GM to temporarily source CATL batteries for new Chevy Bolt – despite tariffs
According to reports from the Wall Street Journal and news agency Reuters, citing insider sources, GM intends to use imported CATL batteries for around two years. This arrangement will remain in place until GM and its South Korean partner, LG Energy Solution, establish domestic LFP cell production. GM announced in mid-July that the joint venture, Ultium Cells, would convert its battery cell plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee, which only began production in 2024, to manufacture LFP cells. The conversion is set to begin this year, with commercial production scheduled to start at the end of 2027.
Meanwhile, the new Chevrolet Bolt will continue to roll off the production line at GM’s Fairfax assembly plant in Kansas from the end of this year and is expected to enter dealerships in 2026 as the company’s most affordable electric model, equipped with LFP batteries. The model, teased but not yet fully revealed, represents the second generation of the US bestseller first launched in 2016. The first generation was sold between 2016 and 2023.
GM emphasises that all twelve of its current electric vehicles – from the $35,000 Chevrolet Equinox EV to the $340,000 Cadillac Celestiq – are fitted with US-made batteries. However, these are exclusively nickel-based chemistries, in line with GM’s original modular battery strategy, which relied solely on nickel-rich cells.
Under former Tesla executive Kurt Kelty, who joined GM in 2024 to lead battery development, the carmaker has shifted strategy. LFP batteries are now planned for certain mid-range models, including the Chevrolet Bolt, the Equinox, the Blazer and the Silverado EV. According to a June report in The Korea Economic Daily, Samsung SDI will also modify part of its joint venture with GM in Indiana – initially intended solely for nickel-rich batteries – to accommodate LFP production lines.
For the next-generation Chevrolet Bolt, sourcing LFP batteries from China until US production begins will have a financial impact. According to the Wall Street Journal, Chinese electric vehicle batteries currently face total tariffs of around 80 per cent, including duties on foreign auto parts. The end of the $7,500 federal tax credit on 30 September will actually work in GM’s favour in this case. Since the Bolt with CATL batteries does not qualify for the credit, it will no longer be disadvantaged compared to subsidised EVs.
This article was first published for by Cora Werwitzke for electrive’s German edition.
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