GM to open battery plant for Volt

By George Skentzos | January 13th, 2009

In a move which reinforces GM’s commitment to improving the fuel efficiency of its fleet, CEO Rick Wagoner has announced the company plans to build a dedicated battery plant to support the production of electric vehicles now and in the future.

Preparations are already well underway for a plant in Michigan which should be open for production by as soon as 2010 to coincide with public availability of the Chevrolet Volt.

Measuring 2,880 square metres, the plant will become the largest automotive battery lab in the United States, using lithium ion battery cells provided by South Korean supplier LG Chem.

Before the battery plant opens, GM will get battery packs for product development and testing from Compact Power Inc., a suburban Detroit unit of LG Chem.

“The design, development and production of advanced batteries must be a core competency for GM,” Wagoner said. “We’ve been rapidly building our capacity and resources to support this direction.”

GM also plans to establish a curriculum for battery engineers in partnership with the University of Michigan to improve the longevity of the industry in the area.

Mr Wagoner also emphasised a strong focus on battery research and development which included creating a list of global battery suppliers and academic experts to tap for projects and to help GM develop its own battery engineers.

To ensure the future viability of electric vehicles, GM will also work closely with government organisations and industry consortiums to promote the development of hybrids, plug-ins and electric vehicles and the related infrastructure to support them.

Steve-Poyza

An LG battery, the funny thing about that is LG phones are known for having below average battery life. I would know, I have an LG KU970 Shine. As good as the phone itself is, battery could be better. Hope the Volt’s batteries will be better. At least they’re putting a lot of research into it’s batteries. Hopefully it pays off.

The Volt will be coming to Australia as a Holden right?

Steve
Andrew M

this should sell well i reckon.
a green car that doesnt look like a green car.
and surely it wont carry a toyota style grren price tag

the front looks a bit like the “kinetic” Taurus
Wheelnut

It hasn’t been officially confirmed yet as to whether or not the Volt will come to Australia although I expect it will

The Volt is built on the “Delta” platform which is what the new small car Holden is tooling up for and expected to be released by 2012 will be built on
Therefore; there’s a possibility that it could look something like the Volt as I doubt they would ship the batteries all the way to Australia.
Althougjh its most likely going to be an Astra based derivative as the Astra also uses the Delta platform
Scrap Metal

Is GM dreaming ? How can they plan anything when they dont even have much of a chance of surving past March ?
Simon

Hooray! An auto giant committing to electric car manufacture!
Well done GM!
The electric car revolution is one step closer
http://www.littlepixiegifts.com.au Gift-Ed

Mark Reuss confirmed the Volt was coming to Australia a few months ago. And yes, it will wear a Holden badge.
SamR

GM is not opening a battery plant it is opening a battery assembly plant.

It is not making batteries just sticking them together, big deal.
Simon

SamR it demonstrates a commitment to electric cars, otherwise they wouldn’t spend the money!
Simon

every silver cloud has some grey clouds behind it (holden), perhaps I could get one and rebadge it chev!
Wheelnut

GM wouldn’t be doing anything like this or givng Holden and Opel the green light for a number of new projects if they didn’t think that they were going to be out of business in a coupe of months.

They probably realise that the US Gummint will most likely continue to support GM and Ford US because if they went out of business their US economy would be in more s–t than it is at the moment.

I mean which is better: to give the US car makers more money and help them through their restructuring porcess etc which would mean a considerable number of people keep their jobs… or let them go under which would mean having to payout even more in social security each week to all the unskilled labour who have lost their jobs?

The same applies to the Australian Government in relation to Ford Holden and Toyota
Wheelnut

Simon – if anything Holden is the Silver lining on GMs Grey Cloud.

I’m not saying that Holden [alone] will save the GM empire. I’ts just that all GMs problems stem from bad management decisions and poor operations within the US.

As I have said previously in The US GM have a number of plants operating at less than 75% capacity some of which are dedicated to building one particular model – the same if not similar car to another plant that is only a couple of 100 kilometres away.

