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General Motors has announced that it will discontinue the Ultium name for the modular electric vehicle (EV) batteries and associated components utilized in both its current and future electric vehicles for the U.S. market, according to a report from CNBC on Tuesday.
While the hardware itself will remain unchanged, GM intends to eliminate the Ultium name from all branding, with the exception of production-related operations, such as its joint venture, Ultium Cells LLC, with LG. The company indicated this decision during statements made prior to an investor conference on Tuesday, where the rebranding was anticipated to be officially announced.
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In a statement to CNBC, GM clarified: “As the company progresses with its EV business expansion, it will no longer use the Ultium name for its electric vehicle architecture, battery cells, or components, starting in North America.”
GM introduced the Ultium propulsion strategy in 2020, which aimed to create economies of scale across a range of electric models by relying on a shared battery cell and motor family. This strategy was intended to reflect an electric version of GM’s traditional approach to sharing parts, which successfully produced widely-used internal combustion engines like the classic small-block V-8.
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This strategy has been applied to various vehicles, from the high-end GMC Hummer EV to the more affordable Chevrolet Equinox EV priced at $34,995. However, GM is now reassessing its EV strategy as the growth in sales has not met the company’s expectations.
In July, GM CEO Mary Barra announced a retreat from the goal of achieving production capacity for one million EVs by 2025, attributing this shift to an underdeveloped EV market. Subsequently, in September, Barra expressed surprise at the political nature that EVs have taken, yet reaffirmed the company’s commitment to phasing out tailpipes from light-duty vehicles by 2035, contingent upon customer readiness, as per their “aspiration” set forth in 2021.
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