DETROIT -  One day after sealing a deal to use Lordstown-made batteries in an electric-powered pickup truck, General Motors is revealing more information on why those batteries are unique in the race to be first in developing electric vehicles.

General Motors said on Wednesday that it would be the first automaker to use an almost entirely wireless battery management system, or wBMS, for production electric vehicles.

The wireless system developed by Analog Devices Inc. will be a key driver of GM’s ability to power different types of electric vehicles using a common set of battery components. 

The automaker and LG Chem have formed a partnership to manufacture the Ultium batteries at a plant under construction in Lordstown. The wireless battery monitoring system will be standard on all planned GM vehicles powered by Ultium batteries.

According to General Motors, the wBMS is expected to put its Ultium-powered EVs on the market more quickly, eliminating the time that would be needed to develop specific communications systems or redesign complex wiring schemes for each new vehicle. Instead, the wBMS will help GM adapt the Ultium batteries to the automaker’s various brands and vehicles, ranging from heavy-duty trucks to performance vehicles.

The battery management system incorporates what is being called a new Vehicle Intelligence Platform that GM says will allow upgrades using software-based features through smartphone-like updates.

“Scalability and complexity reduction are a theme with our Ultium batteries – the wireless battery management system is the critical enabler of this amazing flexibility,” said Kent Helfrich, GM executive director of Global Electrification and Battery Systems. “The wireless system represents the epitome of Ultium’s configurability and should help GM build profitable EVs at scale.”

The wBMS will help electric vehicles balance chemistry within the individual battery cell groups for optimal performance. It can also conduct real-time battery pack health checks to safeguard the battery over the vehicle’s lifespan.

By reducing wires within the batteries by up to 90 percent, the wireless system can help extend the charging range by creating lighter vehicles overall and opening extra room for more batteries.

Space and flexibility created by the reduction in wires not only enables a cleaner design but also allows a simpler and more streamlined battery, according to GM.

GM says the wireless system can also provide a recycling benefit when the batteries reach the end of their lives used to power vehicles. 

 When the capacity of the wireless packs is reduced to the point where they are no longer ideal for optimum vehicle performance, they can be combined with other wireless battery packs to form clean power generators. This can be done without a redesign or overhaul of the battery management system traditionally required in second-life usage, says GM.

GM says the wireless battery management system is protected by cybersecurity measures that include protective features, including protection of wireless communications.