Ultium Energy Recovery Can Help GM EVs Charge and Accelerate Faster and Drive Farther
GM has developed a patented heat pump that recovers energy from the battery to power heating and propulsion while also helping to conserve range
2022-04-25
DETROIT – Today, GM announced a feature standard in its Ultium-based EVs that captures and repurposes waste energy from the battery. Through the Ultium Platform’s energy recovery system, this waste energy can increase a vehicle’s range, reduce battery energy needed for heating, increase charging speed and even enable sportier driving.
EV batteries, power electronics and other propulsion components produce heat. The Ultium Platform can recover and store this waste heat from the Ultium propulsion system. Further, it can also capture and use humidity from both inside and outside the vehicle, including body heat from passengers. The Ultium Platform can then deploy energy stored through the recovery process to heat the cabin more quickly in cold weather than comparable systems found in vehicles with an internal combustion engine.
Ultium’s energy recovery capabilities reduce the need to power heating and other functions from energy stored in the battery, which provides GM’s EVs with as much as 10% more range1, potentially allowing more power and range than vehicles with similarly sized batteries without energy recovery capabilities. With its active heating capabilities, Ultium vehicles can also potentially charge more efficiently by warming up the batteries before charging2.
Ultium’s energy recovery even enables GMC HUMMER EV’s available Watts to Freedom feature. Energy recovery precools the propulsion system to help the all-electric supertruck accelerate from 0-60 mph in approximately 3 seconds3.
“Having a ground-up EV architecture gives us the freedom to build in standard features like Ultium’s energy recovery capabilities,” said Doug Parks, GM executive vice president, Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain. “This helps us squeeze more efficiency, performance and overall customer benefit out of our EVs.”
Covered by 11 patents and four publications, the development of Ultium energy recovery traces its inception back to GM’s first EV, the EV1, in the late 1990s, when GM engineers first developed an EV heat pump. Ultium energy recovery is available on all current Ultium vehicles and planned for future Ultium vehicles.
General Motors (NYSE:GM) is a global company focused on advancing an all-electric future that is inclusive and accessible to all. At the heart of this strategy is the Ultium battery platform, which powers everything from mass-market to high-performance vehicles. General Motors, its subsidiaries and its joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Baojun and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety and security services, can be found at https://www.gm.com.
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1Actual range will vary based on several factors, including temperature, terrain, battery age, loading, use and maintenance.
2Actual charge times will vary based on battery starting state of charge, battery condition, output of charger, vehicle settings and outdoor temperature. See the vehicle’s Owner’s Manual for additional limitations.
3GM estimate.