Also, moving production to the US could avoid the global supply constraints we’ve seen lately.
Battery technology and advancement is a huge topic of discussion right now, and it’s not going away any time soon. For now, we will have to wait and see.
Source: General Motors Co.
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