Whereas the Holden factory builds a number of cars – sedan ute wagon etc in both LHD and RHD… the same goes for Opel. Holden has proven experience in building quality RWD cars. Opel has proven experience in building quality FWD cars. [which shows how flexible Holden and Opel are] Whereas compared to Holden and Opel GM has no experience in building any cars of reasonable long lasting quality.

GM are gradually starting to realise this which is why Holden and IOpel now have mrore input into the R7D of a number of GM projects.
Andrew M

Wheelnut,
well you now agree that the new aussie made small holden will be an Astra derivative…..

Must have been that guy who threw a heap of logic at you on that other post.
I forget his name…….
Andrew M

Simon,
check out the US auto giants websites.

They all have a range of hybrid vehicles already on sale.

As for solely electric, no ones doing that yet are they???
Simon

Wheelnut says: “I’ts just that all GMs problems stem from bad management decisions and poor operations within the US.”

Sorry, the car manufacturers aren’t needing government help just because of poor management. Its a direct result of the credit crunch. If people don’t buy cars, they can’t sell them. If it was due to bad decisions then not all 3 US auto giants would be feeling the pinch.
The reason I said it was gray clouds is because I’m not a holden fan at all. Having said that I would seriously consider buying a volt if we had it here.
Another note of interest is Obama on several occasions has indicated that he wants to reduce the US’s oil consumption. Particularly foreign oil. So I’m tipping a big future is electric cars. They will just build more nuke power stations to gas em!
Wheelnut

Andrew – I admit that when news broke of Holdens plans to build a small car you always said that it would be an Astra
Whereas I said that it would probably be the Insignia which is built on the Epsillon platform.

Mainly because [as it said in the article in Wheels] its more logical to build the Insignia.
Holden already imports the Astra from Europe.. and there are a number of other cars that use the Delta platform around the world which meant that the Astra could be built in and imported from much cheaper countries such as Korea. Whereas the Insignia is only being built in Europe [Opel could build FWD Insignias Holden could build RWD Insignias]

However; once it was announced that the New small Holden would be built on the Delta Platform I said that it would probably be an Astra derivative such as a sportsback sedan/hatch as Holden will be doing a bit of work on it in terms of engineering and design thereby creating a new car to add to both Holdens and Opels lien up

However; that could still change – just like Fords decision to cease production of the Falcon’s awesome I6 engine which was reversed a couple of months later..
I mean they could still use the Delta platform but build a car that is slightly bigger than an Astra couldn’t they?.
Wheelnut

The other reason that building a Small-medium sized RWD car like the Insignia is more “logical” is because Holden have more experience at building RWD cars… and not all small cars have to be FWD – just look at the BMW 1 series for example
Phil C

Wheelnut. Correcting some misinformation. Only GM & Chrysler have asked for and received bailout money.

Ford aren’t in a great position, but they are much stronger with a better lineup. Both current and upcoming.

PS I think Chrysler will go, with a few models absorbed by GM.
PPS Great to see more manufacturers joining the EV brigade. As a qualified electrical engineer in the power industry, this will keep me in even more work! And it’s green!
Wheelnut

I realise that but Ford have asked for a line of credit.. that is for some money to be set aside for them just incase..
It’s like Ford have said “we’re not in trouble at the moment but we could be in the future.” Whereas GM hgave said “we are in trouble and we need the money now”

The problem with that is that if it gets to the stage where GM needs even more money; the US Government could give GM the “remainder” of which Ford was hoping to get and could quite possibly need.. but there won’t be anything left for them.

