Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Chevrolet, GM, Detroit Auto Show
Detroit 2009: GM to build world's largest battery lab
Along with GM's announcement that it will build a battery pack assembly factory in Michigan later this year, CEO Rick Wagoner also announced that a new battery lab will be built in Michigan. At 31,000 sq ft, the lab will be the largest advanced battery testing facility in the world. According to Chevy Volt vehicle line executive Tony Posawatz, the lab will be located at GM's Warren, MI tech center campus. When the lab is fully operational, the company intends to use it to provide testing capabilities for all advanced battery makers.
Posawatz told ABG that any company that develops new cells will be able to bring them to GM for testing. GM will do a full evaluation on cells free of charge to manufacturer and provide all the test data back to the manufacturer. The intent is expand the knowledge base of advanced batteries as much as possible. In this way, GM hopes to help battery makers accelerate their development and therefore benefit from improved performance and reduced costs. Along with the company's intention to use its in-housed developed battery management systems, this will help GM develop battery technology as a core competency just as internal combustion engines have been for the past century.
[Source: General Motors]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
realistic_idealist 8:46PM (1/12/2009)
IF YOU CAN'T BEAT THEM, BUY THEM OUT, OR DESTROY THEM IF SOME OTHER FASHION... JOIN THEM!!!!!
let the propaganda commence and the greenwashing continue.
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Jason B. 8:46PM (1/12/2009)
I wonder how much the Volt would cost as a straight serial-electric hybrid, with no "electric only" range at all. I also wonder what kind of fuel economy it would get.
My guess is that it would be much cheaper and the fuel economy would still outstrip the Prius. Anyone know for sure?
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Chris M 10:23PM (1/12/2009)
That would drop the battery from 16 Kwh down to about 1 Kwh, which would reduce the cost. However, it would also reduce the power capabilities of the battery, which in turn would limit regenerative braking, and limit certain other efficiency improvements. For example, instead of having the IC engine run at its most efficient speed, its speed would have to vary much more with power demand, reducing efficiency.
The Prius has an advantage over a "non-plugin serial hybrid", it can transmit most of the power from the IC engine to the wheels through a more efficient mechanical link, reducing energy conversion losses inherent to a serial hybrid.
The result is that the Prius would likely get better fuel economy than a "non-plug serial hybrid"
Another potential problem with a "non-plug hybrid" is that with a smaller battery, it cycles more than a plug-in would for the same amount of driving. For some types of batteries, that could mean premature failure. Not a serious problem for a high cycle count battery like NiMH or nano LiTi spinel (altairnano).
Andy 9:22PM (1/12/2009)
Unfortunately GM will not profit greatly from battery technolgy as a core technology, unless they get down to the nitty gritty of battery chemistry.
Cell assembly, pack assembly, BMS and testing is too simple. It will not give them a competetive advantage. Best left to contract suppliers with economy of scale.
The real competetive advantage and barrier to entry is with battery design and cell manufacture. Companies like LG have auto companies by the balls already.
Their only chance for GM to dominate is through aquiring cutting edge battery technology. If government wants GM to succeed long term they would have to engineer something. Because GM doesn't have the financial clout to buy anything today.
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Herm 9:26PM (1/12/2009)
The Volt, as a serial electric, with an electric only range of 2-5 miles or so (gotta have some) would probably be about $5k-$10k cheaper than it is projected to be (depending what GM is paying for the battery).. the subsidy would be lower due to the smaller battery so that would eat into the savings.
It would get less mileage than the Prius, The prius uses a mix of motor, generator and ICE to drive the wheels, it mixes all these to get the most efficiency out of the gas engine. Think of the electric drivetrain in the Pius as a perfect transmission, with brake energy recovery. A serial Volt would never be able to drive the wheels directly from the engine so it would always have the inherent losses of the motor/generator/inverter to deal with. The difference would be small I think, mostly seen at highway speeds.
The Volt is optimized for something totally different.
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gerrrg 6:47AM (1/13/2009)
GM is all talk and no show.
Talk, talk, talk, publicize, publicize, publicize.
Where are the products that are going to compete with Toyota's Prius and other hybrid vehicles? 2010? 2012? 20-something?
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DasBoese 7:20AM (1/13/2009)
There won't be any. GM knows that the traditional hybrids like the Prius or the Insight are far too entrenched in the market by now, they'd be foolish to try and compete with that.
They also know that the hybrid market is eventually going to decline as electrics take over and not viable in the long term.
So they do the smart thing and try to get a foothold in the emerging electric segment, just as Toyota did with the Prius in the hybrid segment.
DasBoese 6:57AM (1/13/2009)
It wouldn't make sense to cut down on battery size, as a serial hybrid would perform worse than a traditional one in just about every scenario. The whole point of the Volt is its 60 km EV range, in extended range mode it generally performs no better than a hybrid or even a modern diesel (depending on the distance driven, of course. If you go just 10 or 20 km beyond range, it's still way better).
As for the article... well, just about every manufacturer has jumped on the electric bandwagon by now, but this shows that GM thinks a step further. They've recognized the role EVs will play in the long run. Vehicle-specific battery R&D is still in its infant stages, and AFAIK mostly done in proprietary environments by the automakers... if it stays that way this test center idea might not pan out. On the other hand, it could prompt independents to put more research effort into the field, in that case it'll work to their mutual advantage.
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Joe B. 12:44PM (1/13/2009)
I'm not a GM fan. They stated at the auto show that they will purchase LG Chemical battery packs made in Korea. The packs will be assembled in Detroit, though. The U.S. government should not waste it's money on a company that isn't willing to manufacture in America. I don't buy this b.s. that labor cost is too high in America. Toyota still manufacturers most of their cars in Japan and ships them in America. The U.S. government should give the auto loans to Tesla, A123, Ener1, and other companies committed to manufacturer in America and not Korea or Japan or China.
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biggiex 12:39PM (1/17/2009)
GM has already had 2 proven EV's that were capable of 80 miles between charges. If anyone knows how to build electric cars it would be GM.
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