chevrolet volt

It looks like the consolation prize could turn into a very good thing for Warren. The inner-ring suburb wasn't successful in luring General Motors headquarters away from Detroit to GM's Tech Center in Warren, but it was able to land the next best thing – a coveted advanced battery lab.

The Global Battery Systems Lab is special because it will develop new advanced automotive batteries (think lithium-ion batteries) along with the electric plug-in, fuel cell, and hybrid cars designed to use them, such as the Chevrolet Volt.

The lithium-ion battery impact is already starting to be felt in Metro Detroit.

Compact Power, which helps develop the lithium-ion battery for the Chevrolet Volt, took over an adjacent building in Troy.

The new 14,000 square feet of space will be used to accommodate the company's expected growth.

The car batteries of the future will be made where the automobile was first perfected, right here in Metro Detroit.

State officials have approved tax incentives that will allow General Motors and Ford to develop and build lithium-ion batteries here in Metro Detroit.

The two corporate behemoths will invest tens of millions of dollars and create hundreds of jobs thanks to $61.8 million in tax incentives.