GM China Begins Building and Testing Advanced Batteries

The Chinese central government has made alternative energy vehicle development a state strategy. The U.S. plays bitter partisan politics with a vital national security issue.

General Motors China is now making and testing prototype batteries, cells and complete systems at its Advanced Technical Center in Shanghai, potentially creating a huge offshore industry that will build more affordable batteries for customers globally.

GM’s stated goal is to accelerate the development of batteries with improved energy density, allowing smaller overall system sizes and reducing costs. This, in turn, will help cut costs of plug-in and hybrid vehicles for consumers. Insiders say that GM is already testing new formulations that effectively double the range of an electric vehicle to 200 miles.

GM said that with its developing battery assessment skills, it will be able to independently test and validate advanced materials provided by suppliers, apply new technologies to battery cell design and fabrication by working with cell suppliers, and ultimately integrate batteries into a system for integration in GM’s production lines.

An improved battery is also needed to increase the woeful performance of plug-in hybrids some of which only run a couple of miles on electric power before fossil-fuel burning recharging kicks in. The best hybrid in this respect on the market, the Chevrolet Volt can only go 35 miles on pure electric power.

The Chinese central government has made alternative energy vehicle development a state strategy. As a result, China plans to increase significantly the production of plug-in hybrids, pure battery electric vehicles, and extended-range electric vehicles by 2020. China is of course the largest auto production and consumption market by far.

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About Ken Zino

Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
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