GM patents battery cells for EVs that look like Legos.
General Motors has filed a patent application for an unusually shaped battery cell designed to aid cooling.
Instead of the rectangular shape of the automaker's current Ultium cells, the patent application, first spotted by Motor1, discusses a Lego shape that leaves channels when the cells are assembled into modules. By using these channels for cooling, GM claims in the application, the life of the battery can be extended.
The idea seems to be that cool air would flow directly over a larger surface area compared to the current GM Ultium module, where cooling plates are placed under a mass of cells. Conventional cells of different lengths and thicknesses can be arranged in an H-shape with integrated cooling channels to achieve the same effect, GM said in its application.
The downside is the added complexity of manufacturing non-uniform cells, which GM may not want to undertake given the manufacturing headaches experienced with the current Ultium cells. Production of the Ultium EVs will wind down in 2023, forcing GM to postpone its plans to increase electric truck production capacity. Software problems have also put the delivery of the Chevrolet Blazer EV on hold for several months.
According to a recent Bloomberg report, some of the production problems stemmed from GM's disregard for its own best practices, including installing automated assembly line equipment at "Factory Zero" in Detroit without proper testing. Executives told Bloomberg that they believe the worst of these problems has passed, and they expect EV production to reach 200,000-300,000 units this year and 14,000 units in 2023.
GM is awaiting the launch of several EV models, including the Chevrolet Equinox EV in 2024, the successor to the Chevrolet Bolt EV, the first Buick EV in North America, and additional electric Cadillac crossovers. It remains to be seen if any of these models will eventually feature battery cells shaped like assembled Lego blocks.
