GM is to invest $65m in its lithium-ion battery plant in Detroit as part of a $449m boost to its Chevy Volt manufacturing facility.
GM’s Brownstown Battery Assembly, a 479,000 square foot facility 20 miles south of Detroit, produces the lithium-ion battery packs for GM’s extended-range electric vehicles. It started mass production in October 2010 and is the first high-volume manufacturing site in the US operated by a major car manufacturer for automotive lithium-ion battery production.
GM said the $65m investment at its Brownstown Battery Assembly would support the next generation of lithium-ion battery production and future battery systems.
Because an expansion of electric vehicle production would necessitate increased battery production, GM’s investment is set to include expansion in battery research and development. Former Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson last summer said that GM was working to “significantly” improve the range on the next-generation Volt and to get its battery range up to 50 to 60 miles or more.
GM’s $449m investment includes $384m at Detroit-Hamtramck for new body shop tooling, equipment, and additional plant upgrades to build the next generation Chevrolet Volt and two future products.
