General Motors is currently in the midst of a large-scale transition from internal combustion engine vehicles to battery-electric vehicles. The automaker sees this change as a necessary transition as consumer’s tastes evolve, but it also sees a shift to EVs as a moral imperative.
In a recent blog post shared on LinkedIn, GM CEO Mary Barra doubled down on the automaker’s commitment to EVs, saying the company has the capability and responsibility to help put every vehicle owner behind the wheel of a battery-powered car, truck, crossover or SUV.
“As an engineer, I’ve always looked at how to improve situations and solve challenges,” Barra said in the blog post. “Engineers have the ability to imagine what’s next and then make it happen. At its very core, engineering improves people’s lives”
“As Chairman and CEO of General Motors, I now have a unique opportunity – and responsibility – to use my engineering mindset to help make the world a better place on a much larger scale. At General Motors, we have a vision of zero crashes, zero emissions, zero congestion. It is our north star that guides everything we do.”
A key component in helping GM achieve this goal is its Ultium lithium-ion batteries and Ultium Drive motors. Barra says the Ultium motors and batteries are a “game-changer in driving down costs, increasing range and opening the design potential,” of its EVs. GM is also planning to market its Ultium technology to other automakers and manufacturers, helping these third-party companies adopt greener vehicle technology earlier.
“EVs – and the technology we’re engineering to create them – are key to the growth trajectory at GM,” Barra said. “I believe with all the assets we have, we will win. And we will create a more sustainable world for future generations.”
GM recently invested $2 billion in the GM Spring Hill Assembly plant to build the Cadillac Lyriq electric crossover, which is expected to enter production in late 2022. The automaker recently debuted the new electric GMC Hummer EV pickup, as well, which will be built alongside the electric Cruise Origin robotaxi at its Factory Zero plant (formerly GM Detroit-Hamtramck) in Metro Detroit. The Chevy Bolt remains in production at the GM Lake Orion Assembly plant in Michigan, too, and will soon be joined by the new Chevy Bolt EUV crossover model.
Fan rendering of a Chevrolet Bolt EUV
Barra says the automaker’s “zero-emissions, all-electric future is underway right now,” and says the company is “moving faster than ever,” to achieve its goals of a world with zero emissions, zero crashes and zero congestion.
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Comments
Everyone in the country driving in an electric vehicle is a novel idea; but a better question is how to generate the millions of watts of electricity needed to recharge the batteries especially if Joe Biden is elected and the consumption of fossil fuels is banned in 2035 as without the usage of fossil fuels to generate electricity, the only alternatives is nuclear which means needing to build hundreds of nuclear power stations across the country.
Omegatalon
Let’s pretend we live in a world where Covid 19 still exists, and the virus mutates before we get a vaccine. If Donald Trump is elected, how many Americans will be dead in 4 years.
I think it’s definitely unappropriate to blame Trump for virus. I do not take his side, but where is his fault? Did he stop the doctors to heal people or to develop a vaccine? I think we should all stand together in order to internationally punish china for what they did to the world with this virus escaped from their labs
Mihail Nitulescu
Richard Dreyfus quote from movie “Jaws”:
I’m not going to sit here and argue with a man whose lining up to be a hot lunch.
PeterG – you’re not an independent thinker, keep drinking your kook aide. Its 99.97 recoverable, who cares how many get it, its its not a death sentence. The Lame Stream Fake Media announce the “new cases” not how many got it and are back to normal… 99.97%. LIke any disease it affects the “most vulnerable” the most… facts are facts.
The sky isn’t falling and global warming isn’t happening and the oceans aren’t rising… (Barry Soetoro said when he was elected we could tell our kids “Today” the oceans started to roll back”…. seriously…
BTW: Trump is going to smash Quid Pro Jo Jo the Monkey for the Chinese… Oh, and all liberals and “progressives” are cowards, gutless cowards…
The oceans are rising. Its a proven fact.
Then why would anyone build a beachfront house or a bank loan on one, or an insurance company insure one…. why isn’t Venice “totally” and “permanently” underwater… it ain’t.
Fill your glass with water and add ice till it is at the lip… come back in 4 hours and the ice has melted…. but hasn’t spilled… ice and water are the same and fill the same space… enjoy the lies…
Troy….trying to reason with a political troll like yourself is pointless. Please continue with the overly aggressive comments and cliche name calling.
