Hybrid Vehicles Unnecessary On Path To EV-Only Future, Says Mark Reuss
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As electric vehicles become more commonplace across the automotive landscape, questions abound over the right direction in which automakers should progress the technology. According to GM President Mark Reuss, the best way to make the transition is to completely bypass hybrid vehicles, and bring EV models directly to market instead.
According to an article by Business Insider, some automakers, like Toyota, have been using hybrids to make the transition to an EV-only lineup a little easier, while Reuss believes this approach to be unnecessary.
“We’re not going to dilute our investment with hybrids,” Reuss said. “If you look at some of the other companies that are doing or have signaled that they’re going to have an all-electric lineup, the profitability picture is quite different.”
These comments line up with previous GM-related statements regarding its expanding EV portfolio. Not only does the Detroit-based automaker expect to field 30 EVs globally by 2025, but those same EVs are also to be profitable in the same time frame.
Additionally, Cadillac and Buick have plans to transition to an EV-only lineup by 2030, with Chevy and GMC expected to follow by 2035. Thus, it doesn’t make much sense for GM to invest in hybrid technology when its EV plans are unfolding now, and heating up. In fact, GM CEO Mary Barra has gone on record saying that GM customers just aren’t interested in hybrid vehicles.
However, it’s important to note that despite all this pushback, GM actually does sell hybrid vehicles. Although the last hybrid vehicle sold in North America was the 2019 Chevy Volt, The General offers quite a few hybrids in China through its SAIC-GM joint venture. A few notable examples include the Chevy Monza, the Chevy Orlando, the Cadillac XT4, the Cadillac XT5 and the Cadillac XT6.
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Turbo diesel Silverado for me.
I tow a 2800lb travel trailer. If GM continues on this tunnel vision path, I cannot buy a future GM vehicle. GM should ask it’s customers if hybrids are appropriate or not.
GM can do whatever they want. But their business plan is going to push me to buy my next vehicle from a manufacturer that does build hybrids, whether standard or plug-in. I don’t live in California or Florida where it’s warm all the time. I live where winter is cold and has snow and ice, where an EV will be terrible.
Newer EVs with heat pumps are not that bad in the cold any have AWD as options.
Good grief! What is wrong with GM’s management? All they had to do was to upgrade Voltec using present day technologies on the Ultium platform! I personally do not want a EV now but would gladly and easily consider a Voltec PHEV to save fuel costs. Sigh… we will have to deal with their decision to abandon hybrid propulsion.
People keep saying this. I guarantee no one would buy a Voltec/Ultium vehicle that cost $10k more than an ICE only equivalent. An EV would cost about the same price with none of the ICE liabilities (brake wear, oil changes, spark plugs, fuel system, emissions, etc).
There’s a good reason many are dropping their hybrid models. It allows you to fund ICE vehicles longer and create EV models without dealing with the hybrid middleman that still has to do emissions testing.
They’d buy it over a EV that cost the same or more though! A skateboard design Ultium platform PHEV with range extender is a winning ticket. Really my issue is GM not having hardly any hybrid vehicles while their competitors do, and at the same time making this big jump to EVs trying to get ahead of what the market wants.
The Toyota Camry Hybrid is rated over 50 MPG in the city, over 50 MPG highway, and over 50MPG combine. This is what I have been asking for, a nice size ICE automobile that seats 5 comfortably and gets 50MPG combined.
And Toyota is being crushed in the EV space and considered a laggard. Great they have a hybrid now, but how will that help them 5-10 years from now? Toyota is playing checkers while others are playing chess.
Yeah, hybrids aren’t any good… /S. Try getting a RAV4 Prime. Good luck! Obviously the demand is there.
Meanwhile I’m looking exclusively at Toyota and Honda for my wife’s next people mover because GM doesn’t even offer a mild hybrid, let alone a plug-in.
Electric cars when the nearest charging station is 50 miles away is a non-starter. Not to mention the electricity issues coming in due to the trend to unreliable electricity production.
Why wouldn’t you charge at home? Who cares about the nearest charging station to your home?
Ridiculous, simplistic comment. What happens when you’re 950 miles from home…..in the mountains?
Are you next going to tell all of us to not leave outside a certain radius from home, and to not go to the mountains, coasts, or any other destination that people travel to for vacation?
Buick_regal: You must live in an apartment? Otherwise I’m confused. Do you live 50 miles from your house? Not only that, but many business’s now have charging available there.
