General Motors and Chevrolet recently began selling the Spark electric vehicle (EV) to Maryland, US commuters able to take advantage of the state’s robust charging infrastructure. Now the car’s electric motor and drive unit are being manufactured in Maryland under a rooftop solar array in a newly LEED-certified building.

The greening of the General Motors Baltimore Operations complex included the addition of 580 kilowatts of solar to the roof of its e-Motor building. Together with a 1.23-megawatt solar array on its grounds, 6 percent of the facility’s electricity comes from renewable sources. Maryland-based Empower Energies installed the solar system.

The U.S. Green Building Council certified the building as LEED Silver for environmental upgrades such as the solar array, installing light-emitting diode, or LED, exterior lighting and using compact fluorescent lighting in production areas.

Employee efforts to further reduce the building’s carbon footprint led to its surpassing the voluntary U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR  Challenge for Industry, which requires a 10 percent reduction in energy intensity within five years.

“Improving the energy efficiency of our nation’s plants and buildings is critical to protecting our environment,” said Jean Lupinacci, acting director of EPA’s Climate Protection Partnerships Division. “GM is addressing this in its Baltimore plant by achieving a 15.5 percent reduction in energy intensity and is leading the way by making the buildings where we work, play and learn more efficient.”

Greg Martin, executive director of Global Public Policy, said the company views its sustainability activity as a way to improve the communities where it does business.

"We believe reducing our environmental footprint is good for the climate and good for our business," said Martin. “Wherever we can, we are reducing our energy use, powering our plants with renewable energy and conserving resources."

Maryland Energy Administration has recognised Baltimore Operations with its Game Changer award for a smart microgrid charging technology created and managed in partnership with TimberRock Energy Solutions and OnStar. A solar array and solar EV charging canopy traps the power of the sun to create energy, which is used to charge the facility’s fleet of Chevrolet Volts or stored in an integrated storage system that can support the grid.

“We believe the future is electric, and strive to ensure our manufacturing process reflects the clean efficiency of these vehicles,” said plant manager Bill Tiger. “We’re always looking for better ways to power our future.”

Chevrolet Spark EVs on display at the GM Baltimore Operations complex, where the Spark EV electric motors and drive units are manufactured.

A 580 kilowatt solar array was recently added to the roof of the e-Motor building, where electric motors and drive units for the Spark EV are built.

Based on growing employee demand, GM says it has installed 401 EV charging stations at its US production and business facilities.