GM Now Building Cars For A Competing Car Company?
GM is partnering with Honda to help develop the Ultium platform that is already used in GM's cars. Now Honda will use it for their Prologue
Honda is poised to enter the electric vehicle race. The car manufacturer just released news of its first EV. And the Prologue SUV has a distinctive feature – it uses a platform developed by GM.
According to PCMag, Honda intends to only sell electric vehicles by 2040. However, the popular car company has yet to release an EV onto the market. That will all change in 2024.
Honda plans to have the Prologue hit dealerships sometime in 2024. And an EV version of the Acura later in the year. The two models are the first in a line of 30 new EVs the manufacturer plans to release by 2030.
However, what makes this launch particularly intriguing is the unique partnership behind it. The Prologue was a joint development between Honda and GM. And it will showcase a battery technology developed by GM and LG Energy Solutions.
The technology is called the Ultium platform. And it is already in use by GM. The Cadillac Lyriq, Hummer EV, and upcoming Chevrolet Equinox EV, Blazer EV, and Silverado EV all feature the proprietary technology.
Honda’s Prologue is the first electric vehicle from a different brand to incorporate the innovative technology. Its design is strikingly simple and will likely entice consumers. PCMag describes it as “…a universalized ‘platform’ that allows GM to scale production and benefit customers through apps and charging features that work across vehicles.”
What makes it unique is that the platform does not have a singular battery. Instead, it features a series of interchangeable pouches. As technology improves, those pouches can get swapped out as needed.
The Ultium platform will be in both the Prologue and the Acura EV. But Honda may switch over to its own proprietary technology for later models. The company is currently working on what they call e:Architecture.
The e:Architecture platform will combine hardware with software connected to the cloud. Ultimately, it will provide an additional revenue stream for the company. Honda plans to begin transitioning to e:Architecture and away from the GM technology in 2026.
Additionally, they laid out a series of lofty goals in the press release announcing the Prologue. It “outlines three phases of electric vehicles development, which involve parallel development of the e:Architecture and the partnership with General Motors, as Honda focuses on developing sub-$30,000 EVs.” The latter goal is another co-development with GM, with the companies hoping to begin production on a line of affordable EVs sometime in 2027.
But the GM partnership and the development of e:Architecture are not the only big moves Honda has made in recent years. It also recently announced the news of a partnership with LG Energy Systems. The joint venture will focus on the construction of a domestic battery plant.
The companies will begin construction on the plant in 2023 and hope to complete it by 2025. Upon its completion, Honda will comply with requirements for the federal EV tax credit offered as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. And that is fantastic news for anyone hoping to capitalize on the $7,500 credit.
