The future is electric, so to speak.
General Motors today said that the Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center will be located on the campus of GM’s Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. The all-new building “will significantly expand the company’s battery technology operations and accelerate development and commercialization of longer range, more affordable electric vehicle batteries,” GM said in a release. GM will also use the facility to integrate the work of GM-affiliated battery innovators, helping the company to reach its stated goal of at least 60 % lower battery costs with the next generation of Ultium.
The latest GM announcement comes just one day after it said it reached a deal with Wolfspeed (to develop and provide silicon carbide power devices for GM’s future electric vehicle programs. Wolfspeed’s silicon carbide devices will allow GM to “install more efficient EV propulsion systems that will extend the range” of its growing EV portfolio.
The silicon carbide involved will be used in the integrated power electronics contained within GM’s Ultium Drive units in its next-generation EVs. (EV Battery Gold-Rush – GM and Wolfspeed Cut Deal)
The Wallace Center will be capable of building large-format, prototype lithium-metal battery cells for vehicle usage beyond the small-scale lithium-metal cells used in handheld devices or research applications. These cells could be as large as 1,000 mm, twice the size of the initial Ultium pouch cells. They will be based on GM’s proprietary formula.
The Wallace Center is currently under construction and will be completed in mid-2022. Designed for expansion, the facility is projected to grow up to at least three times its initial footprint, with room for additional investments, as demand for EVs increases. The facility is expected to build its first prototype cells in the fourth quarter of 2022.
AutoInformed.com on
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.
GM to Invest in New Battery Building to Lower EV Costs
The future is electric, so to speak.
General Motors today said that the Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center will be located on the campus of GM’s Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. The all-new building “will significantly expand the company’s battery technology operations and accelerate development and commercialization of longer range, more affordable electric vehicle batteries,” GM said in a release. GM will also use the facility to integrate the work of GM-affiliated battery innovators, helping the company to reach its stated goal of at least 60 % lower battery costs with the next generation of Ultium.
The latest GM announcement comes just one day after it said it reached a deal with Wolfspeed (to develop and provide silicon carbide power devices for GM’s future electric vehicle programs. Wolfspeed’s silicon carbide devices will allow GM to “install more efficient EV propulsion systems that will extend the range” of its growing EV portfolio.
The silicon carbide involved will be used in the integrated power electronics contained within GM’s Ultium Drive units in its next-generation EVs. (EV Battery Gold-Rush – GM and Wolfspeed Cut Deal)
The Wallace Center will be capable of building large-format, prototype lithium-metal battery cells for vehicle usage beyond the small-scale lithium-metal cells used in handheld devices or research applications. These cells could be as large as 1,000 mm, twice the size of the initial Ultium pouch cells. They will be based on GM’s proprietary formula.
The Wallace Center is currently under construction and will be completed in mid-2022. Designed for expansion, the facility is projected to grow up to at least three times its initial footprint, with room for additional investments, as demand for EVs increases. The facility is expected to build its first prototype cells in the fourth quarter of 2022.
AutoInformed.com on
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.