Ice actually takes up more space than the water it took to form it. Since you don’t seem to understand that, I’m going to jump to the assumption that you never passed 8th grade science…which leads me to to the next conclusion, that I shouldn’t be taking advice about global warming, or other science related topics, from you.
obama just bought a beachfront home he must not have talked to biden
I was a Liberal who is starting to change my views to Conservative because I hated all the Liberal Extremists. But reading comments from people like you made me realize I hate Conservative Extremists just as much as Liberal Extremists. You’re no better than those idiots rioting for criminals and assaulting police. You sound like a Nazi.
REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE I HATE TRUMP!!! I HATE TRUMP!!! What are Trump haters gonna do when Biden/Harris win? They’ll have nothing to complain about.
Are you REALLY going to make this about politics?
Right? It’s such a tired trope now.
omegalaton’s great grandfather from 1907 “Everyone in the country riding on a horseless carriage is a novel idea; but a better question is how to produce billions of barrel oil how to pump it to all the cities over the country, how to distribute it to people, there’s no proper roads for this new type of fast vehicles so how to build millions of miles new roads…”
Naysayer people like this think the world created yesterday as it is and shall nobody ever dare to change it or we we all gonna die… They’re so short sided, in their mind, transition to EVs gonna occur in a vacuum and everything else will remain unchanged.
I have a news for you, economy, as in life, doesn’t work like that it’s fluid and adapt very fast. If you make gas cars, oil production rises hundredfold and gas stations pop up at every street corner then government responds and build highways… And if transition to EVs happening you see those oil companies are not gonna stand by and left the money on the table, you will see them transitioning to green energy too, in the twinkling of an eye they will start building off-shore wind farms and solar energy plants and moreover invest in fusion technology along other companies , it will be new gold rush. And the by product of all this transitioning is jobs, a lot of jobs… Static economies can’t create growth, you need dynamism, innovation and new technologies, how many new jobs coal industry creates versus internet business? American supremacy of twentieth century created on this. The US ruled the world with its unrivaled innovation and new tech; transistors, nuclear energy, laser, electronic, computer and telecommunication technologies…
Now some alleged patriotic petrolheads want GM and the US stuck with outdated tech and pass the leader of the world title to china and bankrupting GM for good because they’re bunch man-childs who want their cars make some noise and smoke. Vroom vroom…
Ken Y …..nails it. Exactly true.
Dream on…
If General Motors is going to force V’s on us at the cost they want then they’ll probably lose a lot of money so I’m selling my stock and I use their back I’m taking my money out because I’m pretty sure that this is not going to fly. Just because old Joe says it is doesn’t mean it’s so.
I totally agree and I’m sure a lot of others do too. It’s too bad Mary has no common sense or car sense. We need a new CEO !!!!! How does she think anyone will be able to travel long distances when the EVs can only go about 300 miles on a charge and then take over 9 hours to recharge on a 240 volt system. Where is the common sense. How about battery efficiency in cold climates. How about disposal of the batteries. She must be a liberal left wing Biden fan. Let’s hope Joe does not get re-elected so we can get back to what Real Americans want.
GM’s PR machine is working overtime these days….
Investor talk and to keep heat off their money making trucks, eventually they’ll transition.
Good luck, at 100k a pop, you won’t sell many Mary!
The HUMMER EV is already Sold Out, unfortunately, our Anual Income bracket wasn’t able to help make that happen.
With your logic there should be no luxury goods in any kind. Because every person can’t afford one. So you want them to sell 1000 hp vehicle with all the revolutionary techs and good for dirt cheap because people like you should have right to buy one. It doesn’t matter it make GM bankrupt.
Why people like you drooling over german brand names that make ridiculously overpriced meh cars and you never demand them to cut the prices on the other hand when American car makers come out with the best cars you start beaching about prices. If a European car maker had made this truck they certainly would priced it at 500K and you would have sung praises this great vehicle while never mentioning the price tag.
Exactly, you said it perfectly. When Germans or Japanese release an overpriced average car, people will drool all over it and hype it up. But when the Americans make a very competitive car at a much lower cost, people will criticize every little damn things.
