Last Auto News – GM to Design and Build Electric Motors In-House

Last Auto News –

General Motors has announced that it will become the first major domestic automaker to produce electric motors in-house. Left Lane News says the Big Three automaker will invest $246 million in its U.S. electric motor facilities.

That may seem like a lot of money for a company that emerged from bankruptcy just last year, but rest assured that GM has a little help from an old friend. CNN Money says it was “selected in August by the U.S. Department of Energy to receive a $105 million grant for the construction of U.S. manufacturing capabilities to produce electric motors and related electric drive components.”

So when will we see the fruits of GM’s labor? Sources say the first in-house-designed motors are expected to debut in 2013 in two-mode vehicles such as the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid. CNN Money explains, “Those next-generation vehicles will use two unique electric motor designs, the automaker said. Those electric motors will be combined with an internal combustion gasoline engine to provide improved fuel economy.”

The new motors may show up in several of GM’s larger vehicles, such as full-size pick-up trucks and SUVs. The Los Angeles Times reports that GM’s plans “are linked to the company’s concern about being able to meet a 35.5-mile-per-gallon federal fuel standard for its fleet in 2016.”

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