Mary Barra Outlines What People Want From An Electric Vehicle
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General Motors is steadily working towards offering a variety of new electric vehicles, including the new GMC Hummer pickup truck and Cruise Origin autonomous taxi. Now, GM CEO Mary Barra has outlined what the automaker believes customers want from an electric vehicle.
Speaking at the recent GM Capital Markets Day event earlier this month, Mary Barra said that internal research has revealed that customers want a “no-compromise vehicle that is fun to drive.” Part of the fun factor is the instant torque offered by an electric motor, which makes for a unique experience behind the wheel.
Furthermore, Mary Barra said that the EV shouldn’t compromise on styling either, which isn’t always easy given the focus on aerodynamic efficiency most EVs bring to the table. Greater aero efficiency means more miles between plugs, but unfortunately, the constraints of aerodynamics don’t always yield the prettiest styling, which means finding the right balance between aesthetics and efficiency is critical.
Speaking of plugs, Mary Barra said that customers want “a robust, reliable fast-charging network that includes home, work place, and public solutions,” as well as “at least 300 miles of electric range on a full charge.” For the moment, two of the greatest hurdles to widespread EV adoption are charge rates and range-per-charge, but with a more available charge stations, quicker charge times, and more miles-per-charge via more-efficient design and new battery technology, the EV segment will no doubt flourish.
“We are aggressively working on all of these customer requirements and we believe our new battery cell technology and manufacturing joint venture with LG Chem will bring together two leaders in battery science, while creating jobs in Lordstown, Ohio,” Mary Barra said. “We plan to reduce costs to industry-leading levels and make EVs more affordable across a wide spectrum.”
Pricing is one of the final pieces to the EV puzzle. As Mary Barra states, customers want EVs that are in line with internal combustion-powered vehicles when it comes to cost, and “with every battery chemistry and scale improvement, [GM gets] closer to the tipping point of ICE and EV cost parity.”
Are you looking forward to GM’s upcoming range of electric vehicles? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, and make sure to subscribe to GM Authority for ongoing GM news coverage.
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Very humorous—GM produce no compromise vehicle. Have the bean counters stopped laughing yet?
Great response…. as if GM has clue? They don’t lead in a single market category and lag behind every other mfr. The Vette is the only thing I can think of that is fantastic and now the interior matches the rest of the car.. only took them 67 years to figure that out.
GM better ensure any new EV has class leading distance, styling AND interiors… if they cant figure out how to sell ICE cars people want to buy I won’t hold my breath on EV’s or the longevity of the company…
Sadly this is so true.
If the battery doesn’t last at least 10 years and/or replacement batteries aren’t ridiculously priced also.
Bolt battery is expected to last 400,000 miles before dropping below 70%. The battery will outlast the rest of the car, then be re-purposed or re-furbished.
Is that what the focus groups told them or what they figured out from the Bolt experiment?
It was from “real people” just like the commercials.
a nice design and reasonable price are two things most consumers want from just about any product.
Well not the piss and moan club is done I am encouraged that Mary addresses the real issues most are concerned about and not just propaganda.
#1 I don’t think fun or enjoyable to drive was ever in question.
#2 fact people are not wanting the failed science project look anymore. The Prius has proven that of late. In the past weird sold EV products but not to the main stream.
#3 Better batteries and charging are key. People want a charge now not an hour or few later. Get 300 miles and chargers and batteries that charge in the time to fill a tank that will eliminate ant range anxiety or argument that EV products are lifestyle changers.
#4 Finally price is very very important. Cars are generally too expensive no matter the type. EV products have held a premium for a these models even if they were not direct replacements for an ICE car that was cheaper.
GM like many others tried to go to the low cost models and make them electric. Well there is little money there but they did help establish a supplier network. Now if they go to Cadillsc they can develop and sell EV cars and make money in low volumes. The ROI will come sooner and help make it easier to build profitable EV cars at the same price of a ICE. In time they may be even cheaper with less parts and less labor to build them. Add in no emissions testing even less development cost.
Now here is the trouble GM has two sides. There is one side that gets it and wants to do it right. Then the other side that just wants to do it just good enough. This fight has carried on for years. Many of the people who get the blame are really on the side of good but have been overruled by the board.
At some point one side will have to give but it has not fully happened. Lutz started the change in culture and Marty and Mark tried to keep it going but failed to close the deal. Lutz had the luxury that they needed him more than he needed them. Even then I think he left sooner because he was frustrated.
If you really sit and talk to an inside person who trust you off the record you hear about this stuff. I have been lucky to know a few and they tell the same story.
Don’t believe it just read Lutz book Car Guys vs Bean Counters. The story he told was the truth.
The reason the Corvette came out right is because Mark and a Tadge kept the board out of it. Though the board did delay the car near 13 years from the original start.
when you say board, do you mean board of directors? are you saying the board of directors have a significant say in product planning and design?
