By Chuck Squatriglia
(WIRED) -- General Motors took a big step toward its reinvention as the "New G.M." today when it opened what it calls the largest automotive battery laboratory in the United States, a move the struggling company believes will hasten the development of electric vehicles.
GM invested $25 million in the 33,000-square-foot Global Battery Systems Lab to develop and test the drivetrains underpinning the Chevrolet Volt and other hybrid, battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
The automaker believes the facility, at its sprawling Warren Technical Center campus outside Detroit, Michigan, will help make it a market leader in battery and EV technology.
"The new global GM battery lab will benefit consumers across America by helping us advance the development of battery technology in the United States and put cleaner, more efficient vehicles on the road more quickly and affordably," CEO Fritz Henderson said in a statement.
"Our new lab improves GM's competitiveness by speeding the development of our hybrid, plug-in and extended-range electric vehicles."
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http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/biztech/06/10/wired.gm.battery.lab/index.html