{"id":204377,"date":"2021-06-29T15:32:01","date_gmt":"2021-06-29T19:32:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=204377"},"modified":"2021-06-29T15:32:03","modified_gmt":"2021-06-29T19:32:03","slug":"gm-preparing-to-convert-more-plants-for-ev-production","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2021\/06\/gm-preparing-to-convert-more-plants-for-ev-production\/","title":{"rendered":"GM Preparing to Convert More Plants for EV Production"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

General Motors will continue shifting manufacturing sites in the U.S. and abroad from conventional gas and diesel vehicles to all-electric models, its global manufacturing director said Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"GM
GM’s Mary Barra sat down with General Catalyst Chairman and Managing Director Ken Chenault at the Aspen Ideas Festival.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, the company wants to make sure that its plans for an \u201call-electric future\u201d take into account the potential impact on GM\u2019s future workforce, its customers and the communities dependent upon the company. To assist in that transition, Chairman and CEO Mary Barra on Tuesday announced the creation of a $25 million \u201cclimate-equity-focused philanthropic fund\u201d meant to \u201ccomplement\u201d the automaker\u2019s planned, $35 billion investment<\/a><\/span><\/strong> in electric and autonomous vehicles through 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Climate change does not impact every community equally. As we move to an all-electric, zero-emissions future, it is on us to lead positive change and implement inclusive solutions that bring everyone along, especially our employees and communities,\u201d Barra said during a keynote Q&A session at the Aspen Ideas Festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Repeatedly upping the ante<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

GM has repeatedly increased its planned investment in both EV and AV technology, jumping from $20 billion in March 2020 to the current $35 billion figure. In the process, it has increased the number of products that will roll out by mid-decade, while Barra said the company \u201caspires\u201d to go entirely electric by 2035.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"General
General Motors Executive Vice President Global Manufacturing Gerald Johnson said the company will convert more plant build EVs.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

To back up that transition it now has announced plans for five North American EV assembly plants, including the existing facility in Orion Township, Michigan, as well as new plants to start opening this year in Detroit and, later in Spring Hill, Tennessee; Ontario, Canada; and Mexico. It also has expanded from one battery plant in Lordstown, Ohio to four.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a virtual media roundtable ahead of Barra\u2019s Aspen speed, Global Manufacturing Director Gerald Johnson confirmed that, “We will be converting our sites over from ICE (internal combustion engine) products to EVs\u201d going forward, adding, \u201cWe will be converting our propulsion plants over to battery,\u201d as well, in the coming years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Johnson also noted while the automaker officially will retain \u201ccomplete neutrality,\u201d it also will be \u201csupportive of the UAW\u201d and its expected drive to organize workers at the all-new assembly plants.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More battery-electric products coming<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"2022
For the 2022 model year, Chevrolet expands the number of Bolt variants, adding the larger EUV to the mix.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In the U.S., GM has so far launched just two long-range all-electric models: the Chevrolet Bolt EV and the larger Bolt EUV<\/a><\/span><\/strong>. In China it also introduced a compact, medium-range model along with partners SAIC and Wuling. It has announced a handful of additional long-range products, including the GMC Hummer pickup and Hummer SUV, the Cadillac Lyriq, as well as an all-electric pickup for Chevrolet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latter models will carry a relatively premium price. One question facing the company will be introducing still other models aimed at the mainstream. \u201cWe will have to make EVs that are affordable,\u201d Barra acknowledged during her Aspen Q&A session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among other things, that will require \u201cdriving energy density up and costs down,\u201d said Barra. But it also will take things like an expanded public charging infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to make sure customers choose electric vehicles because they provide an overall better customer experience and they never feel like they\u2019re giving anything up,\u201d she said during a conversation with former American Express Chairman and CEO Kenneth Chenault.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More jobs for workers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The transition to EVs will have a significant impact across society. \u201cOur goal, as we make this transition is to bring everyone along,\u201d said Barra as she described GM\u2019s plans to retrain workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
GM’s Factory Zero in Detroit is readying the first round of shuttles for validation and testing.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

There has been widespread concern<\/a><\/span><\/strong> that, since EVs are simpler to assemble, there will be a loss of jobs. \u201cBut not if we bring more work to the country,\u201d said Barra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is, in fact, one goal the Biden administration has laid out as part of its planned infrastructure investment into EVs. A proposed battery-car investment program now facing the Senate would add an extra $2,500 in tax credits for vehicles assembled in the U.S. It would add yet another $2,500 if union labor were used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m incredibly encouraged by how the administration is moving forward and looking at EVs as a solution,\u201d said Barra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there will be broader challenges<\/a><\/span><\/strong>. That includes communities dependent upon GM for jobs, as well as those communities in so-called \u201ccharging deserts\u201d where access to plugs may be limited. That\u2019s not only in sparsely populated parts of the American heartland, but also in urban areas where housing density limits the ability for future EV buyers to install home chargers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those are some of the issues GM hopes to address with the new philanthropic fund that will now begin seeking applicants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe want ideas that will come from everywhere,\u201d said Johnson, \u201cto align with this all-EV future.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

General Motors will continue shifting manufacturing sites in the U.S. and abroad from conventional gas and diesel vehicles to all-electric models. To ensure workers, customers and communities don’t get lost in the shuffle, GM created a fund to ensure it doesn’t happen, reports TheDetroitBureau.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":141695,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7,8,5,10],"tags":[1327,1325,1326,1322,1324,1323],"make":[],"post-state":[335],"category_old":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204377"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=204377"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204377\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":204388,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204377\/revisions\/204388"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=204377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=204377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=204377"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=204377"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=204377"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=204377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}