I have zero problems with people who don’t want an EV now or even say they won’t want one in the future. But the misinformation going around is silly at best. From what I’ve read, GM is and will be offering ICE along side EV for many years to come. Some will like and go with EV. Some won’t, and that’s ok.
Lastly, people (sheep) are paying way over MSRP for a Rav4 Prime and same for the Honda models. For what you would pay over MSRP, you could just buy a good car from GM with ICE and drive it several years before you would make up the difference in the premium charged for the Rav4 Prime.
Dan B, I don’t think misinformation is the problem here. It’s more of the government/automaker mandate that’s coming….and you damned well know it’s coming.
The entire government + manufacturer marriage is a disaster waiting to happen, like it has always been.
morrisangelo: Sorry, but I just can’t agree there in terms of misinformation. Are you reading the comments on this article and others like it? People are on here saying things that make me question who or what they are listening to.
I’m ok with people now wanting to go EV. If I lived in certain areas of the country, I wouldn’t either. And don’t take me wrong, I love ICE and sill probably have one till my death. But EV is the way things are going and if you don’t like it, fine. But let’s keep things on topic and truthful. Fact is, almost nobody drives more than 100 to 150 miles in one sitting any more. Thus, charging at home is perfect during the night. Also technologies are on the way, with some here now, that will change this conversation totally.
Dan B,
I appreciate your mindful response and I understand your point of view. I’m also in agreement on people wanting or not wanting EVs based on their individual needs and wants. That’s the way it should be as that’s a personal choice not being forced on them.
To me, this isn’t about misinformation because anyone who wants one will figure out if said information is valuable to them. The same for those who can’t use one. If someone wants an EV, they’re going to sort through the fluff to educate themselves.
My basic premise remains. This is more about an automaker and government “power marriage” getting dangerously close to dictating what you will drive and choosing what you will buy. That will not end well, especially for the company who will be left holding the bag while government moves on to its next crisis.
This also borders on the government and, say food producers, dictating what you will eat…and then the government and power companies dictating what electricity you get to have, and so on…
Government may have good intentions and big dreams in the beginning, but as a body, it has a very long history of being lousy at decision making and money management.
Prediction – GM will go bankrupt because of their all-EV stance. Other companies cannot make hybrids fast enough. We had an EV. After the third battery failed we returned it under the Lemon Law. People are waiting for hours to get a charge in California with less than 2% of the cars EVs. Wait until 20% of the cars are EVs. Companies still selling gasoline powered cars (including hybrids) will sell a lot of cars while GM goes belly-up.
Do the tree huggers buying EVs realize that for the first 60,000 miles an EV puts more carbon in the atmosphere than a gasoline powered car – fact based on numerous studies. Children in Africa are being used to mine minerals needed for EV batteries – they will all die from cancer.
Disposal of EV batteries in 10 years will be an environmental nightmare.
All I want is a 7th Gen Camaro with a V8, man.
Huge mistake!
I have wanted a plug in hybrid like the Volt for years before the Volt appeared .
No way an EV would work for me or make sense. Add the Volt to the long list of GM vehicles I want but GM dropped. After 50 years of buying new GM vehicles, I am done.
remember super charging affects the life of the battery, if you keep super charging your battery you will cut its life and will the car companies honor the warranty ? If you need repairs who will fix your EV not the local car repair? Nothing last forever
GM is deuisional: Confirmed.
Toyota is wise to mainstream hybrid rather than force EVs which aren’t ready for primetime yet
says Mike until Toyota goes full in on EV’s. Then the story will change.
So, in like 2035-2040. Toyota is actually playing the game smart, offering cars for legit everyone.
It is very entertaining to read all the comments. I hope that this thread is being saved so in 20 years it can be read for further entertainment value. Progress in automotive technology is inevitable. I’m 74 and this whole EV-PHEV-ICE issue reminds me of the switch to unleaded gas, catalytic converters, fuel injection, seat belts/airbags, and all the other changes that folks were for and against. Hundreds of times I heard: “I’m never going to buy a car with airbags”, “I’m never going to buy a car that has fuel injection”. I’m sure a few of them have stuck to their statements, but most realized that improvements in efficiency, safety and lower emissions were OK.
chipster: Your wisdom has shown in your words. Very well said. In the past, I’ve made the comparison to the late 1800’s and early 1900’s when the horse and buggy was being replaced by the car. I’m certain many back then said they would never drive one of those things. And yet they have made the change just like you point out with other features. I also feel you are correct in that 20 years from now we will all look at these comments as being silly (especially mine!!) haha. Things change and we need to be willing to conform to those changes. No, I don’t feel EV is right for everyone now, but it may be right down the road.
