GM is busily striving to develop the next generation of vehicle battery systems at its Shanghai lab, by perfecting battery material preparation and coating, and fabricating and testing battery cell systems and prototypes.
The goals of the researchers and engineers at the GM Advanced Technical Center are manifold. They aim to increase the number of electric vehicles in the world, establish partnerships with battery cell and cell material suppliers, and give GM the knowledge necessary to being a "smart cell buyer".
The center recently succeeded in producing its first battery cells, which GM calls "an important milestone in the establishment of its battery material assessment capability".
GM hopes to see smaller, more cost-efficient battery systems that will make plug-ins a more affordable option for car buyers.
The battery system controls cell temperature, manages battery charge and discharge, and packages cells in vehicles. If GM can perform in-house testing of advanced materials provided by suppliers, it believes it will be able to apply its own technologies to advance battery cell systems.
"Producing the first prototype battery cells is a big step forward for the GM China Advanced Technical Center. It is critical for enabling GM to develop smaller, lighter and lower-cost new-generation batteries," John Du, director of GM China's China Science Lab, said in a statement. "Leveraging this success, the independent assessment system for battery materials will help speed up technical progress."
As the world's largest car producer and market, China does not intend to be left out of hybrid car advancement. The Chinese government has stated its intention to up the increase of pure battery, extended-range electric, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles by 2020.
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