BROWNSTOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Exactly three years since the day the Chevrolet Volt concept car debuted, GM today manufactured the first advanced lithium-ion battery for a mass-marketed electric vehicle at GM's Brownstown Battery Pack Assembly Plant.
"This is an important milestone for GM...and a critical step in bringing the Chevrolet Volt to market," said GM Chairman and CEO Ed Whitacre.
GM announced last August a $43-million investment to prepare the 160,000-square-foot, landfill-free facility for production of lithium-ion battery packs for the Volt and other electric vehicles with extended-range capabilities. In just five months, the Brownstown plant was converted from an empty facility to a production-ready battery manufacturing site. new machinery and specialized equipment have been installed and three primary assembly areas have been completed: battery module pre-assembly, final assembly and the battery pack main line.
Initial battery production at Brownstown will be used to validate the plant's equipment and processes, and batteries will be sent to GM's Global Battery Systems lab in Warren, Michigan for testing. This spring, GM will begin shipping batteries to GM's Detroit-Hamtramck plant, the assembly location for the Volt, for use in production validation vehicles. Regular production at Brownstown and Detroit-Hamtramck is set to begin in the fourth quarter.
The Volt is an electric vehicle designed to drive up to 40 miles on electricity without using gasoline or producing tailpipe emissions. When the Volt's lithium-ion battery is depleted of energy, a flex-fuel engine-generator seamlessley operates to extend the total driving range to about 300 miles before refueling or stopping to recharge the battery. Pricing has not been announced.
Source: GM.com
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