Photo: General Motors
GM has begun construction on its new $45 million Charlotte Technical Center in Concord, North Carolina. The 130,000-square-foot (12,077-square-meters) complex will be dedicated to supporting racing programs across all GM series. The institution will also help boost up strategic knowledge transfer from the racing world to vehicle production.
The Charlotte center was announced by GM in January 2020. However, the original 75,000-square-foot (6,968-square-meters) facility was repurposed by GM Defense for manufacturing the new Infantry Squad Vehicle, a light troop transporter built for the U.S. Army.
Now, after more than a year, ground was finally broken at the new, larger center. The location of the site was selected for its proximity to a number of key racing partners, teams, and major technical suppliers.
GM will also have a greater chance of hiring top personnel in software engineering, computational science, electrical engineering, and other fields because of its strategic location in the heart of one of the country's largest cities and close proximity to colleges and institutions.
According to Jim Danahy, GM vice president of Global Safety, Systems and Integration, the new Charlotte Technical Center will expand the company's engineering footprint and will increase the speed and capability in both racing and vehicle production.
Inside, the facility will include virtual simulation and physical testing to fulfill the short development time periods required by motorsports teams. The new testing methods will offer more insight to GM's vehicle engineers.
Furthermore, three cutting-edge Driver-in-the-Loop simulators, aero development, and other software-enabled vehicle modeling technology will be available, allowing for faster analysis and development. The center will allow GM to gather and analyze much more data, allowing the racing and engineering teams to enhance designs early in the development process.
The new Charlotte Technical Center is scheduled to open its gates next year. This will coincide with NASCAR's Next Gen racecar, which is also set to debut in 2022. The Next Gen will have enhanced aero and downforce packages and will introduce new technologies on the track.
Now, after more than a year, ground was finally broken at the new, larger center. The location of the site was selected for its proximity to a number of key racing partners, teams, and major technical suppliers.
GM will also have a greater chance of hiring top personnel in software engineering, computational science, electrical engineering, and other fields because of its strategic location in the heart of one of the country's largest cities and close proximity to colleges and institutions.
According to Jim Danahy, GM vice president of Global Safety, Systems and Integration, the new Charlotte Technical Center will expand the company's engineering footprint and will increase the speed and capability in both racing and vehicle production.
Inside, the facility will include virtual simulation and physical testing to fulfill the short development time periods required by motorsports teams. The new testing methods will offer more insight to GM's vehicle engineers.
Furthermore, three cutting-edge Driver-in-the-Loop simulators, aero development, and other software-enabled vehicle modeling technology will be available, allowing for faster analysis and development. The center will allow GM to gather and analyze much more data, allowing the racing and engineering teams to enhance designs early in the development process.
The new Charlotte Technical Center is scheduled to open its gates next year. This will coincide with NASCAR's Next Gen racecar, which is also set to debut in 2022. The Next Gen will have enhanced aero and downforce packages and will introduce new technologies on the track.
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