In 2013 I decided we wanted a plug in hybrid, because our solar was producing more than we needed. Looked at the Volt and the Ford C-Max/Fusion twins. Bought the C-max because it had a lot of room in it for it’s size, and the Volt was cramped. The Wife kept ‘borrowing’ it so much that in ’14 I bought a second C-Max.
Still own both. Lifetime gas mileage according to the lie-O-meter is 140 MPG for the ’13, and 105 MPG for the ’14. The difference is how much we use the engine on both. The ’13 even tells me that over 80% of the mileage covered has been on electric or Regen. Love the PHEV system, we have driven all over the western US using the motor (37MPG), but Ford dropped them, just as it was finally gaining traction
Time to get a new car, and Ford has also dropped the ball. We would LOVE to buy a larger Ford Edge with plug in hybrid, but they won’t make one. Not gonna wait for the New Chevy Blazer EV, so we have decided to get a Bolt EUV for our run around car. Now I have to find a dealer that will sell me one at list with no addons.
PS: I love V-8’s. Got a ’55 T-Bird’ 56 Ford restorod, and an ’03 Mustang GT.
Grumpy Rick: What about the Ford Escape? That’s a little bigger than the C-max and you can get it with the PHEV. But the Bolt should be good too. I ordered a 2023 Bolt (MSRP of $28,285) and hopeful it will be in around April of next year. Perfect vehicle for my area and driving and I can charge once a week at home or work for very little. My only complaint? I hate the ugly black plastic around the wheels and bottom. But I’m thinking about having it removed and painted.
Looked into that also, but dealers around here have never seen one. Tried to buy a Maverick also, and after waiting a year for the rush to calm down, they still have few to sell, and jack up the price 5k. Stick a Fork in me, I’m done.
If I get the same treatment from Chevy, I guess I will simply not buy for at least another year. Not interested in anything over priced. My overall plan is the Bolt for daily running around, and a Plug in SUV or MiniVan for family car when they become less scarce. I even thought of a plug in RAV4, but dealer who sells at list price says it will be 18months to two years wait to order one.
This article has sure kicked up a lot of responses on a very touchy subject. The biggest problem is some manufactures and government entities are telling the consumer “WHAT you will drive”. EV’s sure has a future but let free enterprise and competition determine determine the future. Customer’s will decide what they want, can afford and practical for their needs. Pollution is a real problem but as everything else it can be managed and reversed but it won’t be a 180º turn. Sure producing electricity and batteries can and will pollute but it can be better managed at the source than at every household.
In 10 plus years it will be better known if EV’s can be produced economically to own and drive. Many changes will need to be in place such as a road tax for EV’s. When government realizes that 100% EV’s is not yet practical, the voters will scream, and if no change, the politician’s will be voted out. So change can come.
Right on George
A couple of Carolina Ya- Hoo’s shoot a few deer slugs into a substation transformer and kill power to an entire country…. So where’s the “electricity” for all of those vehicles coming from? Someone remind me just one more time?
OK, it’s decided. Too many insults hurled amongst a group of car lovers! No more comments! Santa will be closely monitoring all those who violate this edict (coal in your stocking).
What states are mandating Evs in the near future, liberal states. I believe there are a lot of southern states not pushing this on everyone because these states realize they just don’t fit everyone’s situations/needs! And government shouldn’t be telling us what we should be spending our money on.California, NY, mass, and a few other liberal states shouldn’t control what kind of car I buy. They already control most election results, but with declining population in these states things will change along with the stupid ev crap being forced on us.hopefully.
I would be interested in a plug in hybrid Tahoe but never an all EV one. We drive to Florida from Michigan 3 to 4 times per year. Sometimes we split the drive and sometimes we don’t. Expecting an EV to be able to drive 11 or 22 hours with a few 10 minute charge ups is unrealistic compared to an ICE vehicle. GM needs to ask their large SUV and pickup owners what they want in the near future. These are the folks who keep the lights on at GM and ignoring the folks who buy the most profitable vehicles is reckless!!!!