GM will build battery factory, purchase cells from Korean LG.

GM will build battery factory, purchase cells from Korean LG.

"The battery factory, to be opened somewhere near Detroit, will employ more than 100 people and be highly automated as it takes cutting-edge lithium-ion cells imported from LG Chem Ltd. of South Korea and welds them into battery packs for the Volt and other next-generation vehicles from GM.
GM also announced the creation of a 31,000-square-foot battery lab, the largest in the country run by an automaker, at its Warren technical center. It also said it has joined with the University of Michigan to test batteries at the Ann Arbor campus and train future engineers to design components for electric cars.


"Amid all the attention on hybrid and fully electric vehicles, LG Chem CEO Peter Kim said the company may eventually build battery cells in Michigan, and it anticipates that its U.S. subsidiary, Compact Power Inc., will add to its 100-person work force in Troy, Mich.
Posawatz said GM chose LG Chem because of its flat-cell design that dissipates heat better and stores more energy than competitors' cylinder-shaped cells.
He said the competition from the team of Frankfurt, Germany-based Continental Automotive Systems and A123 Systems Inc. of Watertown, Mass., was very capable, but "one has to be the lead."
LG Chem is a member of the LG Group, a major South Korean industrial conglomerate."


"Also Monday, California startup Fisker Automotive debuted a production version of its $80,000 plug-in Fisker Karma and vowed to sell 15,000 of the sporty luxury hybrids annually. The company also unveiled a slick convertible version called the Karma S, which it expects to build in 2011.
Volkswagen AG said it plans to offer hybrid and diesel versions of four upcoming vehicles being developed for the U.S. market, including a future successor to the Jetta sedan.


GM unveils battery plan, may need more loans - Yahoo! Finance