As the relevancy of battery-powered (or assisted) vehicles increase, so does the General Motors Global Battery Systems Lab in Warren, Michigan. Since its opening in 2009, the size of the facility has nearly tripled, with the latest 50,000 square-foot expansion in July bringing the total size to 85,000 square feet. Currently, it’s the largest battery lab in North America owned and operated by a major auto manufacturer.
The latest expansion (completed in July 2013) added the following:
- dedicated equipment for future vehicle battery system development such as charger development and testing, cord set testing and competitive benchmarking
- building prototype battery packs for vehicle development programs
- the ability to act as the hub for validation and testing of all battery systems designed for use in future GM vehicles around the world.
GM’s Global Battery Systems Lab has been responsible for testing and validating both battery cells and packs for all of GM’s vehicle electrification systems, including the battery systems for the Chevrolet Volt,Cadillac ELR, Chevrolet Spark EV, eAssist models, and future products down the pipeline.
GM also operates battery labs in Shanghai, China, and Mainz-Kastel, Germany, which work collectively with the Warren lab with testing and validation of battery cells, packs, and advanced battery system development.
Comment
This is the Ace card GM holds.
Tesla is working to charge or change batteries faster GM is working to make them last longer and cost less.
This is where the battle will be fought long term and won.