General Motors announced it began construction yesterday of a facility for race engine design and development, as well as an electric motor laboratory and gear center.
GM said its continued investment in motorsports comes from the time-tested belief that racing is the ultimate proving ground for much of the technology that applies to the vehicles it sells.
Engineers and technicians from GM’s race engineering center in Wixom, Mich., will move to the new facility in mid-2015. The relocation will centralize North American powertrain engineering expertise for production engines as well as advanced and racing propulsion programs. Condensing the engineering to one large space is an excellent way to develop race-bred engineers whether they work on production or performance vehicles, explained GM.
The move will include about 100 employees who work on powertrain racing development, electric motors and in the gear center. GM stated the new building is expected to be opened and in use by mid-2015 and completed by early 2016.
The electric motor lab produces prototype electric motors and validates manufacturing processes used in the production of electric and hybrid vehicle motors, explained GM. Electric motor engineering, design and validation are core competencies for GM in the development, sourcing and manufacturing of electric vehicles and their major components.