About Us

Advanced Vehicle Manufacturing

Mission

The mission of the Advanced Vehicle Manufacturing CRL is to:

  • Carry out research and development activities in areas that are of critical importance to GM’s vehicle manufacturing operations, in particular, key manufacturing processes and systems that support vehicle electrification, including lithium-ion battery pack manufacturing processes and systems, and processes for lightweight structures.
  • Facilitate the exchange of technical personnel and knowledge between GM R&D and the University of Michigan.
  • Provide research opportunities and enhanced educational environment to graduate students, as well as enhance GM’s ability to attract exceptional engineering talent with training in areas of interest to GM.

Objectives

University Co-director for GM/U-M CRL in Advanced Vehicle Manufacturing, Professor S. Jack Hu:

In 1998, General Motors and the University of Michigan established the first GM Satellite Research Laboratory in the College of Engineering at University of Michigan. The lab was later renamed GM/UM Collaborative Research Laboratory (CRL).

Building on the success of the Collaborative Research Laboratory, the GM Collaborative Research Laboratory for Advanced Vehicle Manufacturing (CRL-AVM) was established the end of 2002 to support a long-term, strategic, and productive relationship between General Motors R&D and Planning and the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan.

The vision for the GM/UM CRL-AVM is that it will operate as an extension of General Motors R&D and provide a focal point for joint research with the University of Michigan in areas that are core and critical to GM’s long-term competitiveness and commensurate with the scholarly expertise and intellectual pursuits of the University faculty. It will establish the framework to link faculty expertise already aligned with GM needs with important projects and research questions. It will also motivate, over time, the growth and strengthening of additional areas of excellence of importance to GM, thus ensuring continued integration and alignment of faculty expertise with GM research needs.

Prof. S. Jack Hu, University Co-Director, CRL in Advanced Vehicle Manufacturing