General Motors is in the midst of a major pivot, gearing up to launch 30 new all-electric models by the 2025 calendar year. Naturally, a move like that requires a huge amount of investment and development work, but according to one GM executive, The General is tapping “all the best startups” to help in its efforts.
According to a recent post from Reuters, GM’s executive vice president of global product development, Doug Parks, addressed General Motor’s EV development efforts during a conference with investors.
“We’re partnering with some great companies,” Parks said, adding, “we’re also looking outside the company to startups to get on the front edge of that learning curve.”
The startup companies Parks refers to are not specified. However, GM has recently stated it would invest into on-demand car maintenance company Yoshi, as well as augmented reality technology company Envisics, both of which are startups that could provide tech development for GM’s line of EVs with regard to services and features, respectively.
General Motors also recently unveiled its next-generation Cadillac infotainment UI, which was developed by Territory Studio and Rightpoint, two companies that got their start outside the automotive industry.
New battery factory under construction.
General Motors has also partnered with LG Chem and Honda Motor Company, the former of which has joined ranks with GM to build a new battery plant in Lordstown, Ohio, and the latter of which will leverage GM’s Ultium battery technology, BEV3 platform, and production capabilities to build two new Honda EV crossovers.
“There’s an opportunity for more,” Parks said, referencing General Motors’ partnership with Honda. “We could extend that relationship to other segments,” the GM executive continued, including shared combustion-engine based vehicles and platforms.
Late last year, General Motors committed to a $27 billion investment into EV and AV (autonomous vehicle) technology through the 2025 calendar year, up from a previous commitment of $20 billion for EV and AV tech. According to Parks, the $7 billion increase is related to increasing production capacity for GM’s Ultium battery packs, with the first units arriving as early as next year.
“We’re going to need more capacity [for batteries].” Parks said. “So there’s more investment coming after the initial wave in Ohio.”
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So they say anyway.