As we’ve covered at length in the past, General Motors has committed to a future with zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion. To make the zero emissions bit a reality, the automaker has committed to producing upwards of 20 new all-electric vehicles by 2023. However, despite this huge investment in battery propulsion, the new GM EVs will coexist alongside traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles for the foreseeable future, as confirmed recently by GM President Mark Reuss.
Just last month, during the debut of the all-new 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe and 2021 Chevrolet Suburban, Reuss made a few remarks on the automaker’s future, including the upcoming line of GM EVs. The remarks detailed recent investments into a joint venture with LG Chem, with a combined $2.3 billion slated for mass production of battery cells in Ohio. Reuss also talked about building a battery-electric pickup truck at the GM Detroit-Hamtramck plant, with plans to get it on the road by 2021.
However, in addition to outlining the future GM EV plans, Reuss also indicated that ICE-powered GM vehicles weren’t going away any time soon.
“As the world transitions to that electric future on its way to zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion, there will still be demand for internal combustion engines and large utilities – and nobody does those better than we do,” Reuss said. “I think you’re seen the proof of that here tonight in the next generations of Tahoe and Suburban. If any vehicles represent the soul America, they are Tahoe and Suburban.”
2021 Chevrolet Tahoe Z71
The confirmation will surely come as a relief for those General Motors fans uninterested in immediately making the transition to a GM EV in the next few years. That said, The General has stated that a “fairly large” chunk of new vehicles in the next three to seven years will be all-electric.
We’ll be there to cover every GM EV development as it happens, so make sure to subscribe to GM Authority for ongoing GM news coverage.
Comments
The story in SAE Automotive magazine that interviewed engineers with most automaker have some plans for ICE till 2050.
They expect EV to grow but at a slow but steady race. They expect the market to be 50/50 after 2030.
This could change if there are some breaks in battery cost and development. But also growth of infrastructure still needs to grow too.
Note this is not my opinion but what those working on these systems are saying.
Every point you mention is correct except for infrastructure. Every home has electrical outlets, but who has a gas station in their home? EVs are most efficient when charged at home, not on the road. And almost every EV owner does charge at their home now. So no “infrastructure ” growth is needed.
If you need more range, move closer and drive less. I did this in 1977 and spend less than $400 a year in gasoline. It is a stupid waste of time, money, and resources to live far from your destinations. And when I travel over fifty miles, about once a year, I take a plane.
“It is a stupid waste of time, money , and resources to live far from your destinations” This makes no sense as a lot of people work in cities but cant afford to live there. “no infrastructure growth is needed” Charging at home isnt always an option, the infrastructure comment means ability to charge when away from home on longer trips.
Come on man…50 miles? You can ride a bike 50 miles! Most people fly when the driving would take more than a day or 8-10 hours of driving. Even here in MI, you can drive 10 hours and still be in the same state. Sure, 50% of the population could switch to an EV tomorrow, if it was just used for commuting, but for a person that needs one car do do everything, more range and high-speed, (freeway) charging needs to be expanded. There are many trips I still can’t take my Bolt on because there are no chargers along my route.
I have taken my Volt on 3 cross-country trips (including one to upper Michigan) with Zero range anxiety. At home 50+ miles suffices for 97% of my driving for an EPA estimate of 104 mpg (250+e mpg) and an overall actual of 56.7 mpg (Including approx 12000 road trip miles of true “hybrid” EREV / ICE motoring. I don’t think any hybrid on the market even comes close. This is the design genius of the Volt GM engineers who designed a car/battery system around real world suburban driving. Unfortunately, Mary’s Marketing Department could not figure out how sell it. I am completely happy with the GM Volt; it’s a shame i will have to look elsewhere when it is time to replace it.
Know how they would co-exist really well? Expanding and scaling up the Voltec IREV, not canceling it.
What is the breakdown of electric vehicles per market? The North American market will not provide any or minimal profit for electric vehicles unless you charge a premium that most folks aren’t willing to pay to travel less than a couple hundred miles then wait to charge up. GM kills vehicles that supposedly don’t make a profit but will bring to market vehicles that will barely sell 20k units
Gm seems to have a practical strategy here. Who knows what tech breakthrough can occur that would make electric far superior and cheaper? Many promising techs, but can they translate into real world application.
i think the practical strategy would’ve involved hybrids as a bridge from ICE to EVs.
That is what Ford did since the first Escape Hybrid in 2009, for the Fusion and C-Max in 2012, and now for 2021 in new Ford models (Escape, Explorer, F-150), and their Lincoln versions, too.
Steve
Hybrids use your forward motion to generate some electricity every time you brake.
