Jump to content

General Motors BT1 platform

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
GM BT1 platform
GMC Hummer EV, the first vehicle based on the BT1 platform
Overview
ManufacturerGeneral Motors
Production2021–present
Body and chassis
LayoutDual- & triple-motor, all-wheel-drive
RelatedGM BEV3

The GM BT1 platform, marketed under Ultium branding, is a dedicated electric vehicle architecture or platform developed by General Motors (GM). It underpins electric full-size pickup trucks and SUVs sold by GM, using battery and motor technology developed under its Ultium program; these are shared with third-generation GM electric vehicles on the BEV3 platform. BT1 is categorized as a skateboard platform.

History

[edit]

In October 2019, GM made an agreement with the United Auto Workers (UAW) union to invest US$3 billion in Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly over the next four years, renaming it to "Factory Zero" and converting it to a factory for electric trucks and vans.[1] The UAW's copy of the agreement revealed the "centerpiece" of the investment was a program internally called "Project O" or BT1, which would develop and begin selling a low-volume pickup truck by 2021, aimed at the high end of the market.[2]

The same platform developed for that project, which resulted in the GMC Hummer EV,[3] also would be used for electric versions of full-size General Motors pickup trucks (Chevrolet Silverado / GMC Sierra) and SUVs (Chevrolet Tahoe / Suburban, GMC Yukon, and Cadillac Escalade).[4]

Design

[edit]

The BT1 platform is designed for full-size trucks and SUVs which currently use a body-on-frame architecture, while unibody passenger cars and crossover utility vehicles will be based on BEV3; both platforms use Ultium batteries and motors.[5] However, Nichole Kraatz, the GM chief engineer for battery electric trucks, characterized BT1 as "not a unibody and ... not a body-on-frame", as the body has an integral floor, like a unibody, but rests on the battery structure, which also acts as a structural member.[6] This confirmed early speculation published in 2019.[7]

Despite its name suggesting a relation to the T1 platform,[4] BT1 shares no parts with the older internal combustion engine full-size pickup truck and SUV platform.[8]

As implemented for the GMC Hummer EV, BT1 has a stamped and welded steel battery case with 24 modules, totaling 246 kW-hr gross, of which 212 kW-hr are usable; the total weight of the battery alone is 2,800 lb (1,300 kg).[9]

Applications

[edit]

Current models

[edit]
  • GMC Hummer EV (SUT)
    GMC Hummer EV (SUT)
  • GMC Hummer EV (SUV)
    GMC Hummer EV (SUV)
  • Chevrolet Silverado EV
    Chevrolet Silverado EV

Future models

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Hall, Kalea; Noble, Breana (October 17, 2019). "GM to invest $3 billion at Detroit-Hamtramck for electric truck". The Detroit News. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  2. ^ Klayman, Ben; Lienert, Paul (October 18, 2019). "Exclusive: Electric Hummer could be part of GM's move into EV trucks, SUVs - sources". Reuters. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  3. ^ Neil, Dan (March 30, 2023). "2022 GMC Hummer EV Edition 1 Pickup: A Truck With Moves Like a Porsche". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  4. ^ a b Katakis, Manoli (October 22, 2019). "Electric Hummer, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC trucks and SUVs coming". Muscle Cars and Trucks. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  5. ^ "GM BEV3 Vehicle Platform". GM Authority. 2020-08-02. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  6. ^ Jonathan Lopez (April 17, 2022). "GM's New BT1 Electric Vehicle Platform Is Not Unibody Or Body-On-Frame". GM Authority. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  7. ^ Cole, Craig (October 21, 2019). "An electric Hummer comeback? We discuss with an expert". Road/Show. CNet. Retrieved 25 September 2023. '[BT1] is significantly different from T1 ... They are designing it [BT1] from the ground up as an electric platform,' [Sam Fiorani] added, meaning it likely won't have a separate frame with steel rails, but neither will it be unibody, a construction method most frequently used with cars, where the structure is one integrated assembly. Instead, it could be 'a little of each.'
  8. ^ Bell, Lucas (December 2, 2020). "Hummer EV shares zero parts with other GM vehicles". Muscle Cars and Trucks. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  9. ^ Bell, Lucas (July 7, 2023). "GMC's Hummer EV Has a Very Complicated Battery Pack". Road & Track. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  10. ^ Banner, Justin (May 22, 2023). "2024 Cadillac Escalade IQ: Everything We Know About The Electric 'Slade". Motor Trend. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  11. ^ a b Lutz, Hannah (July 25, 2022). "Chevy, GMC to sell ICE models with EVs". Automotive News. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
Stub icon

This electric vehicle–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=General_Motors_BT1_platform&oldid=1211963423"