GM considers odd EV battery cell shapes for better cooling

As it seeks to address production issues with its current Ultium battery cells, General Motors may be considering something even more complex.

First spotted by Motor1, a recently filed GM patent application discusses battery cells with Lego-like shapes meant to accommodate cooling channels. Instead of building battery modules out of a solid mass of cells and installing a cooling plate underneath, as GM does with its current EVs, gaps between the cells would help improve cooling and extend battery life, the automaker claims in the application.

GM also claims a similar effect could be achieved with cells with a more conventional rectangular shape. In this version, cells of varying length and thickness would be arranged to create an H-shaped channel in the module to aid cooling.

Either design would likely require GM to stick with…