The Cadillac Lyriq is the brand’s first electric vehicle.
(Cadillac)
Cadillac will unveil its first fully-electric vehicle in April, GM announced at the automaker’s EV Day event at its design center in Warren, Mich., on Wednesday.
Cadillac released a conceptual rendering of the Lyriq last year.
(Cadillac)
The Lyriq will be a crossover utility vehicle built on a new flexible electric vehicle platform that will be used across GM’s brands and has been previewed in a teaser image of its profile.
GM President Mark Reuss has described the skateboard-style chassis as an “ice cube tray” that can accommodate a variety of battery sizes from 50 kWh to 200 kWh in two layers to meet the requirements of each specific model. The front-, rear-, or all-wheel-drive chassis will also provide the underpinnings for the recently revealed Cruise Origin autonomous shuttle.
GM’s modular platform can accommodate a wide array of vehicle types.
(GM)
The batteries will use a new type of proprietary lithium-ion chemistry being developed by GM and LG Chem under the Ultium brand name that reduces the amount of cobalt required by 70 percent, which makes them cheaper to produce than current designs.
A truck-style off-road version is also in the works.
(GM)
GM is going with a “pouch-style” rectangular cell — rather than the cylindrical type used by Tesla — that can be installed either upright or flat, depending on packaging needs. The cells will also feature in the upcoming Hummer EV pickup, and GM said it is opening to licensing it to other automakers. GM will produce them at a new factory that’s currently under construction in Lordstown, Ohio.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Along with the Cadillac and Hummer, GM also confirmed that an updated version of the Chevrolet Bolt EV later this year followed by a Bolt EUV electric utility vehicle in 2021, which will feature the hands-free Super Cruise semi-autonomous driving system.
This is a developing story, check back for updates
