Weeks after General Motors pledged to work for an all-electric future, the highest-selling U.S. automaker announced this week a partnership with MIT spinoff SolidEnergy Systems to speed up the commercialization of lithium metal batteries that could dramatically cut electric vehicle (EV) costs and boost range. GM Ventures was an early investor in lithium metal battery innovator SolidEnergy Systems in 2015 when GM and SES began a close working relationship. Now GM and SES plan to build a manufacturing prototyping line in Woburn, Massachusetts, for a high-capacity, pre-production battery by 2023. GM’s lithium metal battery with a protected anode will feature a combination of affordability, high performance, and energy density, the carmaker said. “Affordability and range are two major barriers to mass EV adoption,” General Motors President Mark Reuss said. “With this next-generation Ultium chemistry, we believe we’re on the cusp of a once-in-a-generation improvement in energy density and cost. […]