For example: Honda makes a Civic Type R 0-60 in 5.5-5.1s and costs $50k CAD new. Toyota or BMW makes a Supra 2.0T that does 0-60 in 5.0s and costs $60k CAD. And EVERYONE is drooling over them. But when the Americans make a 2.0T Camaro that does 0-60 in 5.4s that costs $30k CAD or an Ecoboost Mustang that does 0-60 in 5.1s and costs $32k CAD, all of a sudden people start talking about how it’s not good enough.
Mary has a bridge to nowhere to sell us that nobody is asking for. Nobody is buying her green fantasies.
PLEASE, show us Electric Camaro :((( I want to see the 7th gen Camaro so badly!!!! PLEASE GM!!!!!!
The next article on GM Authority indicates interest in EV and Autonomous interest is declining in U.S.. Mary is full speed ahead in New tech and no market for for it. At ridiculous prices no less.
She is not wrong. Eventually we will all be driving ev. The question is how soon, based on price and availability.
You may. I will not. Speak for yourself, not for the rest of us.
Tell them what you think they want to hear Mary……
Like she has put everyone in a current GM car or truck?????
moral imperative.
responsibility to help put every vehicle owner behind the wheel of a battery-powered car, truck, crossover or SUV.
to use my engineering mindset to help make the world a better place.
Modern snake oil salesman PC speak!
More like EVs are easier to produce due to less pieces. Ultimately battery manufacturing and electric production is as bad for the environment as oil.
The Bolt SUV looks like a Buick Encore so my guess is that the plan is for sale in China as some a member of the Encore family?
And the headline right above this story says a new JD Power study says folks aren’t interested in autonomous vehicles and EVs. Not sure how this works out for GM. Seems like they’ve gone all-in on something that isn’t wanted.
They GM that is is not going to produce that many and they’re keeping that plant open that they were going to move just to keep the union happy. That way they can lose so much on that plant and keep the unions from work stoppage which will cost them twice that amount so it’s the cheaper way out.
When I see the range and price of new Hummer EV, I doubt about this claim… Tesla is too ahead!
A road to nowhere is correct.
The US is now no longer dependent on the rest of the world for OIL. The US is now a exporter of oil and the top oil producing nation. The US now has oil/gas reserves that could last 100 years or more. DOES GM miss management know this? Or are they stuck in the past myth that the US only has 5% of the worlds oil supply like many no nothings have said for decades…..
Oh well, I suppose all this oil/gas will be burned to make the electricity for the MUCH more Expensive EV’s……..
This is a technology GM seems to have mastered so therefore wants to exploit. Selling to third parties such as Honda and JLR would be a cash cow.
EV and AV make GM a technology company with stale, unimaginable brands aside from GMC with Hummer. Next GM must take Cadillac or Buick US electric. Better option is to buy Lucid. Lucid will sell better.
The problem is GM does nothing well, better, or right, or are leading any classes “NOW”… what makes them think we’re all going to B-LIne for GM EV’s… the only way that will happen is in blue states where politicians take away choices for the citizens by banning products “they” don’t like… that’s not freedom and that’s not America…. GM should go all EV, they’ll be out of business in 10 yrs… probably anyhow…
Yes, it is so green and responsible using child labor to mine rare earth metals for battery production. 70% of the world’s supply of cobalt comes from the Congo. A growing proportion is coming from an estimated 150,000 informal miners who dig by hand. The digging pits themselves are ecological nightmare. None of the high-minded, “responsible”, EV proponents dare to mention how the rare earth metals are sourced as long as their agenda is realized,
If you’re that concerned about unethical labor practices you should also stop buying all of the following things:
Anything from a dollar store, any cheap clothing brand in the mall that’s not from a designer brand, any athletic shoe company such as Nike or Adidas, anything from Walmart, Joe Fresh and other discount brands.
I bet you 99% of your closet was made from unethical labour practices.
The Onion has given Mary Barra the award for Person of the Century. The Vatican has awarded her the Cross for Moral Imperative.
No one ever talks about that tidbit….
From here in Oz, I see GM cutting back on giving the Market what they want and Mary pushing the Market to what She wants. Uninspiring Products being offered and putting ALL YOUR EV EGGS IN THE ONE BASKET. Given that the story previously in this post indicates the Market isnt too interested in Electrification. Be CAREFULL GM.