Ford would have done better to have asked for and to have received the money now and kept it in a provisional account

Ford are just trying to make it appear as if they aren;t hurting [as much].. maybe thats why Fords major share holder recently sold his remaining shares in the company – maybe he knows what the real situation with Ford is…?
Andrew M

Wheelnut,
the annuncement of it being the Delta platform to be used was outlined in the very article where you debated otherwise.
the delta platform announcement was in the very first announcement.
there hasnt been an update of information yet

and further more to your misunderstanding of the news,
do you not realise that GM can not dip into the whole pot of whats been allowed for the auto industry??
GM has their coin set aside, chrysler has their coin set aside, and ford has their coin set aside.
The government is keeping it in a provisional account on behalf of Ford.
By ford not taking the money immediatley, i believe that that would mean they wouldnt have to have an “Czar” (or what ever its called) placed to eversee whats going on.
it would also perhaps not make them accountable by march?????

Ford trying to make out as if they arent hurting as much????
perhaps they arent???? ever think of that???
Ford actually raised a bit of cash by rearranging their assets un like GM who just stubbornly sat there with their hand out as if not to help themselves first.
Many people who know what they are talking about praise Mullaly for his decisive actions to raise some loot to get through this bad time ahead.

Ford will only need their share of the loot if GM go under.

and going by that i would say that ford arent in quite as bad of a situation.

But in saying that, all of them are facing bad times, some just worse than others. If toyota was US based, they would prob be in worse shape than either of them.
Wheelnut

No Andrew there were initial reports about Holdens plans to buiild a small car in Austraial long before the Announcemtn was made last month.

It was then that I brought up the possibility of them building a medium sized car – maybe even the Torana.

Eitherway as I said in my last stattement the Plans are for Holden to use the Delta Platform I accept that but it doesn’t mean it will be an Astra as you seem to think.. However those plans could change.

In relation to the Bailout – I know that each company has had moneyy set aside for them.
Its just that their are some ford fans on here referring to it as a line of credit instead of a bail out.. BUT if it looks like a pig smells like a pig and squeals like a pig… its a pig isn’t it

And in politics as in business this too could change.. So if it gets to a point where GM need more and Ford haven’t dipped into their account which is being held by the US Government then they could decide to give GM some of if not all of what Ford could have used.. leaving them with none

Having said that its most likely that to keep their Auto Industry the US Gummint will keep propping up the big 3 giving them what eever they want or need to survive.. so I don’t think any of them will go under.. if they did the US Economy woulfd be in even more s–t

BTW I Think Mullaly is doing a good job at Ford trying to rectify all the c–k ups caused by Edsel Ford Jnr Snr Jnr.
http://. Naughtyius Maximus

Deathknell with Falcon is on cards……go look at 2010 Ford Taurus and its easy to see Falcon will odds on not survive here!
Dan Petit

Here in Austin TX, the push for electric propulsion via the Volt has been going on for several years. The City of Austin owns the electric utility (the transmission lines)(and it is regulated), and, has been really far, far ahead of the rest of the US in the adoption of wind generation (the fuel is free) from a strong wind corridor out in West Texas. The overnight strength of the wind, while not fully needed by home demand, is primarily being seen as substantially available to overnight-charge the Volt. (3 hours at 220 volts, and 6.5 hours overnight charge at the 120 volt standard outlet.)
Being a Certified Auto Diagnostic (L-1) Educator, and, being a design fan of GM for the last 40 years (GM gives the auto tech the most diagnostic datastreams out of the vehicle’s Program Control Module and sub-modules which makes teaching advanced systems diagnostics easier), I am sure that the design of the Volt will be very strong. While the climate of Australia is probably hotter overall than is the US, I would expect that the new kinds of materials for the exterior (blocking heat in/out far better)will go a long way to making the Volt (and identical badged-brothers) perform well there.
The last price rise of gasoline here really had popped the bubble on top of the over-done mortgage mess. Folks here have had it with petroleum-based fluctuations and, have generally decided to not let our guards down and stay frugal on consumption of gasoline.
In addition, the excessive technologies which have been loaded into Internal Combustion Engined vehicles has gotten financially-unbearable to repair once the problems show up too late to cost-ameliorate. The suppression of fault code setting has become a ridiculous tragedy, and, folks are just fed up with that too. They are tending to do everything possible to be as gentle as possible to extend and delay wear patterns (and they are most certainly succeeding).
The Volt is exciting to me because it is not only an entirely new direction for all the good reasons, but, as well, it is an open-process for us all to treasure the “journey” as well as when the final products become available. That is what is just as fun for me to see and read about regarding the Volt.
Thanks for letting me visit with your readers.
Sincerely,
Dan Petit Austin TX
Simon

