GM to Start Building Electric Motors

General Motors has just announced that it will start building electric motors to be installed in hybrids and electric vehicles, a move that will turn the company into the first US automaker to manufacture this kind of engines. Building electric units would obviously lower GM costs but, at the same time, it will improve performance, quality and reliability, as the company said in a release.

“Electric motor innovation supported the first wave of automotive growth a century ago with the electric starter, which eliminated the need for a hand crank, and revolutionized automotive travel for the customer,” said Tom Stephens, GM vice chairman, Global Product Operations. “We think the electrification of today’s automobiles will be just as revolutionary and just as beneficial to our customers. Electric motors will play a huge role in that.”

GM says the electric motors are scheduled to debut in 2013 in the next-generation, rear-wheel drive Two-mode Hybrid technology which will employ two unique motor designs plus an internal combustion engine.

“In the future, electric motors might become as important to GM as engines are now,” Stephens said. “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.”

“This is a strategy we use today with batteries,” Stephens said. “We are partnering with suppliers to create innovations faster than ever before. Our goal is simply to establish GM as a leader in automotive electric motors. We see that leadership as a key enabler – both to our long-term success and to our nation’s move away from oil dependence.”