GM says $463M center uses math, simulators to develop powertrain systems 40 percent faster

General Motors Corp. says it's turning to advanced math and simulators to chop 40 percent off the development time for vehicle power systems at its new $463 million powertrain development center. The automaker said its global Powertrain Engineering Development Center that opened Friday in Pontiac will do much of the work that formerly required road testing. GM Chairman and Chief Executive Rick Wagoner said the 450,000-square-foot (42,000-square-meter) facility is the "largest and most technologically advanced in the world today," able to develop vehicles using a full range of energy sources, from gasoline to hydrogen fuel cell. The center also incorporates computer modeling to supplant physical testing of systems and components. "This is part of our Road to Lab to Math initiative," GM Executive Vice President Tom Stephens... [read full story]