Thanks Dan,
I really enjoyed your post. We have some people here who like to think the US is full of idiots. Undoubtedly people who have never left our country!
Posts like yours demonstrate that there are lots of forward-thinking people in the States who care about what is happenening in the auto industry as well as the environment.
Please post again with any updates.

Cheers,
Simon
Wheelnut

Simon the US isn’t full of idiots although it does seem to have more than its fair of them.. particularly in Detroit.

I mean if they weren’t idiots they would have made much smarter decisions and planned for the future years ago instead of being so ignorant and insular as to what else is happening in the rest of the world..

Don’t forget the Yanks caused the worldwide economic downturn nbecause of their sub-prime mortgage market.
Simon

Wheelnut, please oh please, go for a trip to the US.
Paul

Wheelnut, build a bridge mate, you are always pushing an up-hill battle trying to justify why ‘Holden’ are the gods of car making. Everyone makes good cars, everyone makes bad ones. Holden and GM just make a lot of Sh!t ones.

And by the way, this technology is about 10 years to late. GM didn’t want anything to do with electronic cars in the past and now they suddenly are launching a range.. PFFT, it’s just a band aid on the bigger problem
Bret

Just to put to bed any ideas that anyone had about this new small Holden being unique to or designed in Aus:

GM design executive Simcoe says the sedan and hatch versions of Holden’s small car will be near-identical – both inside and out – to the Chevrolet Cruze versions rather than custom-designed for Australia

However, as part of the global lineup GMH are doing the hatch styling (and were already well before GMH dipped into the Govt money bucket for local production).

The new Holden small car, to be built locally, IS the Daewoo designed and Chevy badged Cruze.
“I told you so”
Wheelnut

I expect that as a number of companies make Lithium Ion batteries that would be suitable for the Computer and Telecommunication Industry that LG would have submitted an application to GM to become the sole supplier of the batteries for the Volt.

Therefore; if Rick Wagoner was smart he could/would/should have made it that the Company supplying the batteries built the factory to make the batteries instead of GM.

That way if LG are unable to meet demand or if Lithium Ion Batteries are surpassed by some other alternative form of power GM can simply walk away and look elsewhere.
Frontman

But the thing is Wheelnut, at the moment Wagoner is between a rock and a hard place. He has no money to spend, but to get the Gov bailout loans he must be seen to be spending money in efforts to get the GM fleet to go green and fall into the CAFE regulations. Hence the proliferations of EV concepts by Chrysler & GM at NAIAS. Something I struggle with as Ford really only had one concept and yet did a release (Taurus) and pre-release (Lincoln C MKT a new efficient small Lincoln).
The other point everyone seems to be missing is that these moneys are actual loans not just handouts (like the banking sector got)
BK

Wheelnut has been talkin crap on here for a long time and thinks he knows all about cars. Listen to simon and go and visit GM in USA to get yu facts right rather tryin to say holden is god when holden is just a rebadged Daewoo. NO GM = NO HOLDEN
Wheelnut

The fact that I openly admit apart form the Commodore & Statesman their current line up is inferior to its competitors.. should show you that I don’t think Holden are Gods of the Automotive industry.

All I am saying is that there are/were a number of options that could/should have been considered which cold/would have helped GM avoid the financial problems they are experiencing if not reduce the severity.

Yes; Waggoner is between a rock and a hard place.. although if Alan Mullaly was aware of the impending situation and set about fixing it why didn’t Rick?
BK

hey wheelnut NO GM = NO HOLDEN
you gonna cry when it happens
Simon

So wheelnut, you believe that the Commodore and Satesman are better than their competitors!?!?