General Motors starts the “green” ball rolling in China

General Motors has announced an initiative to establish a US$250 million research facility in Shanghai that will look into alternative fuels. 

According to the company, the GM Centre for Advanced Science and Research, part of a new GM campus in Shanghai will carry out advanced research projects in partnership with the Chinese government, industry partners and academic institutions. 

These projects will be focussed on three main areas: alternative fuels, advanced alternative energy propulsion systems and manufacturing and supplier energy efficiency. 

"We see China as being among the first markets and production sites for alternative propulsion systems, including the new flexible fuel, plug-in type of electric vehicles currently under development by GM," said chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner. 

In addition, GM's partner, the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp group (SAIC) plans to link arms with Beijing's Tsinghua University to develop the China Automotive Energy Research Centre (CAERC). The Centre will be funded jointly by GM and SAIC who will provide a US$5 million grant to the university.

Based in Beijing, the CAERC will work with various organisations in government, academia, and related industries in China to develop an integrated energy strategy, with the aim to reduce China's reliance on petroleum-based fuel.

Wagoner added, "There are significant challenges and opportunities in China and around the world related to energy and the environment. By applying our joint resources and by working together, the GM Center for Advanced Science and Research and CAERC will help address these challenges. They will combine the best that GM and our partners such as SAIC, China's universities and government agencies have to offer."