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.
| GM BT1 platform | |
|---|---|
 GMC Hummer EV, the first vehicle based on the BT1 platform | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | General Motors |
| Production | 2021–present |
| Body and chassis | |
| Layout | Dual- & triple-motor, all-wheel-drive |
| Related | GM BEV3 |
History
editIn 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
editThe 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
editCurrent models
edit- GMC Hummer EV (2021–present)
- Chevrolet Silverado EV / GMC Sierra EV (2023–present)
-
GMC Hummer EV (SUT) -
GMC Hummer EV (SUV) -
Chevrolet Silverado EV
Future models
edit- Cadillac Escalade IQ (2024)[10]
- Chevrolet Tahoe EV / GMC Yukon EV (2026)[11]
- Chevrolet Suburban EV / GMC Yukon XL EV (2026)[11]
See also
edit- General Motors BEV3 platform
- Ultium, the battery and motor used for the platform
References
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b Katakis, Manoli (October 22, 2019). "Electric Hummer, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC trucks and SUVs coming". Muscle Cars and Trucks. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- ^ "GM BEV3 Vehicle Platform". GM Authority. 2020-08-02. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.'
- ^ Bell, Lucas (December 2, 2020). "Hummer EV shares zero parts with other GM vehicles". Muscle Cars and Trucks. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ Bell, Lucas (July 7, 2023). "GMC's Hummer EV Has a Very Complicated Battery Pack". Road & Track. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
- ^ Banner, Justin (May 22, 2023). "2024 Cadillac Escalade IQ: Everything We Know About The Electric 'Slade". Motor Trend. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ a b Lutz, Hannah (July 25, 2022). "Chevy, GMC to sell ICE models with EVs". Automotive News. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
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