The American motoring industry has been crying out for a boost and now it may have received one courtesy of one of its home-grown manufacturers.
General Motors (GM) has confirmed that it will establish its own lithium-ion battery pack manufacturing facility in the United States – the first in the US to be operated solely by a car manufacturer. The purpose of the plant will be to produce the 16kWh lithium-ion battery packs that will appear in the Chevrolet Volt.
GM, which will rely on LG Chem to supply the cells, made the official announcement at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit where chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner outlined the company’s plans. He stated that GM is “expanding along two primary pathways” – one to identify core competencies such as battery research and manufacturing, and another to integrate these fundamentals into its product development.
Wagoner believes that over time GM will be able to establish an advantage over its competitors by getting ahead with this form of technology.
The plant is expected to be located in Michigan, subject to negotiations. It is expected to cost around $30million and GM hopes to have it built in time for production to start in 2010.
