[Mr. Wyndham]

This is HUGE!

A science project? I think not.

GM to Open First Lithium-Ion Battery Plant
By Kendra Marr
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, January 12, 2009; 1:01 PM

General Motors announced today that it will open a lithium-ion battery plant in Michigan to assemble battery packs for its highly-anticipated plug-in Chevrolet Volt.

Addressing a crowd at the North American International Auto Show, GM chairman and chief executive G. Richard Wagoner Jr. said this will be the first U.S. facilty of its kind operated by a major automaker.

"We believe this will become a competitive advantage for GM and will be critical to GM's success," Wagoner said.

Initially, the battery cells will be made in South Korea by LG Chem and Compact Power -- a subsidiary of LG Chem based in Troy, Mich. -- will build the battery modules for prototype vehicles until GM's battery facility is operational.

Bob Lutz, GM's vice chairman, told reporters that GM would be open to selling these battery packs to other automakers in the future.

To date, GM has invested more than $1 billion into the Volt, a car that will be able to travel 40 miles on electricity alone. The automaker plans to sell the plug-in for between $30,000 and $40,000.

GM made the announcement about the new factory as it unveiled its strategy for improving battery technology.

The automaker plans to open a 31,000 square foot automotive battey lab in Michigan.

The company will partner with the University of Michigan's engineering college to develop automotive battery engineers.

GM also hopes to accelerate its in-house battery development by growing its electric vehicle staff to several hundred engineers this year.

"We're building a roster of battery suppliers and academic experts from around the globe, and leveraging their specialized abilities to develop battery chemistries and cell designs, as well as future automotive battery engineers," Wagoner said.

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