GM doubles size of its Automotive Battery Lab

In order to accelerate the development of electrically driven vehicles General Motors is doubling the size of the largest and most technologically advanced automotive battery lab in the U.S, in an investment of 8 million dollars.

By enlarging the Global Battery Systems Lab on the GM Technical Center campus by 30,000 sq. ft. to 63,000 sq. ft. the company will be improving on-site testing of all current and new battery cell, module and pack technologies.

“GM is building on its commitment to lead the development of electric vehicle technology – from battery cell design to the charging infrastructure – and today’s investment furthers our work in this area,” said Micky Bly, GM executive director, global electrical systems, hybrids, electric vehicles and batteries. “This addition will benefit consumers by helping us put cleaner, more efficient vehicles, including the Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle with extended range, on the road more quickly and affordably.”

GM’s Global Battery Systems Lab has been fully operational since May 2009 and has more than 1,000 engineers working on advanced batteries and electrically driven vehicles. The testing of the electrochemical battery cells and their enclosures occupies more than half of the current lab, with the remaining space being used to evaluate the completed battery packs.

Thanks to the expansion the lab will be added capability in six different areas. The first is Safety and Abuse Tolerance, Buildup and Teardown, Manufacturing Engineering, Charger Development and Integration, Thermal Development and Battery Storage.

“We’ve made the commitment to design, develop, validate and manufacture automotive battery technology in-house,” said Bly. “Consolidating these testing capabilities at the Global Battery Systems Lab will reduce costs, provide a competitive advantage, quicken the pace of development and ensure we will design, build and sell the world’s best vehicles.”