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GM opens new advanced battery lab in Warren

Thursday, June 11, 2009

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It looks like the consolation prize could turn into a very good thing for Warren. The inner-ring suburb wasn't successful in luring General Motors headquarters away from Detroit to GM's Tech Center in Warren, but it was able to land the next best thing � a coveted advanced battery lab.

The Global Battery Systems Lab is special because it will develop new advanced automotive batteries (think lithium-ion batteries) along with the electric plug-in, fuel cell, and hybrid cars designed to use them, such as the Chevrolet Volt.

The new facility will use 33,000 square feet of the Tech Center, which is about four times larger than GM's last Tech Center-based battery lab. More than 1,000 engineers are expected to work on batteries.

The lab, which is inside GM's Alternative Energy Center facility, became operational in May and is ready to begin conducting research. It has a number of environmentally friendly features, such as LED lighting and a floor made from recycled tires. Approximately 90 percent of the electricity used for battery testing can be recycled back to the local energy grid for use by homeowners and businesses.

Source: General Motors
Writer: Jon Zemke