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Complex planned to produce Cathode Active Material (CAM) and Precursor CAM (pCAM) for 360,000 EVs annually
- New investment expanding the Ultium CAM joint venture, projected to exceed $1 billion, which includes an additional CAM and a precursor facility for local on-site processing of critical minerals
- GM’s partnerships, investments and strategic supply agreements across the EV supply chain are helping to create thousands of jobs in Canada, the United States and free trade agreement countries
General Motors Co. and POSCO Future M announced the second phase of their Ultium CAM joint venture, an investment projected to exceed $1 billion (U.S.) to increase production capacity of CAM in North America and integrate precursor materials production. pCAM is a specifically engineered combination of processed raw materials necessary to produce CAM, a key battery material representing about 40% of the cost of a battery cell. Currently, CAM and pCAM processing is highly concentrated in Asia.
GM is executing plans to install 1 million units of annual EV capacity in North America in 2025, supported by four U.S. battery cell joint venture plants with 160GWh of capacity and grow from there in subsequent years. The Ultium CAM joint venture will support production of approximately 360,000 Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC, Buick and BrightDrop vehicles annually in the 2025-2030 timeframe in North America.
See related article: GM and Samsung SDI To Invest More Than $3 Billion To Expand U.S. Battery Cell Manufacturing
“Increasing CAM production capacity and adding pCAM to our joint venture is another significant step in building a more secure and sustainable North America-focused supply chain to support GM’s fast-growing EV production needs,” said Doug Parks, GM executive vice president, Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain. “We started by establishing battery cell production in the U.S. From there, we have been working through the entire battery supply chain, all the way to raw material recovery. We’re building higher levels of vertical integration, driving expanded investment and helping create jobs across North America.”
“We are experiencing rapid growth of the EV battery materials market across North America. I believe our joint venture will fortify its position in the secondary battery material industry with this proactive decision to increase CAM production and bring pCAM production to North America,” said Kim Joon-Hyung, President, POSCO Future M. “POSCO Future M’s advanced technology and experience is supported by our expanding partnership with GM. We are aiming to play a key role in the eco-friendly mobility market with our products.”