General Motors plans to bring all its EV battery building capabilities in-house, producing battery systems for the 2015 Chevrolet Spark EV at its battery assembly plant in Brownstown, Michigan, which also manufactures battery packs for the Chevrolet Volt, Opel Ampera and Cadillac ELR.

The Spark’s redesigned battery system has a capacity of 19 kWh, and uses 192 lithium-ion cells. At 474 pounds, it’s 86 pounds lighter than the system in the 2014 model. The changes in battery design will not affect the Spark’s fuel economy of 119 MPGe, or its EPA-rated range of 82 miles.

The Spark EV sells for $27,495 and is currently on sale in California and Oregon.

“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 GM’s Larry Nitz. “Our successful working relationship with LG Chem has allowed us to deliver a new battery system for the Spark EV that helps us to better leverage our economies of scale.”

Source: GM via Green Car Congress