It’s hard having been a culture completely rooted into the internal combustion engine, ICE and having to change it all, let alone turn on a dime. Michigan is now prepping to accept the inevitable, the electric drive will power tomorrow’s cars and it is getting ready to train engineers.
The gist is that corporate culture can be deeply entrenched and changing it takes some time. While it might be easier for a certain group age, there will be resistance at some level. GM has already partnered with the Advanced Battery Coalition for Drivetrains, and its cute acronym ABCD, in order to work on the future electric drive technology. It will most likely find a first testing platform on its Volt.
Why Is It Important? This is probably the clearest message that GM “gets it” and is ready to finally tear itself away from its run of the mill, its ICE automotive training center. By creating a center that focuses on the electric drive, it is setting the stage for its success, or at the very least, setting itself to compete in tomorrow’s electric technology. Finally, students will be trained to become proficient in alternative energy propulsion systems. It will be called GM/U-M Institute of Automotive Research and Education. What’s different to say compared to the old ICE institute? This time, students won’t just solve problems but work to innovate and create tomorrow’s technology.
By spending $9 million that GM might have spent even a year ago on introducing a new line of gas guzzlers at a single party, it is finally prioritizing what it needs to do first. Instead of PR pitch blitzes the company has given us the past year, it is effectively working on creating its infrastructure for tomorrow, which in turn will become GM’s new culture.
Source: GM Press Release