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"New GM" opens largest battery lab in the US

Posted by Hootan Mahallati | June 09, 2009 | In gm green news

On the heels of its historic bankruptcy and as part of its "GM Reinvention" public relations campaign, General Motors has announced the opening of the 'largest and most technologically advanced battery lab in the United States' on the grounds of its Technical Center campus in Warren, MI.

“The new global GM battery lab will benefit consumers across America by helping us advance the development of battery technology in the United States and put cleaner, more efficient vehicles on the road more quickly and affordably,” said Fritz Henderson, GM's president and CEO.

The Global Battery Systems Lab is four times larger than GM’s previous battery laboratory. Over 1,000 engineers will be working on advanced battery technologies, including the systems being designed for the Chevrolet Volt, in the 33,000 square foot facility. The lab features 160 test channels and 42 thermal chambers designed to replicate the extreme weather and usage cycles that cars experience under real world driving conditions.

“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,” said Jim Queen, GM group vice president, Global Engineering. Naturally, the facility has been designed to be environmentally friendly. In addition to floors covered with material made of recycled tires and LED-lit hallways, roughly 90% of the energy used for testing by the lab can be returned to the electrical grid for use by homes and businesses.

[Source: GM]

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