They can fund what they want and influence product and spending.
While they don’t call the direct shots they can force the hand of those in charge. They can affect anyone and everyone right up to a Mary.
People of power in many places can live with fear as they can be forced out if they do not please those who oversea the company.
It has been so bad that I spoke to a brand manager once that knew the truth on the a Fiero. He even showed me the confidential papers decades after the car stopped production. He still will not speak on record due to fear of what they could do to him and his future.
I was in Po tics when the 1990 Fiero was going to be rolled out at a Fiero event. John Middlebrook other Pontiac GM was told it would cost him his job if he showed the car.
That night a John Schinella the designer brought slides of the car to the club dinner and said he was not to show them but he said I am about to retire and they can’t touch me. He showed them.
Read this story it is from 2014 but tells the tight rope Mark Ruess walked then just as now. Many forget his father had just turned 35 years at GM and was fired. Loyd was a car guy like Mark and the father of the Grand National and Syclone.
https://www.autonews.com/article/20121027/OEM02/121029912/reuss-walks-tightrope-at-gm-20-years-after-father-s-firing
Often the leaders know what they would like to do but will pay with their jobs if not following the board leadership.
Mark had a fight the first time he took the lead on the CT6. He wanted to spend more money for higher quality door handles that cost $3 apiece more than the parts bin units if I recall. He lost his fight.
Mark has fought for the RWD Holden, Holden the company. He tried to give Cadillac space away in NYC and put JDN in in hopes they would not be looked over their shoulder. Then it was taken away from them.
There are loyal people to the board thought out different levels side by side those who have the right ideas.
The GM culture is still divided and often the people blamed are just saving their jobs to fight another day.
Many just have no idea how this battle has gone in. The media keeps out for the most for fear of being cut out.
corporations are disfunctionAl families. Some learn to work together some struggle to stay together. GM is still struggling.
The finance people hold much of the sway. They are needed to pay the bills but they need to be balanced with good product decisions. Too often the get too conservative and really end up hurting the company even on basic things like door panel gaps etc.
Running an auto maker is not easy. And with a split in managment it is twice as hard.
Hint, the reason as to why the Silverado and the Sierra were booed for their interiors, good thing RAM gave those Board Members a true wakeup call.
Here is another story on Marks father s firing for not following cost directives.
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1992/04/07/GM-demotes-two-top-executives/3297702619200/
No job is safe when it comes to not following board directives. This is proof even the president and VP can be fired for not controlling cost.
You actually believe you own crap that runs out of your mouth and you talk to much, keep it short, get to the point not your opinion.
Ok here is the point short and sweet. All you ever state is Just stick a 6.2 in everything like you want to do and everything will be all right? Or so you think. This speaks volumes.
Try to learn something. Since you don’t know anyone to speak to at least read Lutz book and learn some of what is going on. Might also read On A Clear Day You Can See GM. It will show the same culture issues even in the 70’s.
Facts are greater than opinions.
https://www.amazon.com/Car-Guys-vs-Bean-Counters/dp/1591846226/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2B3HC8KW4TMI9&keywords=car+guys+vs+bean+counters&qid=1582801750&sprefix=Car+guys+vs+bean%2Caps%2C186&sr=8-1
Scott you never have had a valid point.
The question is do you really think you are fooling everyone?
2M6
Stop giving yourself thumbs up…
Never have a valid point ? Here’s one for you…
Seem that you may still have some unresolved anger issues, hopefully your ins. Will cover the counseling you so desperately need…
Good luck with that.
Scott
LOL! So no valid points to share on the topic of this story?
I think you have confused the anger here.
I hope the next EV that the Chevy Brand will get will be a Sportback like an Audi A7 or Tesla Model S type vehicle with the Impala nameplate. Then a true EV CUV to take on the Ford Mach-E and Tesla Model Y
Chevy had a decent-looking plug-in extended range electric. It was called the Volt. So much for that one. Instead, their one remaining EV example is hardly a styling inspiration.
Some of the comments here are negative and show you have no real interest in the electric car market. I have a volt I will drive until it has outlived its usefulness. The next car I get will be a GM electric because I like GM cars. I feel their technology is excellent. I can’t afford a Tesla. A bolt or any new variation they bring to market is what I will buy. Due to my income a car off of a 3 year lease is the best situation for my needs. The bolt is an excellent electric vehicle. It’s all opinion and the styling is not a disaster. Look at the Hyundai Kona with that body colored plastic grille. The hideous back bumper with the flat black plastic ringing the taillights. Ugly. There you go. Opinion. But I am excited for what’s coming in electric cars from everyone. I’m not negative. Can’t wait to see what’s coming.
How did you buy a Volt if you claim you can’t afford a Tesla?
