GM taps U-M for battery research, to open $5 million research lab

In the race to develop batteries for tomorrow’s electric-based cars, the University of Michigan is leading the pack.General Motors is partnering with U-M to develop the advanced batteries for its next generation of electricity-based automobiles, like the Chevrolet Volt. That means GM is giving the university $5 million to establish the Advanced Battery Coalition for Drivetrains Labratory, which will call Ann Arbor home. Ann Marie Sastry, a prominent engineering professor at U-M, will lead the lab. Satsry is a big player in advanced battery research and pushing forward the further electrification of the automobile. She is the director of the Energy Systems Engineering Program at U-M (where GM sends its engineers to learn about electric cars) and is the CEO of Satki3, an Ann Arbor-based start-up that focuses on developing high-powered automotive batteries.The lab will accelerate the design and testing of advanced batteries for electric vehicles. GM has been betting big on the success of that technology, pinning its future hopes of profitability to the likes of the Volt and recently announced Cadillac Converj.Source: University of MichiganWriter: Jon Zemke