![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.egmcartech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/gm_battery_lab_main_a.jpg\" "\\"Global")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
General Motors announced today that it is doubling the size of the largest automotive battery lab in the United States to expedite the development of electric-vehicles for consumers. The Detroit automaker will invest $8 million to improve on-site testing of all current and new batteries, module and pack technologies by expanding the GM Technical Center Campus by 30,000 sq. ft to 63,000 sq. ft.<\/p>\n
\u201cGM is building on its commitment to lead the development of electric vehicle technology \u2013 from battery cell design to the charging infrastructure \u2013 and today\u2019s investment furthers our work in this area,\u201d said Micky Bly, GM executive director, global electrical systems, hybrids, electric vehicles and batteries. \u201cThis 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
The facility is used by GM\u2019s growing team of more than 1,000 engineers working on advanced batteries and electric-vehicles.<\/p>\n
Make the jump for the press release<\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Press Release<\/strong>:<\/p>\n GM Doubling Size of Most Technologically Advanced Automotive Battery Lab in the United States<\/strong><\/p>\n o Bolsters GM\u2019s leadership in automotive battery technology and electrically driven vehicles, such as the Chevrolet Volt WARREN, Mich. \u2013 General Motors is doubling the size of the largest and most technologically advanced automotive battery lab in the U.S. to expedite the development of electrically driven vehicles for consumers.<\/p>\n The $8-million investment will improve on-site testing of all current and new battery cell, module and pack technologies by enlarging the Global Battery Systems Lab on the GM Technical Center campus by 30,000 sq. ft. to 63,000 sq. ft. The addition will be located adjacent to the existing lab inside the Alternative Energy Center facility. Areas previously used for engine testing will be renovated for battery development, with construction beginning this month and scheduled for completion in the summer.<\/p>\n GM\u2019s Global Battery Systems Lab began operations in January 2009 and became fully operational in May 2009. http:\/\/media.gm.com\/content\/media\/us\/en\/news\/news_detail.brand_gm.html\/content\/Pages\/news\/us\/en\/2009\/Jun\/0608_BatteryLab<\/p>\n It is used by GM\u2019s growing team of more than 1,000 engineers working on advanced batteries and electrically driven vehicles. More than half of the current lab is dedicated to testing the electrochemical battery cells and their enclosures, known as modules. The lab\u2019s remaining floor space is committed to evaluating completed battery packs.<\/p>\n The expansion will add capability in six areas, including:<\/p>\n * Safety and Abuse Tolerance. Powertrain test cells previously used for engine altitude testing will be retrofitted for crush, penetration, water immersion, overcharge, discharge and short circuit tests \u201cWe\u2019ve made the commitment to design, develop, validate and manufacture automotive battery technology in-house,\u201d said Bly. \u201cConsolidating 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\u2019s best vehicles.\u201d<\/p>\n The Global Battery Systems Lab equipment and test automation systems are being integrated with GM\u2019s global network of battery labs, including Mainz Kastel, Germany and Shanghai, China, to facilitate seamless data exchange and work sharing. http:\/\/www.gm.com\/experience\/technology\/research\/news\/2009\/csl_092409.jsp<\/p>\n The Global Battery Systems Lab recently received world-class accreditation from the ISO-certified American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA), a nonprofit, public service group that evaluates the competency and capability of labs across all fields of testing. Auditors from the A2LA reviewed testing procedures and results, equipment calibration, operations documentation, personnel competency and the lab\u2019s quality policy. The benefits of being an ISO-certified lab include: ensuring that data is accurate and avoiding expensive retesting from unreliable results.<\/p>\n The lab is equipped with 176 test channels and 49 thermal chambers duplicating extreme real-world driving patterns, hot and cold temperatures and calendar life.<\/p>\n This lab includes many environmentally conscious features such as a center hallway with high-efficiency LED lighting and a floor made from recycled tires. Approximately 90 percent of the electricity used for battery testing can be returned to the local energy grid for use by homeowners and businesses. The Global Battery Systems Lab received an honorable mention for Green Project of the Year by the Construction Association of Michigan.<\/p>\n Additional benefits offered by the Global Battery Systems Lab include a thermal shaker table for testing the structural integrity of the battery and electronic controls; a battery teardown area for failure analysis and competitor benchmarking; an integrated test automation system and improved Design of Experiments methodology \u2013 an information-gathering exercise that allows GM to perform more thorough battery tests more quickly.