Used?
I bought a 2014 volt off of a 3 year lease for 15,000. A car payment I can live with
Here is what I want in an EV and they were close with the Volt. I want 120 miles range all electric, for daily commute driving. And a gas engine for long trips range of 450-600 miles. All in a suv type mid sized vehicle.
My loaded 2020 Bolt LT was $27400 out the door 30 days ago. They are affordable.
Common sense:
300 mile range
Be able to recharge at any gas station
Recharge within 10 min
Battery life 10 yrs
And wrap it in a package that is very appealing.
You get it!
The fact that she went out of her way to specify at least 300 miles of range seems to bode well for the new Hummer. Many so-called experts keep claiming it can’t have more than 200 miles tops, based on the weight. Barra is smart enough to know the consequences of making the 300-mile claim, and then turning around in 3 months with a 200 mile electric truck.
Based on size and weight 300 at min should be expected.
How do you figure? I’m still a rookie with the whole EV concept, so I’d be interested on how you figured that.
The larger the vehicle the larger the battery and more range.
The added weight is less a penalty in an EV.
The limiting factor in EV cars is the limited space for a battery. The trucks have all sorts of space with the parameter frame and the lack of fuel tank, drive shafts, transfer case, rear diff and front diff., exhaust.
The whole underside will be open for battery space.
Now one thing that may intrude is the fact we will see transmissions come to EV products. This will multiply the torque for towing and other needs. This could bring some interesting drivetrains.
Would not hold my breath. They made Cadillac a dogs breakfast. Had the chance to use the wonderful OMEGA platform but due to cost constraints they foisted the most recent crap. Has someone told Cadillac about exterior design on the Escalade???? Mary Bara is incompetent. Add to that, as much fashion sense my dog Harry. This is what PC culture gets you – a woman who is clueless about cars and design. She should have been fired many moons ago.
You should probably quit the meth already.
The Escalade will be paying the bills soon enough.
Apart from all the pointless negative posts here, there is one that is entirely useless: cost. An EV has fewer maintenance needs so the EV owner saves thousands of dollars every year. As proof, just search for the 2019 Chevy Bolt EV Owner Manual at the GM web site. The scheduled maintenance for the first ten years or 96,000 miles has only the cabin air filter and the wiper blades as replacement parts! Tires are are a unique item as all cars need rotation and possible replacements after many thousands of miles.
So even if the EV is a few thousand dollars more than an equal gas vehicle, the savings in money and time offsets the price difference. Add the savings from not buying gasoline even or even visiting a service station and you have a superb deal!
Many buyers look at the how much per month the payment is and never rake the maintenance into consideration.
Also the cost of maintaining a car has really declined too.
Now the EV owners are also getting hit with added taxes in some states up to $200 or more for plates on top of what they were paying.
So this argument does not wash.
200 hundred dollars is two fill ups in a pickup. Why not put your misdirected energy towards those corrupted politicians that come up with such crap.
Totally agree with you Raymond. I own 2 Bolts, 2017 and 2019, and the only money spent on the vehicles has been on new tires for the 2017. I purchased them because of low to no maintenance, no oil or gas, and the pure fun of driving. I am also old enough to not care what people say about looks, range, or other stupid argument. For those that don’t like GM, probably best to not be on this site. For those of us that like their products and like the direction that the company is moving in, plan for an electrified future!
The Bolt is a fantastic EV…if all you need is a basic commuter car. For long trips, the 50kWh max charge rate that quickly decreases when the battery level >40% makes it a no-go for people that need to travel. Tesla knew this from the get go and built EV’s that can charge much more quickly using an infrastructure they control, they are the Apple of electric vehicles. I got a great deal on a 2019 Bolt and plan on keeping it a few years, but my next car will likely be a Tesla.
It is just fine for long trips also.
How/where do you recharge it on longer trips?
How long does it take to recharge?
Do you have to pay way more than normal cost of electricity?
Those things would be critical for me, if I were planning to take it on any kind of trip. From the massive price drops on the Bolt lately it is kind of tempting, even if that probably means they are about to kill it off / replace it.
Check out plugshare.com. It has a map with locations, types, prices and reviews of all charging stations.
Recharging time depends on what type of charger you are using, the current state of charge and the ambient temperature. The 2020 Bolt has a 65 kWh battery. If you charge it at home with the supplied charging cable (EVSE) at 110 V and 12 amps, it would take about 43 hours to fully recharge from 0 to 100%. But this never happens because you never run it down to 0%. You recharge every night so it’s full again the next morning. If you buy a level 2 AC charging cable (240 V, 32 amps) and have it wired in or a NEMA 14-50 outlet, you could charge from 0 to 100% in about 8.5 hours. On the road, you’ll find a large number of J-1772 charging stations (usually at hotels or restaurants or parking lots) that provide similar performance (25-30 miles of charger per hour). You will use these to fully recharge overnight or just to get some extra juice while eating or shopping. Many of these are free.
