Page 33 - On The Move - Volume 17, Issue 3

BorgWarner Devotes New Lab to Electrification

Automotive supplier BorgWarner has opened a high- Drive Systems.
tech lab at its Technical Center in Noblesville, IN. The “The ability to
new lab enables the company to develop, build, test, streamline pro-
and validate prototypes of its electric product portfolio cesses and improve
under one roof. This will create cost synergies, increase design collaboration and responsiveness amongst engineering and prototyp-
cross-functional collaboration, and improve efficiency throughout the product ing will be reflected in future technologies developed at Noblesville.”
development and testing process, BorgWarner says. The 40,000-sq.-ft. lab will
focus on the development of motors and power electronics for the light-vehicle The lab is designed to maximize space utilization. All non-critical equipment
and commercial-vehicle markets. such as high-voltage cabinets, isolation transformers and battery simulators
share an equipment platform, reserving space on the main floor for additional
The facility expands BorgWarner’s hybrid and electric capabilities by provid- test cells. The interior walls are modular, allowing for quick and easy layout
ing a space where real-world conditions can be generated, and updates can changes creating an agile building infrastructure for the future, BorgWarner
be made to move the industry’s most advanced technologies in a shortened says.
timeframe, the company says. Engineers will be able to build, calibrate and test
electric propulsion systems for quick feedback to design and analysis teams. The facility is equipped with motor manufacturing equipment including wire
Housing the entire range of engineering and development disciplines togeth- formers, slot liner insertion, wire insertion, laser welding, varnishing and end-
er in one location will reduce downtime during the design process and foster of-line testing. This enables the prototype phase to emulate the production
greater collaboration. process and uncover lessons that can be transferred to the manufacturing plant
responsible for mass production, the company says.
“Having engineering, testing and prototype together under one roof is a com-
petitive advantage as we move toward a highly technical and electrified future,” Source: WardsAuto
says Stefan Demmerle, president and general manager-BorgWarner Power-

GM’s Spring Hill Plant Going Strictly Solar

General Motors says its Spring Hill, TN, manufacturing complex is expected to release. “We’re committed to using our scale and relationships to in-
be 100% powered by solar energy in late 2022. Under an agreement with the crease renewable energy demand and availability.”
Tennessee Valley Authority, a solar farm under development in Lowndes Coun-
ty, MS, will supply the plant with 100 Mw of solar energy per year, equal to the GM says it is ranked No.12 on the U.S. Environmental Protec-
amount of electricity consumed by 18,000 U.S. households annually. tion Agency’s National Top 100 List of the largest green-pow-
er users from the agency’s Green Power Partnership pro-
GM says the project is expected to increase its use of renewable energy to more gram. The automaker’s choice to use green power
than 50% of its sourced electricity by 2023, moving the automaker closer to its helps advance the voluntary market for renewable
goal of 100% renewably sourced electricity at GM-owned sites in the U.S. by energy, as well as the development of those
2030. sources, the EPA says.

Spring Hill is GM’s largest facility in North America, totaling 2,100 acres. Seven
hundred of those acres are dedicated to farming, with an additional 100 acres Source: WardsAuto
dedicated to wildlife habitat comprising wetlands and native grasses.
The plant builds the GMC Acadia and the Cadillac XT5 and XT6, as well as several
engines.
“Our commitment to renewable energy is part of our vision of a world with
zero emissions,” Dane Parker, GM chief sustainability officer, says in a news

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