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General Motors announced today that they will be expanding their capabilities for designing and manufacturing electric traction motors, the motors used to propel electric and hybrid-electric vehicles. GM plans to have the first GM-designed and -built electric motors installed in some 2013 vehicles.
"In the future, electric motors might become as important to GM as engines are now," said Tom Stephens, GM Vice Chairman, Global Product Operations. "By designing and manufacturing electric motors in-house, we can more efficiently use energy from batteries as they evolve, potentially reducing cost and weight – two significant challenges facing batteries today."
Of course, the benefits from GM designing and building its own electric motors will include weight-reduction, range-extension, energy-use optimization, and coordination of motors and batteries, all of which will make for better, longer running, more energy efficient electric vehicles in the future.
GM and its long-time rival, Ford, seem to be starting a new round of competition. With this announcement from GM and Ford's recent announcement about bringing battery resaerch and production in-house, both companies are moving to position themselves for the design and manufacture of components and systems for electric vehicles. Like a new space race, the benefits of this competition may reinvigorate both companies. Developments could also spill over into other fields. And maybe, all of this could lead to a resurgence of Detroit in the automotive world
Link: GM Press Release
Photo Credit: Photo by John F. Martin for General Motors
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written by sarah, January 27, 2010
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written by merchant accounts, January 27, 2010
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written by Foraker, February 02, 2010
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written by solar guy, February 04, 2010
Maybe no one here questions why batteries, tires, shocks and many other components all start to go bad right after the warrany's over. What is there to really fail on a car that relies heavily on it's two main components (batt and motor) to do most of the work? The new cars might drastically cut it's needs for oil, a coolant system, transmission & fluid, differential, emissions crap, vacuum and fuel hoses, pumps and diaphragms, brakes and possibly even tire wear? Each one of those is a cash cow for the maker, dealership and 3rd party repair shops. Mooo
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What they meant to say was: "The Feds just wrote us a check for $105 million, naturally with strings attached. They said we had to spend it on union workers and electric motors - only . So here goes."
Let's see ... $105mm taxpayer dollars divided by 200 new jobs = $525,00 per job. Such a deal. Bet they get even more next year, too.
There's no reason to believe that GM can compete economically with OEM electric motor suppliers like BYD, Honda, Toyota, or Subaru. Not with overpaid union goofballs running the GM shops. That's what ruined them in the first place.
They won't even be able to compete with their spun-off division Remy. More of your hard-earned tax dollars flushed down the crapper - that's all this is.
Now if GM were allowed to compete here in the US without all the government/union baggage, like they do quite successfully all around the world - well now, that would be a different story.