Chevrolet Spark EV Saves Weight With Smaller Battery

General Motors is shifting more of its batteries to in-house production and that will directly benefit the Spark EV.

Chevrolet’s all-electric sub-compact will use a smaller battery pack and will be lighter as a result. Despite having a downsized pack, the company says it doesn’t expect the car to suffer any sort of downgrade compared to what it has with the current 21-kWh battery. Future Spark EV models will use a 19-kWh pack that will save 81 lbs. Pricing will remain the same at $27,680 including delivery.

Production of the lithium ion battery cells used in the Chevrolet Spark EV will now take place at the company’s facility in Brownstone Township, Mich facility. Previously, the lithium-ion battery packs for the Spark EV had been supplied by A123 Systems, which has been acquired by Wanxiang Group, China’s largest auto supplier.

Last month, GM announced that it was investing $65 million into the Brownstown factory to expand lithium-ion battery manufacturing alongside a $449 million investment in the nearby Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant that builds the Chevrolet Volt and Cadillac ELR among others.

SEE ALSO: 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV Review

Unlike other automakers, GM assembles its own battery parks and some of its motors for its EVs and plug-in hybrids. Last year, the company began manufacturing the Spark EV’s 85-kilowatt electric motor in house at its factory in White Marsh, Maryland.

“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,” said Larry Nitz, executive director of GM global transmission and electrification engineering.