2009 Detroit Auto Show: General Motors Announces Plans to Develop Its Own Batteries...in America - COMPLETE VIDEO
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• GM will establish the first lithium-ion battery pack manufacturing
facility in the United States operated by a major automaker
• LG Chem has been selected to supply the lithium-ion battery cells for the Chevrolet
Volt
• Advanced battery strategy strengthens GM's capabilities to develop
hybrid and electric vehicles
• GM will open a new automotive battery lab -
the largest of its kind - in the United States to further strengthen
design, development and testing capabilities
• A partnership with the
University of Michigan has been established to develop a specialized
curriculum for battery engineers
DETROIT - January 12, 2009: Moments ago GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner announced the company's aggressive plans to re-enter the battery making business in order to supply their (and presumably others') needs to power their new line of electric-powered vehicles.
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The plant will be located in Michigan, subject to negotiations with state and local government authorities. Facility preparation will begin in early 2009, with production tooling to be installed mid-year and output starting in 2010.
Click PLAY to watch the complete GM Press Conference
"The design, development and production of advanced batteries must be a core competency for GM, and we've been rapidly building our capability and resources to support this direction," Wagoner said. "This is a further demonstration of our commitment to the electrification of the automobile and to the Chevrolet Volt - a commitment that now totals more than $1 billion."
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GM has been testing battery packs for the Volt, powered by cells from LG Chem, for the past 16 months. These tests - both on the road and in the lab - have provided invaluable insight into lithium-ion battery technology.
"Our selection of LG Chem was based on performance, production readiness, efficiency, durability and LG Chem's demonstrated track record of exceptional quality," Wagoner said. "At GM, we believe the technical strengths of LG Chem, combined with our own engineering and manufacturing expertise, will help position us as a key player in the development of electrically driven vehicles today and in the future."
GM's advanced battery strategy
"Our announcements are part of a comprehensive advanced battery strategy
for GM that is expanding along two pathways," Wagoner said. "First, we're
identifying core competencies - such as battery research, development and
assembly - and integrating these fundamentals into our product development
and manufacturing operations. We believe this will become a competitive
advantage for GM, and will be critical to GM's long-term success. Secondly,
we're building a roster of battery suppliers and academic experts from
around the globe, and leveraging their specialized abilities to develop
battery chemistries and cell designs, as well as future automotive battery
engineers."
Key elements of GM's advanced battery strategy include:
• Opening the largest automotive battery lab in the United States (31,000
square feet / 3,251 square meters) that will be capable of testing new
energy storage system technologies, as well as lithium-ion and nickel-metal
hydride batteries, to accelerate the domestic development of advanced
battery technology and lead GM's network of existing labs in Honeoye Falls,
N.Y.; Warren, Mich.; Torrance, Calif.; and Mainz-Kastel, Germany. This new
battery lab will be located in Michigan, subject to final negotiations with
state and local authorities
• Continuing to ramp-up "in-house"
battery-development capability by increasing the staff of GM's global
hybrid, electric vehicle and advanced battery organization to several
hundred engineers in 2009, including more than 200 currently dedicated to
advanced battery technologies
• Joining with the University of Michigan to
create a new automotive advanced battery lab in Ann Arbor, Mich., and a
specialized curriculum within U of M's College of Engineering to develop
automotive battery engineers
• Continuing to grow and establish a robust
lineup of battery suppliers for cell development and manufacturing and
battery integration expertise, with companies such as LG Chem, A123Systems,
Hitachi Ltd., Compact Power and Cobasys
• Collaborating with government
organizations and industry consortia, such as the U.S. Department of
Energy; United States Council for Automotive Research; the United States
Advanced Battery Consortium LLC; and Electric Power Research Institute to
advance the development of hybrids, plug-ins and electric vehicles, and
related electric infrastructure to support those vehicles
Energy alternatives and advanced technologies that reduce dependency on petroleum, improve fuel economy and reduce emissions are the keys to developing sustainable transportation. 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.
In June 2008, the GM Board of Directors approved the Chevrolet Volt program and Voltec™ propulsion system for production starting in late 2010. For trips of up to 40 miles, the Volt is powered by electricity from the grid and stored in its lithium-ion battery pack. Beyond 40 miles, a small engine-generator creates additional electricity to extend the range of the Volt several hundred additional miles. The development of the Volt's 16 kWh T-shaped lithium-ion battery, which is roughly 6 feet long (1.8 meters) and weighs nearly 400 pounds (181 kg), is key to the Volt's success. The production-intent design was revealed in September 2008.