GM Opens the Most Technologically Advanced Automotive Battery Lab in the U.S.

June 9, 2009 – Vol.14 No.12

GM Opens the Most Technologically Advanced Automotive Battery Lab in the U.S.

The new Global Battery Systems Lab in Warren, Michigan, will lead GM's global advanced battery engineering resources and expedite the introduction of electrically driven vehicles, including the Chevrolet Volt, as well as plug-in hybrid and hybrid-electric vehicles and fuel cell vehicles.

Covering 33,000 sq. ft. - four times larger than GM's previous Tech Center battery lab - it will be used by GM's growing team of more than 1,000 engineers working on advanced batteries and electrically driven vehicles. The lab became fully functional in May, equipped with 160 test channels and 42 thermal chambers duplicating extreme real-world driving patterns, hot and cold temperatures and calendar life. The lab's maximum power capacity is 6 megawatts, or enough electricity to provide power to approximately 1,400 homes.

"This facility is state-of-the-art and represents one of the largest and most capable battery test labs in the world," said Jim Queen, GM group vice president, Global Engineering. "More than half of the lab is dedicated to testing the electrochemical battery cells and their enclosures, known as modules, a capability not available in GM's previous battery lab. The lab's remaining floor space is committed to evaluating completed battery packs."

Additional new benefits offered by the Global Battery Systems Lab include a thermal shaker table for battery structural integrity testing, a battery teardown area for failure analysis and competitor benchmarking, an integrated test automation system and improved Design of Experiments methodology - an information-gathering exercise that allows GM to perform more thorough battery tests more quickly.

GM is pursuing several options to best meet the varied needs of customers around the world - from advanced gasoline, diesel and biofuel technology to electrically assisted vehicles such as hybrids, plug-in hybrids and - ultimately - electrically driven extended-range electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. GM believes that electrically driven vehicles, based on battery and hydrogen fuel cell technology, offer the best long-term solution for providing sustainable personal transportation. (6/8/09)

Links:

GM
http://www.gm.com

--- Banking on Batteries.

Disclaimer, Forward-Looking or Safe Harbor Statement on original press release: No