The University of Michigan will move forward with plans to construct a new electric vehicle battery laboratory, broadening research and hands-on education in next-generation battery technologies on the Ann Arbor campus.
The Board of Regents approved the $60 million project at its meeting Feb. 20. Funding will be provided from the state of Michigan contract that established the Electric Vehicle Center in 2023.
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The 25,000-square-foot addition to the U-M Transportation Research Institute building on North Campus will include three battery laboratories, auxiliary support areas, a substation and a facility for battery cell testing, among other capabilities. The project also includes minor renovations within UMTRI and a new on-site fire hydrant to enhance safety.
“This new facility will accelerate innovation, strengthen our partnerships with industry and help develop the highly skilled workforce needed to drive the future of electric mobility,” said Alan Taub, director of the EV Center and the Robert H. Lurie Professor of Engineering, and professor of materials science and engineering, of mechanical engineering and of macromolecular science and engineering in the College of Engineering.
The architectural firm of SmithGroup will design the project. The construction schedule and schematic design will be brought before the regents for approval at a later date.
The new battery lab will expand on research capacity and opportunity at existing and soon-to-open facilities at CoE. The current U-M Battery Lab — the first university-based facility of its kind when it opened in 2015 — supports academic and industry researchers from around the globe.
In April, as a stepping stone to the eventual UMTRI addition, the EV Center will open an 8,000-square-foot, off-campus space that nearly doubles the lab’s size.
That location will house a new pilot line where users can manufacture battery cells at small scales for testing, and an industry-leading automated laser welding system that allows users to assemble and then test battery modules and battery packs composed of those cells.
