GM invests $449M in Michigan electric vehicles facilities

General Motors has announced a US$449 million investment to upgrade manufacturing processes at its Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly and Brownstown Battery Assembly plants in Michigan, to support the next generation of electric vehicles and battery technologies.

“These investments will help the next-generation Chevrolet Volt build on its position as the leader in electrified propulsion,” said Gerald Johnson, vice-president of GM’s North American Manufacturing.

The investment is the largest to date at both facilities and includes $384 million at Detroit-Hamtramck for new Body Shop tooling, equipment, and additional plant upgrades to build the next generation Chevrolet Volt and two future products.

GM’s total investment at Detroit-Hamtramck is now more than $1 billion over the last five years.

GM’s $65 million investment at its Brownstown Battery Assembly will support the next generation of lithium-ion battery production and future battery systems.

The Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant is the world’s only automotive plant that mass-produces extended-range electric vehicles – the Volt, Cadillac ELR, and Opel Ampera – for markets in 33 countries.

Detroit-Hamtramck also builds the Chevrolet Malibu and Impala sedans and is home to a 264,000-square-foot photovoltaic solar array that can generate up to 516 kilowatts of electricity, or enough to charge 150 electric vehicles per day.

Brownstown Battery Assembly’s 479,000-square-foot, landfill-free facility south of Detroit produces the lithium-ion battery packs for GM’s extended-range electric vehicles. It started mass production in October 2010 and is the first high-volume manufacturing site in the U.S. operated by a major automaker for automotive lithium-ion battery production. The site received funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding through the U.S. Department of Energy.