- GM will import LFP batteries for the upcoming 2027 Chevrolet Bolt EV.
- That’s despite tariffs and the fact that the company is bringing LFP battery production to the U.S.
- The American automaker will eventually fit U.S.-made batteries in the Bolt, but not at first.
The 2027 Chevrolet Bolt electric car, which is expected to become one of the most affordable EVs in the United States, will be powered by lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries sourced from outside North America, according to a Wall Street Journal report that was confirmed by General Motors.
GM will buy batteries from China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology, better known as CATL, for the first two years of the new Bolt’s production as a stopgap before American production of LFP batteries can pick up the pace and replace the Chinese imports.
“For several years, other U.S. automakers have depended on foreign suppliers for LFP battery sourcing and licensing,” a GM spokesman said in a statement for The Wall Street Journal. “To stay competitive, GM will temporarily source these packs from similar suppliers to power our most affordable EV model.”
Currently, all of GM’s electric models, from the entry-level Chevy Equinox EV to the ultra-luxurious Cadillac Celestiq, are fitted with U.S.-made batteries. As a result, the revamped Chevy Bolt, a fan favorite which will become the automaker’s cheapest EV, will be the only GM-made electric car to be powered by imported batteries.
Moreover, this will likely make a dent in GM’s money-making plans, as Chinese-made batteries carry import tariffs of about 80%. The decision would have also made the new Bolt ineligible for the $7,500 federal tax credit, but that’s a non-issue now that the incentive will end on September 30.
The 2027 Chevrolet Bolt is expected to be a heavily revised version of the previous-generation Bolt EUV model that was retired at the end of 2023. It will go into production late this year at GM’s Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas, with deliveries set to begin next year as a 2027 model with an estimated price tag of under $30,000.
At the same time, the American automaker is working with LG Energy Solution to bring its LFP battery factory in Tennessee online by the end of 2027. With this timeline, it would have been impossible to launch the new Bolt with American-made batteries, so GM found a way to get around that, albeit with heavy levies attached. Still, the company is confident it can turn a profit. "It's going to be at a similar price point to the old one going out, which is very low," GM President Mark Reuss told InsideEVs in Detroit last year. "We're going to deliver it at a profitable point."
Late last month, the carmaker teased the upcoming affordable EV, revealing that it will feature a Tesla-style NACS charging port and LED lighting front and rear.
