GM Building Electric Vehicle Battery Facility In Detroit Suburb

DETROIT, MI — General Motors said it is building an electric vehicle battery facility to expand the company's battery technology operations and accelerate development and commercialization of longer range, more affordable electric vehicle batteries.

The Wallace Center, which is name after named after Bill Wallace — a GM director who played a significant role in the development of the automaker’s advanced battery technology — will be located on the campus of GM's Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan.

In a news release, General Motors said the all-new facility will significantly expand the company's battery technology operations and accelerate development and commercialization of longer range, more affordable electric vehicle batteries.

GM said it will also use the facility to integrate the work of GM-affiliated battery innovators, helping the company to reach its stated goal of at least 60 percent lower battery costs with the next generation of Ultium.

The Wallace Center is currently under construction and will be completed in mid-2022, according to GM. Designed for expansion, the facility is projected to grow up to at least three times its initial footprint, with room for additional investments, as demand for electric vehicles increases. The facility is expected to build its first prototype cells in the fourth quarter of 2022.

“The Wallace Center will significantly ramp up development and production of our next-generation Ultium batteries and our ability to bring next-generation EV batteries to market,” said Doug Parks, GM executive vice president, Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain. “The addition of the Wallace Center is a massive expansion of our battery development operations and will be a key part of our plan to build cells that will be the basis of more affordable EVs with longer range in the future.”

According to GM, the Wallace Center will allow GM to accelerate new technologies like lithium-metal, silicon and solid-state batteries, along with production methods that can quickly be deployed at battery cell manufacturing plants, including GM's joint ventures with LG Energy Solution in Lordstown, Ohio, and Spring Hill, Tennessee, and other undisclosed locations in the U.S.

The Wallace Center will also be capable of building large-format, prototype lithium-metal battery cells for vehicle usage beyond the small-scale lithium-metal cells typically used in handheld devices or research applications, the company said.