General Motors unveils Ultium Drive electric motor for the first time

     According to foreign media reports, General Motors (GM) made its electrification plans clear when it announced its Ultium battery technology in 2020. Now, thanks to an announcement from the company, we've got another look at what makes Ultium cars tick - specifically, their engines.

     The new Ultium Drive motor comes in three different types: the front drive motor is 180 kW; The rear drive and the higher power front drive units have a power output of 255 kW, both of which are permanent magnet motors; The third all-drive auxiliary motor produces 62 kW, but is an induction motor.

     These electric motors will power all of GM's Ultium electric vehicles for the foreseeable future. Other electric motors can be used in different combinations for different applications - a small, affordable electric car might get a 180 kW unit, while a job truck might get a combination of all three electric motors.

     Unlike GM's current electric vehicles, the Ultium electric vehicle will have more drive components, such as an on-board charging module and auxiliary power module built into the Ultium drive unit itself, which will simplify the manufacturing process and reduce costs.

     In a statement, GM President Mark Reuss said, "Twenty years of electric drive system development and more than 100 years of high-volume vehicle engineering have helped GM move rapidly from conventional vehicles to electric vehicles. Our vertical integration in this space - both hardware and software - helps us control our own destiny and gain a significant competitive advantage."

     Of course, the engine is only part of the problem. An electric car needs software to manage it, and GM has been working hard on that. Like electric motors, Ultium's software is modular and scalable, which will allow engineers to adapt for different applications without having to redesign the software from scratch each time to further reduce costs.