BREAKING: Detroit 2009 – GM building Volt battery packs with LG Chem cells

Posted by in Auto Green on 01 12th, 2009 | no responses

Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , GM , Detroit Auto Show After showing off its latest cars and concepts yesterday at the Detroit Auto Show , General Motors reserved its second press conference today for battery news. As has been rumored for months, South Korea’s LG Chem has been selected to supply the lithium-ion cells that will power the Chevy Volt. However, LG Chem and its U.S. subsidiary will not be supplying full packs to GM. Instead, GM has decided to keep the pack production in-house along with the battery management systems and all the power electronics. The automaker will be building a pack assembly facility here in Michigan, with LG Chem only supplying the cells. GM is currently working on finalizing the site selection and working with local and state officials on the approvals. The site of the factory is expected to be announced soon with site preparation starting early this year. Tooling of the factory should be completed by early 2010 with production starting soon afterward. GM also announced a new partnership with the University of Michigan to create the Advanced Battery Coalition for Drivetrains (ABCD). ABCD will focus on researching batteries and integration issues with a specific focus on vehicle applications. Press release after the jump. [Source: General Motors] Continue reading BREAKING: Detroit 2009 – GM building Volt battery packs with LG Chem cells BREAKING: Detroit 2009 – GM building Volt battery packs with LG Chem cells originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 10:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green