For long trips, you will use DC fast chargers that can charge the Bolt from 10% to 80% in about 45 minutes to an hour. Just long enough to have lunch or dinner. The charge rate tapers down the more full the battery, so most people stop at about 80% and continue onward. Teslas can charge at superchargers at about twice as fast as the Bolt.
The price of the electricity at the DC Fast chargers is usually about 1.5 to 2 times the cost of household electricity. Sometimes less, sometimes more. Often the cost is per minute, so the price per kWh goes up the longer you charge. This is still less than the cost of gasoline, especially if you can get some free overnight charging. I did a 2133-mile trip in my 2018 Bolt which cost a total of $81 in electricity. It would have been $25 less, except that I had to do a detour that put me out of range of the next charger and I had to use an RV park that ripped me off for an hour of charging because the owner knew I had no choice.
Generally, if you can use household electricity, it should cost about 3 cents per mile to drive.
Note to GM:
So stop talking about it and get some new electric vehicles in the showrooms……
I have a Volt and a Bolt, but if GM has nothing new to show me by the end of this year, I will be purchasing a Ford Mustang Mach-e to replace my leased Bolt.
My feelings exactly! (Posted as a warning to GM data miners)
Those here who doubt C8R’s comments clearly do not understand how the world turns. Yet I say he has not addressed why these big corporate boards are so detached from the mainstream. For that one would need to dig much deeper than most here are willing to do. But here’s a hint – operation paperclip is a good starting point to that rabbit hole. Cheers.
Lets not get too distracting here.
What drives corporations is stock prices and profits. You don’t make money you fail to get investors and then you get bought out or fail.
The perfect balance is financial and product to maximize the return on investment but some folks like to think it is all product or all financial. It is the best balance of each complimenting each other.
Lets face it the Finance guys would starve a company for product. On the other hand a good engineer would kill a company by over spending to make the product it all can be. They both need each other like it or not. But the balance is often not easy to find or agree.
Lutz tells a story on how GM would pentalize designers for going over their budget. One had an Impala that had chrome surrounds on the door windows. He told Lutz he had to remove them as there was no room in the budget. Lutz asked did it look better with them than with out. The designer said better with. He asked would the car sell better if it looked better and the designer said yes.
Lutz then told him to put them on as it would be better to be in trouble for going a little over budget on putting these on and sell more cars than to not put them on and have to answer for why the car did not sell.
This kind of thinking is lost on many that crush programs with cuts. They forget it takes money to make more money.
You build a car right and you will sell more and make it back in volume. It is more of a risk but it holds much more reward.
Bet you drive a BMW.
You Lose…………… Again!
LOL!
Hint the M6 is not BMW related. It is GM related.
A F’n fiero lol,
You wish you had a pair, of M6’s
You lose , still…………
You’re so smart you knew that……
Bet you’re that kid I used to beat up in school………
It is not that I am so smart. many here know what I know.
It’s just that we learned more about how automakers operate or fail to operate than you.
You can either learn as we did or you can remain exhibiting your ignorance on the topic.
We all came from the same place and it is up to each one of us to where we get. You appear to have settled for what you are but that is your choice.
I’m being sarcastic dumb A$$…
Ruffled your feathers again….
2M6 is a Pontiac Fiero. The initial four-cylinder cars were called Fiero 2M4. Later, when the 2.8 L V-6 was added, those cars were called 2M6. It stood for 2-seat, Mid-Engine, 4-cylinder or 6-cylinder.
Checkmate!
Thanks Ci2Eye for the correct answer!
Those with a clue rise to the top every time.
A while back I had to go up to Minden, Ontario from down here in southern Virginia, via Syracuse, NY. A round trip of nearly 2000 miles. Hopped into the Volt and went on up. Charged up a couple of times on the way when I had a chance, but never worried about it. Got 42 mpg overall. It was a nice trip. You need a passport, by the way.
How many here ACTUALLY own a Bolt,besides me? Or any EV? I bet less than 3.
Pretty much no one cause of all the factors we talked about, but kudos to you John.
And nearly none of those factors are viable. But thanks for the kudos.
200-300 miles between charges is not enough ( and how much would it cost and how long will it take ) , in a xt5 we needed to stop 3 times on a 1200 k mile trip ( little over 400 mile on a tank ) stops taking about 10 min . that’s ok for us .
100% agree and specifically…
300+ range
Charge at any gas station
Recharge within 10 min
I had a 2017 BOLT EV LT and enjoyed every moment and every ride to the point that I traded it in for a 2020 Chevrolet Bolt Ev Premier with all the added safety features and faster charging, longer range. GREAT CARS BOTH OF THEM