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GM Defense To Equip Military Platforms With Advanced Electric Technology
GM Defense, a subsidiary of General Motors, is collaborating with the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) Pulsed Power and Energy Laboratory (PPEL) and Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia Division (NSWCPD) to provide commercial battery electric technology. This initiative, named Evaluation of Electric Vehicle Batteries to Enable Directed Energy (EEVBEDE), is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense's Operational Energy Innovation office through its Operational Energy Capability Improvement Fund (OECIF).
Steve duMont, president of GM Defense, stated, "The Department of Defense can benefit from billions of dollars in GM investments to develop and manufacture transformative battery technologies. These technologies offer significant potential to enhance operational capability, whether at the tactical edge or on installations throughout the world. GM Defense welcomes the opportunity to support this important project and to help transition our global defense and government customers."
The Ultium Platform propulsion architecture from GM is being leveraged for evaluation and testing in this project. This platform delivers power, range, and scalability beyond any previous GM hybrid or extended-range EV technology. Its modular and scalable nature allows it to use different chemistries and cell form factors, making it adaptable to evolving needs and new technological advancements.
David Wetz, a professor of electrical engineering at UTA and director of PPEL, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration: "We are excited to work with GM Defense to test the Ultium Platform to determine its potential for use in future warfighting applications. PPEL has a long relationship with the DoD and the Office of Naval Research for testing the limits of batteries used in high power applications, and we are in a unique position to evaluate this technology and make recommendations for future use cases."
The project aims to evaluate current capabilities of commercial automotive batteries under dynamic discharge and charge scenarios. Insights gained will inform performance and design considerations when batteries are used in more dynamic, high-power operations than typical applications face. This evaluation will help provide pathways for domestically supplied energy storage for future military platforms.
Peter Crouch, dean of UTA’s College of Engineering, highlighted the broader impact: "As a Carnegie R-1 university, UTA is committed to working with industry to better develop and understand the potential of new technology. This collaboration between PPEL, GM Defense and the DoD will not only improve our nation’s military capabilities but also adds to our workforce development efforts producing next generation engineers who will solve our nation’s complex problems."
Support from OECIF
The OECIF plays a crucial role in developing new power and energy technologies that provide advanced capabilities for the DoD. This support helps prevent power and energy from becoming limiting factors in military operations. The work performed under this effort will contribute significantly to understanding how commercial battery technologies can be adapted for defense purposes.
GM Defense has previously participated in similar projects such as the Defense Innovation Unit’s Jumpstart for Advanced Battery Standardization (JABS). Like EEVBEDE, JABS aims to evaluate high voltage battery systems to optimize commercial technologies. For JABS, GM Defense provided a prototype battery system based on its Ultium Platform.
Previous Contributions by GM Defense
In addition to EEVBEDE, GM Defense demonstrated mission power capabilities by integrating a high-voltage battery pack into a light tactical utility vehicle under JABS. Key learnings from these projects will inform future integration requirements for battery electric defense solutions.
Overall, this collaboration between GM Defense, UTA PPEL, NSWCPD, and OECIF represents a significant step towards enhancing military capabilities through advanced battery technologies.
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