POSCO Group and GM to Hold Lyric Joint Promotion at POSCO Center, Seoul on the 26th
To mark the domestic launch of Cadillac's luxury electric vehicle 'Lyriq,' which extensively incorporates POSCO Group's secondary battery materials and steel products, POSCO Group and GM exhibited the Lyriq and held a joint promotional event on the 26th at the POSCO Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by POSCO Future M
Posco Future M's cathode and anode materials have been selected for the battery of GM's luxury electric vehicle brand, 'Lyriq.'
On the 26th, Posco Group and GM held a joint promotional event to mark the domestic launch of Cadillac's luxury electric vehicle 'Lyriq.' That morning, the two companies displayed the 'Lyriq' at the Posco Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, offering test drive opportunities and purchase consultations to Posco Group employees and nearby office workers. The event was attended by Yoo Byung-ok, President of Posco Future M; Seo Yu-ran, Head of Posco Automotive Materials Marketing Office; Hector Vizareal, President of GM Korea; and Tommy Hosea, Vice President of Purchasing and Supply Chain at GM International (GMI), celebrating the launch of the electric vehicle completed through cooperation between Posco Group and GM.
The Lyriq is the first model based on GM's next-generation modular electric vehicle platform 'Ultium' and the first electric vehicle to apply Posco Future M's cathode and anode materials as battery materials. It is equipped with a battery pack that places battery cells made with Posco Future M's cathode and anode materials into 12 modules.
The Lyriq's battery uses a high-energy-density high-nickel NCMA (Nickel-Cobalt-Manganese-Aluminum) product as the cathode material to extend driving range, enabling a driving distance of up to 465 km on a full charge based on combined standards. Posco Future M succeeded in mass-producing NCMA single-crystal cathode materials for the first time in Korea in March last year. The anode material uses a low-expansion natural graphite anode with an improved material structure compared to existing products, enhancing both fast charging performance and battery stability and lifespan. The Lyriq supports DC fast charging with a maximum output of 190 kW per hour, allowing approximately 120 km of driving with a 10-minute charge.
Additionally, Posco's steel products, including ultra-high-strength steel and electrical steel sheets, have been extensively applied to the Lyriq. The body and chassis use gigasteel (with tensile strength over 980 MPa) and ultra-high-strength steel of global top quality, achieving the highest safety rating of 5 stars from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), thereby enhancing strength, workability, and eco-friendliness.
The drive motor applies the high-efficiency non-oriented electrical steel sheet 'Hyper NO,' which reduces energy loss, securing the highest level of driving performance among electric vehicles in its class. Posco is the only producer of high-efficiency non-oriented electrical steel sheets in Korea, and globally, only a few steelmakers, including Posco, can supply products with stable quality, requiring advanced technology. Non-oriented electrical steel sheets are materials used in motors that rotate the drive shaft through electric current.
The Lyriq, which maximizes performance and efficiency with Posco Group's battery materials and steel products, stands out in the global market by harmoniously combining Cadillac's brand capabilities with stable and agile driving performance, new design language, and next-generation technology. The Lyriq ranked first in single-model sales in the U.S. luxury electric vehicle market in the first quarter of this year.
Yoo Byung-ok, President of Posco Future M, said, "We support the Lyriq, enhanced by the cooperation between Posco Group and GM, to continue its successful run domestically following the U.S." He added, "Posco Future M will continue to actively cooperate to develop and stably supply high-performance battery core materials based on advanced technology so that GM can lead the electric vehicle market."
Meanwhile, Posco Future M and GM have been continuing their cooperation to establish a stable battery material supply chain in North America. In May 2022, they jointly established 'Ultium CAM,' the first joint venture between a battery material company and an automaker, with GM. They plan to complete a cathode material production plant with an annual capacity of 30,000 tons in Quebec, Canada, in the second half of this year. Additionally, to strategically respond to regional supply chain strengthening policies such as the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), they are also pursuing the expansion of the cathode material plant and the construction of a precursor plant, an intermediate raw material for cathode materials, in North America, aiming for completion by 2026.
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