General Motors Co. in Detroit says it’s considering allowing battery technology startups to use its new, 500,000-square-foot battery development center in Warren when the facility opens in December.
According to reports, Kurt Kelty, GM’s vice president of battery and sustainability, says the automaker has held internal discussions about potentially opening the new facility to startups interested in learning battery cell manufacturing processes. This could provide smaller companies with access to capabilities that would otherwise require substantial capital investment.
Despite these reported internal discussions, GM insists no decision has been made.
The new, $145 million battery prototype facility is located at GM’s Global Technical Center in Warren. It’s designed to accelerate the development of next-generation battery technologies, including lithium manganese-rich (LMR) and sodium-ion chemistries.
GM has announced a partnership with Peak Energy, a California-based energy storage system manufacturer, to develop and deploy sodium-ion cell batteries for stationary grid applications. Meanwhile, LMR battery technology has been tapped as a “big step” for GM’s proposed all-electric vehicle portfolio.