Bulls Eye… !
where is all the electric power going to come from to charge all these EVs ?? it is not about having enough oil it is all about global warming and GM is afraid they will be a target of the protest and boycotts without going EVs
Mary will be the death of GM.. wake up mary before its too late.. not everyone wants an ev..
mary will be the end of GM.
More like the savior who could see the writing on the wall, but wasn’t afraid to make the hard choices to keep GM moving forward. All car companies are and will be doing the same as her, she just has the guts to do it first.
Cheaper to build, cheaper to own, and soon cheaper to buy.
From 2009 recession to 2020 today, GM has done a fantastic job. Give her a break. I bet you if it was a man making this decision you wouldn’t have your panties in a bunch over this EV decision.
GM needs to be restructured, 80k fo a Tahoe how can she put every American in an electronic vehicle, what a golf cart. What will it cost 40k
Yea seriously EV are soooo expensive. A piece of junk Bolt EV COSTS $50k CAD. THATS THE PRICE OF A CAMARO SS, $10k LESS THAN A BRAND NEW C8 CORVETTE!!!!!!!!! What a rip off. What would you rather have? A brand new Corvette or an Electric Corolla made by Chevy aka Chevy Bolt.
HEY! GM! I have a suggestion, instead of sinking all these resources into vehicles that only a fraction of a percentage of consumers want…HOW ABOUT COMING UP WITH A SOLUTION TO THE TRANSMISSION ISSUES WITH THE 8 SPEED!
My family has owned GM products going back to the 40’s, but I swear after I trade my 2019 Silverado RST with only 7k miles due to extreme trepidation over the transmission failing, I may never go back again!
Shouldn’t be allowed to sell GM vehicles in Canada. Mary turn her back on Canadians. So go to hell.
After Rush Limbaugh announcing he has terminal lung cancer, and Donald Trump’s worst defeat in U.S. presidential election history, right wingers in a complete state of shock just wander empty shopping malls. Spewing out old worn out talking points.
Sleepy Joe. Creepy Joe. Mentally retarded Joe.
It has already started.
GM wants to be a mobility company and put everyone in electric AVs. They should target to have this largely done by 2030.
Barra has to go…..must have been bitten by a rabid dog or bat….who does she think she is telling people what kind of vehicle to drive. Shes the typical female trying to change the mindset of the majority of individuals that used to purchase GM vehicles.
Marry dosen’t care about the loyal customers GM has now. We all dont want evs, and we all dont want start up squeal on our 6.2s but no one at GM cares either, Marry is makinging it harder for loyal customers to care about GM,
Oil is a past. EV vehicles are the future. Those who does not realize this will share fortune with Nokia or Nortel. Batteries came cheaper and cheaper and this makes EVs cheaper and more affordable.
After you drive EV for a month you won’t go back to ICE car. Oil is a big profit for some countries including Canada, so there many people who wants to keep people driving ICE cars. But ice is broken and spring is coming. Who will continue making snowman will be disappointed.
She is doing right. Keep it up, don’t listen to haters.
I would love to own an EV when the prices come down. I just hope they don’t ban gas cars. Let the enthusiasts have their fun, and let the majority have an EV. I think they should make people want electric cars rather than make them give up their gas cars. This is capitalism. People should be persuaded to do things because of its benefits, not forced to do things. Let the free market determine what customers buy. “Laissez faire”.
General Motors is losing its Greatness that it once had. Not everyone wants an EV Mary. It’s so sad that foreign car companies are getting more credibility than American Car makers. GM needs a real leader. Male or Female it doesn’t matter but they need someone that caters to the consumer demand. Time to leave Mary.
Range, battery degradation, cost. They have fixed all those issues? How would any company know what I want and need? I’m in on EVs when the range doesn’t go down over time, the cost starts, without subsidization, at comparable cost to same size car, and when there are 3 bedals. Otherwise, not happening. They intend to produce cars than no-one wants, oh wait…we are talking GM here. Wonder if I will buy the Chevy, Buick, Or Cadillac version of the same car?
