GM To Assemble Volt Battery Packs In Michigan

DETROIT — General Motors Co. has confirmed it will assemble battery packs for its new rechargeable electric car at a new factory in southeastern Michigan.

Company President and CEO Fritz Henderson has called a news conference for Thursday at the plant site in Brownstown Township, 20 miles southwest of Detroit.

GM says in a statement the factory "will produce the lithium ion battery packs for GM's future extended-range electrical vehicles, including the Chevrolet Volt."

South Korea's LG Chem Ltd. is making the batteries.

Two people briefed on the project said last month GM will invest $43 million and employ about 100 people at the plant. They requested anonymity because GM hadn't made an official announcement.

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Associated Press reporters Ken Thomas in Washington and Tom Krisher in Detroit contributed to this story.

Comments

[Austintatious]

GM is sure doing a lot of big talk. Some relevant Q's:

Where have they been for the last 30 years, when this kind of p[roduct was already needed and might have made a real difference in our lives?

Would anyone in their right mind invest significant amounts of their hard earned money in GM, even with the government in their investor portfolio?

How many out there actually believe that the Volt is going to be available in 2010?

How many out there actually believe that it will perform as GM is saying it will?

How many out there actually believe the corporate cretons at GM have gotten the message, even now?

Of all the American corporations that one might invest in or purchase a complicated, new technology product from, GM has to be last or mighty close to last. After all, they've worked hard to earn that distinction.

[PurpleLove08]

Is there some reason they are investing $34 million in a new plant when there are plenty of vacant factories in Michigan? ::sighs::
Too bad the Nissan Leaf will probably sell more than the GM Volt.

[CountryBeforeParty]

Hey it's a start. There seems to be competition brewing among the auto manufacturers for the EV's. Let's hope it continues.

[wadenelson1]

The headline begs the question:

AND THE REST OF THE CAR WILL BE BUILT WHERE???

[dan2359]

I am pretty sure michigan. If not, then canada. It will be built in a union factory i can tell you that much.

[Hans Meiser]

I suppose that's nice, a couple of jobs created is always good to hear.

I would like to know two things. Anybody with credible sources of information, please post:
(1) Why can't the batteries be manufactured in the US?
(2) How dangerous are depleted battery packs for the environment? We'll have a whole lot of them soon.

I can, of course, speculate wildly on both of those questions, but it's been tough to come up with credible sources giving an honest statement.

[dan2359]

(1) We haven't started investing in green technology until extremely recently. We don't have any companies here that will make them.
(2) I am sure that they are better than all the CO2 will put in the air due to gas.

[inreasonsimage]

What you said about America not investing in green technology is not true even in the car industry. Go over to PBS's website and watch an episode of Scientific American Frontiers with Alan Alda titled "Future Cars".

http://www.pbs.org/saf/1403/

American car companies have been working on green technologies for years.

[inreasonsimage]

There is a story that has been floating around for a while that Hummers are actually more environmentally friendly than Priuses because of the manufacturing costs to the environment and also the harm Priuses' batteries cause to the environment. The story might be BS but it doesn't sound unreasonable.

[Austintatious]

A story reported on HP a couple of days ago:

This new, lean and mean, revitalized corporation, this new GM trying to sell you all this green phoney baloney, they have opted out of their earlier commitment to help dispose of toxic elements found in all the junked clunkers their benefiting from. Their explanation:

That was the responsibility of the old GM. We're the new GM, and it's no longer our responsibility. Business as usual, corporate America style.

Here's a suggestion. Tell GM to put their Chevy Volt and their corporate mentality where the sun don't shine.

[luvVB]

Modern batteries (according to the federal government) are "non-hazardous waste and are safe for disposal in the normal municipal waste stream".

[Austintatious]

Please give us something to verify your claim. I have to believe that this is not right.

Whatever the battery technology, now or for decades to come, at least some of the battery elements are likely to be quite toxic and would requiore special handling for disposition.

[luvVB]

Ten years late.

It's really sad it took a public take over to get the products we want and need.

All electric cars have been in demand for years.

At five cents a mile electric vehicles will save our suburbs.

[inreasonsimage]

Huh? How long do you think it takes to conceptualize, design, test, and manufacture a car? GM has been working on the Volt for several years. GM was talking about it before the take over occurred. I remember hearing about it a couple years ago.

[luvVB]

Read up on your electric car history. The idea is not exactly new.
Again, the reality is this: multinational energy companies have spent BILLIONS to prevent electric cars. It not conspiracy, its FACT.

There are rednecks in Oregon and Alabama with clearly better electric cars than the Volt. GM has been around for 100 years leaching tax dollars and selling over priced cars for 60 of them. Financing their products with the homes of Americans they pay $34 an hour... to put floor-mats in the cars they buy.

Electric cars are cheaper to build, drive and repair. DC brush-less motors are extremely durable, easy to refurbish. LI-po batteries are not explosive, store no charge print and according to the federal government "non-hazardous waste and are safe for disposal in the normal municipal waste stream".

GM has had billions of reasons to keep all electric cars off the road.
This is a nice announcement but we will see if actually leads to progress.