Normal Motors (GM) seems to be to additional commercialize its EV battery manufacturing and decrease costs by investing in Mitra Chem – a startup described as an “AI-enabled battery supplies innovator.” At this time, GM introduced it’s the lead investor of a Sequence B funding spherical supporting the Silicon Valley-based battery firm.
GM has publicly embraced a full transition into electrification of its lineup of automobiles throughout most of all its manufacturers, and a key issue within the equation stays its proprietary Ultium EV platform, powered by its Ultium battery cells.
GM has vowed to speculate lots of of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} to transition to EV manufacturing and erect large battery manufacturing amenities in North America to assist the rising variety of EV fashions in its pipeline.
Nevertheless, a lot of that funding has been allotted towards scaled cell manufacturing within the US and fewer towards the analysis and growth of the battery chemistries inside the cells. In the meantime, startups like Mitra Chem are utilizing superior applied sciences to not solely convey new battery chemistries to scale however accomplish that at a blistering tempo.
Consequently, GM has invested in Mitra Chem with plans to co-develop iron-based cathodes and extra cell chemistries.
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GM explores LFP, LMFP battery tech and past
In keeping with particulars from Normal Motors this morning, it’s main a $60 million Sequence B funding in Mitra Chem however just isn’t at present disclosing how a lot of that complete it’s forking over. The contemporary funding is meant to allow Mitra Chem to scale its present operations in Mountain View, California, and assist velocity up the entry of the startup’s battery supplies formulation into the market.
Mitra Chem will help GM in growing iron-based cathode lively supplies (CAM), together with lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) cells. This shall be along with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells already outstanding within the EV battery business – one other product Mitra Chem already makes a speciality of. GM’s vice chairman, expertise acceleration & commercialization, Gil Golan, elaborated:
This can be a strategic funding that can additional assist reinforce GM’s efforts in EV batteries, speed up our work on inexpensive battery chemistries like LMFP and assist our efforts to construct a U.S.-focused battery provide chain. GM is accelerating bigger investments in important subdomains of battery expertise, like cell chemistry, elements and superior cell manufacturing processes. Mitra Chem’s labs, strategies and expertise will match effectively with our personal R&D workforce’s work.
Mitra Chem’s lab makes use of simulations and physics-informed machine studying fashions to speed up formulation growth, hardening the startup to say it will possibly cut back the lab-to-production battery timeline by over 90%. Along with GM’s contemporary funding, Mitra Chem says it will possibly considerably shorten studying cycles and convey new battery cell formulation, like LMFP or, ultimately, lithium steel halide (LMX) for solid-state cells, to market rather more rapidly. The startup’s co-founder and CEO, Vivas Kumar, additionally spoke about at present’s information:
GM’s funding in Mitra Chem is not going to solely assist us develop inexpensive battery chemistries to be used in GM automobiles, but additionally will gasoline our mission to develop, deploy and commercialize US made, iron-based cathode supplies that may energy EVs, grid-scale electrified vitality storage and past
With cheaper, domestically sourced EV batteries (hopefully) coming to GM extra rapidly, US shoppers might ultimately see fashions that aren’t solely extra inexpensive however could qualify for extra federal tax credit below phrases within the Inflation Discount Act. Time will inform.
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