The GM BEV2 platform is an
automotive platform made by
General Motors
General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...
designed specifically for small
electric vehicle
An electric vehicle (EV) is a motor vehicle whose propulsion is powered fully or mostly by electricity. EVs encompass a wide range of transportation modes, including road vehicle, road and rail vehicles, electric boats and Submersible, submer ...
s. Multiple divisions of the
LG Corporation
LG Corporation (or LG Group), formerly known as Lucky-Goldstar, is a South Korean multinational conglomerate founded by Koo In-hwoi in 1947 and managed by successive generations of his family. It is the fourth-largest company in South Korea ...
have been instrumental in construction in addition to GM's contributions to the platform.
Chronology
1996–2003: EV1
Despite having a "2" in its name, which usually indicates a second generation of a platform in GM nomenclature, BEV2 had no direct predecessor. The concept of "BEV1" actually refers to the
General Motors EV1.
However, the EV1 and vehicles on BEV2 differ greatly, in part due to the two-decade gap between them.
2010–2015: Gamma derivatives
In 2011, GM announced that they had finished development of an EV supplier base in China. This coincided with the introduction of the
Springo, an EV based on the
Gamma platform's
Chevrolet Sail. Two years later in 2013, a similar EV variant was released of the Sail's
American-market equivalent, the
Spark. This Spark EV was sold until 2016, the same year as the introduction of the Bolt, and, though GM openly stated that the Bolt's platform was not derived from Gamma, the Bolt's model codes began with G2, suggesting influence of these vehicles upon it.
2016: Chevrolet Bolt
In 2016, Chevrolet unveiled a production version of the Bolt, the first vehicle on BEV2, and the first dedicated EV from GM in 20 years.
LG Chem
LG Chem Ltd. ( Korean: LG화학), often referred to as LG Chemical, is the largest Korean chemical company and is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It was the 9th largest chemical company in the world by sales in 2021. It was first established ...
and other LG divisions reportedly develop and install most of the components that make it an electric vehicle, per an agreement for the model. This vehicle is the first to be underpinned by BEV2 and also the strongest-selling, with over 16,000 sold at the end of 2018.
2017–2023
On October 2, 2017, GM announced a plan to introduce two new main EV models in the next eighteen months, followed by an additional eighteen electric models by 2023. The next month GM extended their commitment, aiming for a production volume of one million electric vehicles by 2026. On November 15, 2017, further clarification was made by GM CEO
Mary Barra as to what the next five years of electric models would be:
* "Expressive luxury low-roof" vehicle (possibly a
grand tourer
A grand tourer (GT) is a type of car that is designed for high speed and long-distance driving with performance and luxury. The most common format is a Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, front-engine, rear-wheel-drive two-door coupé with ...
)
* 5-passenger luxury SUV
* 5-passenger compact SUV
* "Shared"
autonomous vehicle
* Functional
light commercial vehicle
* "Efficient low-roof" car
* Small SUV
* Compact CUV
* 7-passenger large SUV
* 7-passenger luxury SUV
None of these promised actions, however, have been enacted in full. In China, the
SAIC-GM joint venture has announced and launched the
Buick Velite 6 (2019), also available with a
PHEV drivetrain, and the closely related
Chevrolet Menlo (2020). Since the end of the eighteen-month period, the Velite 6 and Menlo are the only main brand EVs that GM has produced, and both are limited to the Chinese market. Much of the incentive to market EVs in China can be explained by the zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) mandate that country's government has put in place, requiring manufacturers to have 8% percent of their volume be ZEVs in 2012, and 12% in 2020. The Velite 6/Menlo have a different wheelbase and motor than the Bolt EV and do not use the BEV2 platform.
In March 2019, GM announced its intentions to build another BEV2 platform-based vehicle very similar to the Bolt at
Orion Assembly; the new BEV2 vehicle was developed alongside the
GMC Hummer EV. The vehicle was launched first in 2020 as the
Buick Velite 7 for the Chinese market.
This crossover had been mentioned in the 2017 GM announcement, but it was later removed. A variant with revised styling for the United States was marketed as the
Bolt EUV (electric utility vehicle), which is built on BEV2 and was launched in spring 2021.
Production of the Bolt and Bolt EUV were stopped in August 2021 due to a battery recall; production did not resume until April 2022.
2023: Discontinuation
GM began publicizing its
Ultium battery technology and
BEV3 platform in 2019 and 2020.
Although both a refreshed Bolt EV and new Bolt EUV were announced at the same time, to go on sale in late 2020 and summer 2021, respectively, the Bolt EV and EUV did not move to Ultium/BEV3. The newer platform is intended to support a wide variety of battery electric vehicles, including the
Cruise Origin, which was intended to be the first GM vehicle on Ultium/BEV3.
[ On April 25, 2023 GM CEO Mary Barra confirmed that the BEV2-based Bolt and Bolt EUV would be discontinued at the end of 2023 to make room for GM's "new generation of electric vehicles," and a new Ultium/BEV3 Bolt was announced a few months later.
]
Design
BEV2 is derived from the Gamma 2 platform,[ used for other GM vehicles including the Chevrolet Sonic and Spark,]GM Korea
GM Korea Company () is the South Korean subsidiary of American multinational corporation General Motors and the third largest automobile manufacturer in South Korea. GM Korea's roots go back to the former Daewoo Motors vehicle brand, which was sp ...
(formerly Daewoo Korea),LG Chem
LG Chem Ltd. ( Korean: LG화학), often referred to as LG Chemical, is the largest Korean chemical company and is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It was the 9th largest chemical company in the world by sales in 2021. It was first established ...
. GM were responsible for the electric traction motor, battery control system, integration of the powertrain, and system validation. LG Chem designed and engineered the traction battery; other LG units provided vehicle electronics, including the infotainment module.
BEV2 features a skateboard-like chassis where the traction battery is carried between the wheels and under the seats.
Applications
* 2017–2023 Chevrolet Bolt, B-segment hatchback
*2020–2022 Buick Velite 7, B-segment crossover SUV
*2021–2023 Chevrolet Bolt EUV, B-segment crossover SUV
Badge engineering
From its inception until 2020 (shortly after GM's sale of Opel
Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Gr ...
/Vauxhall
Vauxhall ( , ) is an area of South London, within the London Borough of Lambeth. Named after a medieval manor called Fox Hall, it became well known for the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens.
From the Victorian period until the mid-20th century, Va ...
to Groupe PSA
Peugeot S.A., trading as Groupe PSA () (formerly PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1991 to 2016) was a French multinational automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles and motorcycles under the Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel and Vauxhal ...
), the Chevrolet Bolt was sold in Europe as the Opel Ampera-e.
References
External links
*
{{General Motors
General Motors platforms
Electric vehicle platforms