GM Disrupts Automobile Industry with Striking Pledge to Stop Making Gas-powered Vehicles
General Motors (GM) announced that as of 2035, it would no longer make any gas-powered cars or trucks. Once known for its gigantic SUVs, the company has become a pioneer in the automobile industry by pledging to make only electric vehicles in the near future.
As the largest US automaker, this news serves as a bookend to President Joe Biden’s clean energy plan, which also promises a “carbon-free energy sector in the US by 2035” plus ten million new carbon-free jobs.
Currently, GM employs about 85,000 people in the US but has pledged to create many thousands of new jobs in new clean-energy factories and other facilities.
The announcement of GM changing gears and offering only electric vehicles by 2035 signifies a seismic shift for almost the entire gas-guzzling automobile industry.
The company has successfully disrupted the US automobile community with its public pledge to open 2,700 new fast-charging locations, creating activation for electric vehicles quickly. GM also promises to offer an electric car “for every customer," including fans of SUVs, trucks, and more.
Their plan promises to “triple the size of the largest public fast-charging network in the nation, by adding more than 2,700 new fast chargers over the next five years. These stations will be completely powered by renewable energy."
Mary Barra, GM Chairman and CEO said, “General Motors is joining governments and companies around the globe working to establish a safer, greener and better world. We encourage others to follow suit and make a significant impact on our industry and on the economy as a whole.”
All-electric cars (EVs) are fueled solely by electricity and powered by an electric motor that runs via batteries. EV batteries are charged by plugging the vehicle into a power source, either in a public spot or a garage.
On their website, GM states, “Convenient charging shouldn’t be a luxury. It should be democratized.”
Some forward-thinking towns such as Montclair, New Jersey, already offer public electric charging stations. For about ten years, this hot-spot has been providing electric car charging areas throughout the eclectic town, located 12 miles west of NYC.
Gray Russell, Sustainability Officer for Montclair, said they have had support from the state of New Jersey, the DOE, the township and local residents. The current public electric charging stations are set up so they can communicate vital data directly to town hall.
“We are the first town in New Jersey to install a network of series of public charging stations for pluggable, electric vehicles,” he said. “As of today, the number of charging stations include six municipal, eight business, and MSU [Montclair State University], with more being installed at a new parking deck being completed soon.”
The green-friendly township also has a growing electric fleet being used by staff including nurses, after receiving an “It Pays to Plug in Grant” from the state.
About 1.4 million electric cars have been sold in the US since 2010, with fifty percent sold in California. However, 40 percent of the EVs on the road today, about 350,000, are hybrids that switch between gas and electric fuel.
Citing a science-based approach, GM promises to “decarbonize” its portfolio by transitioning to battery electric vehicles or other zero-emissions vehicle technology, sourcing renewable energy and leveraging minimal offsets or credits.”
The total investment for this seismic shift for GM is $27 billion, an increase of $7 billion from their pre-pandemic plan. The investments will pay for GM’s Ultium battery technology, the updates to GM facilities Factory ZERO in Michigan and Spring Hill Manufacturing in Tennessee and other new sites, plus the creation of new STEM jobs.
Drivers can already enjoy a federal tax credit of up to $7,500 for owning electric cars.