<\/p>\n In addition to battery labs in Warren, Mainz-Kastel and Shanghai, GM also has facilities dedicated to vehicle electrification in Honeoye Falls, N.Y., and the GM Technical Center\u2019s Research Chemical Engineering facility.<\/p>\n GM\u2019s battery lab network is part of a corporate battery research and development strategy that includes:<\/p>\n * Ramping-up “in-house” battery development capability by increasing the staff of GM’s global electric vehicle and advanced battery organization Energy alternatives and advanced technologies that reduce dependence on petroleum, improve fuel economy and reduce emissions are 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 and, ultimately, electrically driven extended-range, 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 or providing sustainable personal transportation.<\/p>\n Facts: Global Battery Systems Lab<\/strong><\/p>\n Location<\/strong><\/p>\n * Alternative Energy Center, GM Technical Center, Warren, Mich.<\/p>\n Timing<\/strong><\/p>\n * Battery system test area opened January 2009 Size<\/strong><\/p>\n Total floor space: 63,000 sq. ft.<\/p>\n * Pack testing and development – 14,400 sq. ft. Benefits<\/strong><\/p>\n * 40 cyclers (serve as treadmills for batteries) * Pack testing<\/p>\n * 32 cyclers * Cell and module testing<\/p>\n * New humidity-controlled walk-in chambers * Environmental control capability to allow for test correlation and repeatability<\/p>\n * Walk-in test cells for battery pack, module and cell crush, penetration, water immersion, overcharge, discharge and short circuit tests.<\/p>\n * Phase Two * Laser-welding and cell-stacking development tests to improve manufacturing processes<\/p>\n * Manufacturing engineering<\/p>\n * Charger development and integration – By: Omar Rana<\/em><\/p>\n General Motors announced today that it is doubling the size of the largest automotive battery lab in the United States to expedite the development of electric-vehicles for consumers. The Detroit automaker will invest $8 million to improve on-site testing of all current and new batteries, module and pack technologies by expanding the GM Technical Center […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-524857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/524857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=524857"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/524857\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=524857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=524857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=524857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\no $8-million expansion doubles size of Global Battery Systems Lab on the GM Technical Center campus in Warren, Mich., to 63,000 sq. ft.
\no Improves on-site safety, charging, engineering and manufacturing testing capabilities for all current and new battery cell, module and pack technologies<\/p>\n
\n* Buildup and Teardown. Reuse storage areas to prepare batteries before tests and provide secured rooms for supplier evaluation
\n* Manufacturing Engineering. Reuse space previously occupied by engine dynamometers to improve manufacturing processes, such as laser welding and cell stacking
\n* Charger Development and Integration
\n* Thermal Development. Radiant heat, thermal stability and thermal shock testing
\n* Battery Storage<\/p>\n
\n* Becoming the first major automaker to manufacture an advanced lithium-ion battery pack in the U.S. at GM\u2019s Brownstown Battery Pack Assembly Plant in Brownstown Township, Mich., in January. http:\/\/media.gm.com\/content\/media\/us\/en\/news\/news_detail.brand_gm.html\/content\/Pages\/news\/us\/en\/2010\/Jan\/0107_brownstown
\n* 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
\n* Growing and establishing a robust lineup of battery suppliers and universities for cell development and manufacturing and battery integration expertise, including companies LG Chem, A123 Systems, Hitachi Ltd. and Compact Power Inc.
\n* 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, plug-ins and electric vehicles, and the necessary electric infrastructure to support these vehicles<\/p>\n
\n* Cell and module test area opened May 2009
\n* Phase Two scheduled to open summer 2010<\/p>\n
\n* Cell and module development – 17,400 sq. ft.
\n* Technical support – 2,000 sq. ft.
\n* Phase Two – 30,000 sq. ft.<\/p>\n
\n* 80 test channels (available for individual battery tests)
\n* 33 thermal chambers (duplicates extreme temperature conditions)<\/p>\n
\n* 96 test channels
\n* 16 small thermal chambers<\/p>\n
\n* New airflow benches to provide specific temperatures and levels of humidity to test air-cooled battery packs
\n* New coolant chillers to cool or heat liquid-cooled battery packs<\/p>\n
\n* Safety and abuse tolerance testing<\/p>\n
\n* Thermal development tests for radiant heat, thermal stability and thermal shock<\/p>\n<\/img><\/a>
\n<\/img><\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/img><\/a>
<\/img><\/a>
<\/img><\/a>
<\/img><\/a>
<\/img><\/a>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"