GM Defense, a subsidiary of General Motors, is partnering with the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) Pulsed Power and Energy Laboratory (PPEL) and the Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia Division (NSWCPD) to advance the evaluation of commercial electric vehicle batteries for military applications. The project, titled Evaluation of Electric Vehicle Batteries to Enable Directed Energy (EEVBEDE), is funded by the Operational Energy Innovation office of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) through its Operational Energy Capability Improvement Fund (OECIF).
UTA PPEL will rigorously assess the capabilities of GM’s Ultium Platform propulsion architecture under dynamic discharge and charge scenarios. This evaluation aims to identify pathways for the use of domestically supplied energy storage in future military platforms. The Ultium Platform, known for its modularity and scalability, can adapt to various chemistries and cell form factors, making it suitable for evolving technological needs.
Steve duMont, president of GM Defense, emphasized the potential benefits for the DoD: “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.”
David Wetz, professor of electrical engineering at UTA and director of PPEL, highlighted the lab’s role in this initiative: “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.”
Peter Crouch, dean of UTA’s College of Engineering, added, “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.”
In addition to EEVBEDE, GM Defense is involved in the Defense Innovation Unit’s Jumpstart for Advanced Battery Standardization (JABS) project. Similar to EEVBEDE, JABS focuses on evaluating and testing high-voltage battery systems to optimize commercial technologies. GM Defense has already provided a prototype battery system based on the Ultium Platform for JABS, demonstrating its mission power capabilities in a light tactical utility vehicle. Learnings from these projects will inform the integration requirements for future battery electric defense solutions.
