The US Defense Innovation Unit awarded GM Defense, a subsidiary of General Motors, to develop a battery electric pack prototype for testing and analysis on Department of Defense platforms, according to Electric Cars Report.
The award will see the company use GM’s most advanced battery technology, the Ultium Platform, to provide battery pack prototype. It works to meet DIU’s requirement for a scalable design that can be applied for tactical military vehicles. DIU is a Department of Defense organization that accelerates commercial technology adoption across the U.S military, which lines up with GM Defense’s mission of leveraging GM’s advanced technologies for a global defense and government customers.
“This award is a critical enabler for non-traditional defence businesses, like GM Defense , to deliver commercial technologies that support our customers’ transition to a more electric, autonomous, and connected future.” GM Defense President Steve duMont said. “Commercial battery electric technologies continue to mature. GM Defense offers a unique advantage, with our ability to leverage proven commercial capabilities and the billions in GM investments in electric vehicle and autonomous vehicle technologies in order to help provide our customers with the most advanced capabilities the commercial market can offer.”
The Ultium Platform is a modular and scalable combined electric vehicle (EV) battery architecture and propulsion system, as stated by Green Car Congress.
In addition, it is developed to be adaptable in a variety of requirements and new technology additions. The platform applies various factors of chemistry and cell forms to adapt itself.
The award follows a similar announcement by GM Defense in July when the business was picked by the U.S Army to provide a GMC Hummer EV Pickup for analysis and demonstration.
According to PR Newswire, this award is intended to help meet the military’s requirement for a light-to-heavy-duty battery EV that can aid cutting reliance on fossil fuels in the operational and garrison environments.
