A2: Auto Industry

The New York Times writes about GM’s decision to make lithium-ion battery packs for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt at a facility in Warren. The article quotes Brett Smith, assistant director for manufacturing, engineering and technology at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor: “Automakers cannot afford the batteries until they can be produced in a certain volume. But they can’t be produced in volume until the companies make a big manufacturing investment. The timing of that investment becomes critical – if you jump in too early you could end up on the bleeding edge rather than the leading edge.” [Source]