General Motors EV Development Process Will Continue To Be Fast-Paced
9
Sponsored Links
General Motors says the fast-paced development cycle for the GMC Hummer EV will become a new norm for its battery-electric vehicles.
The automaker debuted the GMC Hummer EV just 18 months after development work for the truck began, and even though the pricy pickup will be a relatively low-volume vehicle compared to some of the automaker’s other upcoming EVs, it plans to mimic the same strategy going forward with more mainstream electric cars, trucks, crossovers and SUVs.
“Our leadership has challenged us to bring the Hummer EV to market fast, using our analytical tools, our computer-aided engineering and less physical vehicle testing,” GMC Hummer EV chief engineer Al Oppenheiser told Automotive News.
It should actually be easier for GM to execute this fast-paced vehicle development strategy going forward. In a conference call with investors this week, GM president Mark Reuss said all of the automaker’s future EVs will benefit from lessons learned in the development of the GMC Hummer EV, particularly with regard to battery technology and production, AN reports. He also said lessons learned from the Hummer EV will also carry over into some existing GM vehicle programs to help improve them.
“All of those lessons as we roll out this truck will be taken into every one of the old GM platforms,” Reuss explained.
One of the next GM EVs that will benefit from lessons learned in the development of the GMC Hummer EV will be the Cadillac Lyriq crossover, which will utilize a similar style Ultium lithium-ion battery pack and ride on GM’s next-gen BEV3 electric vehicle platform. The Cadillac Lyriq is expected to go on sale in late 2022. Other Cadillac EVs are expected to follow not long after, including a new crossover that will undercut the Lyriq in size and the opulent Celestiq sedan.
The tri-motor GMC Hummer EV Edition 1 is set to enter production at GM’s Factory Zero plant in Michigan (formerly Detroit-Hamtramck) in the Fall of 2021, priced firmly from $112,595. The less powerful EV3X tri-motor trim level, which starts at $99,995, will follow in the Fall of 2022. The dual-motor EV2X will launch in the Spring of 2023 from $89,995, while the entry-level EV2 will arrive last in the Spring of 2024 from $79,995.
Subscribe to GM Authority for more General Motors electric vehicle news, GMC Hummer news, GMC news, and around-the-clock General Motors news coverage.
Sponsored Links
The 18 months is a little misleading as that is just Hummer development time.. The motors and batteries have had years of development.
But it is true that new models can be developed faster now. The motors and batteries will be all similar in each vehicle with varying number of motors and the way the batteries are configured to fit
Also they will not have to deal with emissions testing, Engine tuning, Fuel systems crash testing. They also have a good number of parts no longer needed to be designed like exhaust systems fuel systems etc.
EV cars for the most part is are going to be built much like computers. The parts can be interchanged in a number of combinations. They will have different shells and interiors but under this the parts will be similar and tailored for the needs of that vehicle.
Also on building them many plants will see shorter lines and less workers needed since there will be less steps to build them. Also many lines will be able to build a number of different model. This should lead to lower assembly cost. As prices of parts come down it will help make cars more profitable.
The reason most automakers are looking forward to EV is they are going to be cheaper to build once the get the development cost out vs the continued high development cost for ICE to keep up with ever tougher emissions.
I am not a EV fan boy but I see the what and why of this and I get it. I have nothing personal about EV and if and when they get the charging faster and easier to do I may even consider one. But for now I will keep what i have.
why do you think this will make cars more profitable?
if what you say is true, all the manufacturers will see a drop in cost and in a competitive market, prices will drop.
i doubt the profit margins for computer makers went up as the price of the components went down.
The cheaper the component is to produce the higher the profit margin. It becomes much easier to recoop costs when selling to the consumer at a higher value that it was to produce.
It better be.
GM cannot afford to fall behind. The Industry is shifting much faster than people realize.
China, Europe, and more importantly in the not too distant future major Cities around the World do not want ICE anymore.
VW has already announced 8 Billion investment in the next three years and Tesla is in Full Throttle mode. They just today announced 12 Billion investments in the next two years. Let that sink in….12 Billion Dollars. That is an insane amount of investment.
But you know Tesla makes zero money HAHA
Tesla and Elon will not let up at all which is what I have been saying for Four years here. I want GM to succeed badly in the new Shift but I do not see proof that they will.
VW is selling id.3 like Hotcakes in Europe and supposedly getting a ton of orders in Europe for the id.4 and that latter vehicle was sold out in an hour or so online in the States fort he first year run that will come from Germany until the TN plant is open.
All this talk about the mulit-brand, all-electric GM future, and nothing in the near future for Buick? GMC HUMMER EV, Chevrolet Bolt EUV, Cadillac LYRIQ and Celestiq. What’s this about?
Buick already has a number of EVs just not in the US market.
That’s the problem and I’m wondering why we’ve seemed to be left behind in the U.S. EV plan
no federal tax credits.
Still waiting for the family EV from Chevrolet, not a sub-compact, mini SUV thingy (i.e., VOLT/BOLT). I’m talking at least Traverse size, with offerings up to Tahoe size. They must have ultra fast charging (those millennial soccer moms are a busy bunch with no patience), all the infotainment goodies, and be fool proof. Oh, and they gotta be priced like a family Chevrolet. There has to be a charging system setup, with a charger every few miles for the last minute fill-ups, where you can get 100 mile charge in 10 minutes or less. Once GM gets this figured out, they’ll start selling EV’s like they do ICE vehicles.