General Motors (GM) has unveiled plans to produce battery systems for the 2015 Chevrolet Spark EV at its assembly facility in Brownstown, Michigan, US.
The move is a part of the company's efforts to bring all its electric vehicle battery building capabilities in-house.
GM global transmission and electrification engineering executive director Larry Nitz said, "Using our in-house engineering and manufacturing expertise enabled us to deliver a battery system that is more efficient and lighter than the 2014 Spark EV without sacrificing range.
"Our successful working relationship with LG Chem has allowed us to deliver a new battery system for the Spark EV that helps us to better leverage our economies of scale."
With a storage capacity of 19kWh, the new battery system will feature 192 lithium ion cells and weigh 474lbs.
Alterations to the design are said to have no impact on Spark's MPGe, or gasoline equivalent, performance compared to the 2014 model.
It will be built on a dedicated production line, which also manufactures battery packs for the Chevrolet Volt, Opel Ampera and Cadillac ELR.
Brownstown battery assembly's facility produces the lithium-ion battery packs for GM's extended-range electric vehicles.
