LG Electronics and General Motors are in partnership to develop the next-generation electric vehicle: The Chevrolet Bolt EV (electric vehicle) can travel more than 322km on a single electric charge. The concept was shown at the North American International Auto Show in January. Chevrolet has confirmed the electric vehicle will go into production at GM’s Orion Township, Michigan assembly plant in the US in late 2016. “Chevrolet needs to be disruptive in order to maintain our leadership position in electrification,” says Mark Reuss, GM’s executive VP of global product development, purchasing and supply chain. “The opportunity to work with GM on such game-changing technology is indicative of exactly the type of contributions that traditional tech companies can make in the automotive space,” according to Lee Woo-Jong, president and CEO of LG Electronics Vehicle Components.
LG Electronics has invested over $250 million in an engineering and manufacturing facility in Incheon, South Korea, to support the component development and manufacturing for Bolt EV components. The new components and systems supplied by LG for the Chevrolet Bolt EV include:* Electric drive motor (built from GM design)* Power invertor module (converts DC power to AC for the drive unit)* On-board charger* Electric climate control system compressor* Battery cells and pack* High power distribution module (manages the flow of high voltage to various components)* Battery heater* Accessory power module (maintains low-voltage power delivery to accessories)* Power line communication module (manages communication between vehicle and a DC charging station)* Instrument cluster* Infotainment systemThe company says being selected as GM’s EV technology partner positions LG as a key player in “next-generation vehicular technologies”. “By taking the best of our in-house engineering prowess established with the Chevrolet Volt and Spark EV, and combining the experience of the LG Group, we’re able to transform the concept of the industry’s first long-range, affordable EV into reality,” says Reuss. GM’s relationship with LG began in 2007, when LG Electronics was tasked with supplying the vehicle communications module for OnStar, GM’s telematics system. Another LG-owned company, LG Chem, and GM have a long-standing relationship and the company was chosen as the sole supplier of battery cells for the first-generation Chevrolet Volt, which launched in 2010.
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