Honda and General Motors are joining forces to speed the development of advanced battery components for next-generation electric vehicles.
According to the agreement, the companies will collaborate on GM’s next-generation battery system and Honda will source battery modules from the company. The automakers were tight-lipped on specifics but said the next-generation battery will have improved packaging, faster charging capabilities and a higher energy density than today’s unit. The next-generation battery will be used in electric vehicles which are “mainly for the North American market.”
Despite sharing battery modules, GM and Honda said the vehicles that use them will be distinct from one another. The companies also noted the “combined scale and global manufacturing efficiencies will ultimately provide greater value to customers.”
GM’s Executive Vice President of Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain said “This new, multiyear agreement with Honda further demonstrates General Motors’ capability to innovate toward a profitable electric portfolio.” Mark Reuss added “GM’s decades of electrification experience and strategic EV investments, alongside Honda’s commitment to advancing mobility, will result in better solutions for our customers and progress on our zero emissions vision.”
This isn’t the first time that Honda and General Motors have teamed up on electrification. In 2017, the companies formed a manufacturing joint venture to produce an advanced hydrogen fuel cell system. The fuel cell is expected to go into production in 2020 and the companies said the “integrated development teams are working to deliver a more affordable commercial solution for fuel cell and hydrogen storage systems.”
Honda hasn’t said much about its plans for future electric vehicles but GM is planning to bring at least 20 new electric vehicles to market by 2023. The Bolt is the company’s most prominent electric vehicle but the company showed off an electric crossover at the Barclays 2017 Global Automotive Conference in 2017. It is one of two new electric vehicles that will arrive by mid-2019.