BUT
On the highway your not using the brake. So hybrids end up using just as much gas on the highway as a gasoline equivalent. Makes it very hard to justify the added cost of a Hybrid.
@Peter G : Unless you have an EREV/Voltec Volt which is smart enough to regenerate every time you take your foot off the gas or go downhill. Even in extended range mode on a long trip the Volt gets at least twice the mpg of a typical ICE and significantly better than the typical hybrid. Too bad Mary killed it. I’m averaging about 57mpg overall on mine.
so looking at the RAV4 LE, here are the numbers for city/highway/combined : 27/35/30
for the hybrid RAV4 LE, it is 41/38/40
so you are right about the highway numbers. 3mpg isn’t a big a deal. but the difference in city and combined are.
if you look at the price difference, the hybrid costs about 2250 more. if i’m concerned about mpgs, i’d rather pay that premium than an EV that costs 2x as much as an equivalent ICE vehicle.
Base Model Gas Mileage
Ford Escape 27city/33 Hwy
Honda CR-V 28city/34 Hwy
Chevy Equinox 28city/39 Hwy
My guess is Toyota sandbagged the numbers to sell more Hybrids.
reality has set in at GM that only a few % of of the car buying public want EVs.
No hybrids, a really bad strategy!
they do not get full ZEV credits for hybrids so it does not help GM sell pickup and SUVs
Hybrid helped save Ford from a bankruptcy and they are big sellers again, especially for 2021.
Um, not only the F-150 saved Ford, it IS Ford. Anything else isn’t important to them that’s also a problem for the car products as we see today from Ford.
I don’t think this will be a longer transition then when people were switching from horses to cars.
Also, solid state batteries will be the end of ICE.
meanwhile, toyota doesn’t even offer an EV. i guess they are waiting until market conditions make EVs actually profitable.
instead, they have the hybrid RAV4 and sold nearly 100K last year. they will start producing them in kentucky this year. and honda’s hybrid CR-V is coming out soon.
gm had better pray that there is a battery break through that will make EVs competitive with ICE/hybrids or they will be screwed.
As one of the informed commentators stated here, hybrids don’t get full ZEV credits for hybrids so it doesn’t offset the sales of Tahoe’s and suburbans nearly as much as a full electric does. There are many variables that go into it. Toyota can’t sell an electric Camry right now for anything less than a model 3. So why would they? Also, if you want a hybrid, then go get a Toyota…..
… or get a Ford hybrid which is a U.S. brand and keep your money in the U.S.
so basically you agree that gm should cede the hybrid market to the japanese.
when EVs become mainstream, is the story going to be any different?
Can somebody please explain the appeal of a Ford explorer hybrid or toyota Highlander hybrid? Mpg gain is minimal, especially on highway, you add complexity to the mechanics, and you pay several thousand more upfront for this?
Even if 1/3 of GM’s sales are EV’s in 10 years, that’s still close to a million vehicles per year. That is a pretty big push.
Thank you for this, don’t force this down our throats if the demand isn’t there. In Toronto where I live city council is looking ways to maybe make Toronto EV only by 2050. Currently only 0.6 % of the cities cars are EV. What they fail to understand where is the infrastructure there popping condos every corner and with over 300,000 cars on the road where are the chargers. Stop this stupidity. And people forget the cost not everyone can afford a 40k + car.
Also don’t get me started with how our government hands out a nice credit worth thousands for someone who can Already afford an 70k + car. Then they cry about the deficit
Where does electricity come from???? Mostly fossil fuels, so no real advantage. Also until EV’s become able to not rely on batteries that are very harmful to the Earth, I just dont see any advantage. Slave labor mines the elements for the batteries.
If EV’s were self charging (solar panels etc.) I cant see how they are viable.
“As the world transitions to that electric future on its way to zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion….”
Can’t Ruess or Barra make any statement without reverting to the corporate PR line? It is getting pretty old- and boring…
I’d feel better if the three stooges replaces Mary Barry, mark reuss and diva Indian girl. These three clowns are steering GM into another bankruptcy.
They handed over small car sales to Honda and Toyota and now realize that ev s will take years to establish. Makes me sick.
there is no profit in small cars as there is more profit for GM in a pickup or a SUV than the total cost of a small car. small cars have to be made now in non union or overseas plants. GM lost thousands on each volt and bolt they sold and the can’t survive doing this
With that logic, McDonald’s should only sell fries and soda because that’s where the profits are.
GM is putting all its eggs in one basket with trucks.
When the cycle from ten years ago repeats and no one is buying trucks again. The three stooges will have to find someone else to blame.