General Motors Technical Center Explosion: Lithium Battery Blast Lands Woman In Hospital

A lithium battery explosion at General Motors' Technical Center in Warren, Mich., Wednesday morning has left one woman hospitalized. The woman was brought to St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit where she is being treated for life-threatening injuries, the Detroit Free Press reports.

About 80 employees were evacuated from the area after the 8:45 a.m. explosion, the Associated Press reports. In a release, GM said that fire and emergency services had been called to the scene and the company had accounted for all employees.

According to the release, the explosion "was related to extreme testing on a prototype battery" and was "unrelated to the Chevrolet Volt or any other production vehicle."

A Chevy Volt battery caught fire during a government crash simulation last year, leading GM to give Volt owners the opportunity to bring their batteries back to dealers for repairs that would lower the risk of battery fires.

GM maintains the Volt "is safe and does not present undue risk as part of normal operation or immediately after a severe crash."