GM being the top heavy mega Corp. I can wait to see what GM comes out with 5yrs behind the curve. GM in its wisdom couldn’t see Toyota and Honda coming. I gave up on these guys long ago. Planned obsolescence
Isn’t this new hummer like 80k to start? How is that beginning as an affordable solution and for who? The real sad fact is that GM had been overpriced with their conventional vehicles for a while now. Understand me and my family have owned gm for years but when I looked at a Acadia and compared its equivalent from Toyota the almost 5k premium made no sense. It’s a run of the mill suv not a Bentley. This is just more out of touch nonsense and I’m sorry to see it.
I don’t care what other people say, I’m excited for the future of GM. I think GM going pure EV before others is a good thing, because they will have more time to fine tune and perfect their EV platforms. We already seen what Tesla Sports cars can do. Now they’re releasing an EV Hummer that can sprint to 60 in 3s. I can’t wait to see what other cards GM pulls out of their sleeve.
She is rite.on. battery powered is the future..good move for Gm..as this transition for 5 years..gas will start to cost more with less drivers..we need a clean.driven small car and no pollution vehicles..its not 1972 anymore with nixon..ugh.
with all these european countries mandating EVs gas will be a $1 a gallon because we will be swimming in it here and it is going to make it hard to get americans to buy EVs. no pol in his right mind will ever try to mandate here.
Personally I think Mary Barra has done a great job. She started her position in 2014. GM has done some VERY iconic things from 2014 to now. Starting with the 2016 6th Gen Camaro. Amazing sports car at an unbeatable bargain. Excellent handling, great engine options, and their top trim ZL1 and SS variants are destroying all their competition. Also the 7th and 8th gen Corvette, now being a mid engine super car for $70k. All these things happened under Mary Barra. I say BRAVO, GREAT JOB, KEEP IT COMING.
The public has the capability to put her in a home for early retirement too.
great article
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Has anyone ever been to Hothead Vapor? 😉
Lmao… vaping. Vaping is terrible for your health. I went back to smoking, but smoke less now. You’re inhaling plastics, metals and other chemicals along with your vg pg.
how long do you charge vape batteries
I threw my vape batteries and all vapes into the garbage lol. Vaping is worse than smoking.
Barra can stick her EV’s up her ass.
Has anyone shopped at Damokee Vapor Ecigarette Shop in 3204 Old Pickett Rd, Suite 4?
This stupid lady is delusional. She is brainwashed and thinks EVERYONE wants an EV. She does not know her own market. Most do not and do not want to be told what to drive. She will destroy GM with her delusional views.
I think she’s looking ahead, 5, 10, 20 years. In the near future, it is going to cost less to manufacture an EV than it will to produce an ICE vehicle. There is potentially MORE profit, better performance, and greater reliability.
I’d rather work for a company pursuing EV business than one clinging to ICE related technology right now and I’m in the 2nd half of my career. Imagine if you’re a young engineering student starting out. Would you go to work for a company building ONLY gas or diesel powered vehicles or making parts for ONLY gas/diesel vehicles?
For being an engineer….your thought process is flawed…..you should be looking for a new job in a different field for your 2nd have of your career.
Look at where OEMs are investing money right now. Not just GM, but most traditional auto manufacturers. Hint: there is almost no budget for ICE programs.
So, if a new engineer had an offer from Porsche should they decline it? Because Porsche as well as many other car companies are spending billions on ICE technology. Some of it directly from F1 racing, where the highest technology is created with unlimited resources. CEO of Toyota and Elon Musk have both said having every vehicle an EV is not possible. The current and future ICE tech will be able to produce off idle torque equal to or better then an EV but, with more top end power then an EV, which is a flaw in EV motors. E-Turbos is just one hint for you. Porsche is playing with that and other tech as well and says ICE is not going anywhere for them. They also have zero emissions ICE tech, right Porsche? So, your new tech out of college gets an offer from Porsche or to join an F1 team. Is he/she an idiot and believes all the hype of an EV future by government that do not know jack crap about cars or the industry, and say no? Or, is he/she smart and takes the offer?
On thing delusional is the idea we have to.drive a f150 the next 10 years at 5dollars a gallon at exxon and at 8 miles per gallon
In a Henry Ford 50 year old design pick up truck.that will never improve the design of motors.or fuel injection..thus EV s are the way for your future cars
GM executives are in on the global warming hoax so they can profit off of peoples newfound guilt. Non stop gaslighting about the climate is ridiculous.
GM is one of the largest automakers in the world, and it has a long history of innovation.