Hamtramck, Mich. — General Motors plans to add 1,000 engineers and researchers in Michigan over the next two years to expand its vehicle electrification expertise in areas including automotive battery, electric motor and power control technologies.
The move also is expected to make the automaker a leader in the development of electric vehicles including hybrids and electric vehicles with extended-range capability, like the Chevrolet Volt.
GM says the commitment by GM CEO Dan Akerson coincides with preparations for the delivery of the first Chevrolet Volt electric vehicles with extended-range capability to customers in key states.
“GM is going to lead the industry in the adoption of various vehicle electrification technologies, whether its electric vehicles with extended-range capability, like the Chevrolet Volt, or the recently introduced eAssist technology that will debut on the 2012 Buick LaCrosse,” said Akerson, in a statement. “We want to give our customers energy choices other than petroleum and to make the automobile part of the solution when it comes to the environment.”
GM’s electric vehicle engineering investment expands on the more than $700 million GM has invested in eight facilities in Michigan to support Volt production.
In the area of EV development, GM claims the industry’s largest and most technologically advanced battery systems lab at its Warren, Mich. Technical Center and has invested $336 million at its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant, where the Volt is manufactured, along with another $43 million at the industry’s only battery pack manufacturing plant in Brownstown Township, Mich.
An additional $162 million investment was announced last week to support powertrain operations in Flint and Bay City, Mich., and Defiance, Ohio.
GM’s suppliers including LG Chem, utility companies such as DTE Energy and organizations including the University of Michigan and Wayne State University, also are investing in Michigan jobs to support Chevy Volt and electric vehicle development, according to GM.
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