GM's new battery boss

Denise Gray has global responsibility for bringing the best energy storage systems to GM's expanding hybrid program.

When General Motors unveiled its Volt series-type hybrid concept at this year's North American International Auto Show, all eyes naturally were on the capabilities of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). But while the Volt and its advanced hardware and controls unquestionably were the stars of the show, GM quietly released some related news that may have even greater significance for the company's electric-propulsion system development. GM is pulling all of its advance-dbattery activities together into a single team, to be headquartered in the Research & Development building at the company's sprawling technical center in Warren, ML The new group, Hybrid Energy Storage Systems, is headed by Denise Gray, a veteran powertrain control systems engineer.

“My job has global responsibility,” said Gray. “It encompasses battery development for all the various HEV families we have to support-from so-called ‘mild’ hybrids that provide an idle-stop feature, right up through the most capable battery systems in plug-ins.”