General Motors (GM) is doubling the size of its automotive battery lab in the US to expedite the development of electrically driven vehicles for consumers.

The $8m investment will be used to enlarge the Global Battery Systems Lab used for on-site testing of all current and new battery cell, module and pack technologies on the GM Technical Center campus by 30,000sqft. to 63,000sqft.

The addition will be located adjacent to the existing lab inside the Alternative Energy Center facility. Areas previously used for engine testing will be renovated for battery development, with construction beginning this month and scheduled for completion in the summer.

GM's Global Battery Systems Lab equipped with 176 test channels and 49 thermal chambers duplicating real-world driving patterns, hot and cold temperatures and calendar life is used by its team of more than 1,000 engineers working on advanced batteries and electrically driven vehicles.