For several years, General Motors has been guided by a bold “triple zero vision,” including zero congestion and zero crashes. and a future where zero-emission electric vehicles would play a major role. But until Thursday, Detroit’s largest car-maker had not announced a time frame.
“For General Motors, our most significant carbon impact comes from tailpipe emissions of the vehicles that we sell — in our case, it’s 75 percent,” GM CEO Mary Barra said in a message on LinkedIn, according to CNBC News. “That is why it is so important that we accelerate toward a future in which every vehicle we sell is a zero-emissions vehicle.”
While GM described its zero emissions by 2035 plan as an “aspiration,” it drew criticism from David Friedman, vice president of advocacy at Consumer Reports. “Strong aspirations are important and inspirational, but firm production plans and strong policies are what moves the market and the climate,” he said in a statement.
Across the industry, electric vehicles, including battery-electric and fuel cell-powered vehicles account for about 5 percent of sales. This is because EVs, with their batteries and fuel cells, are more expensive to produce than internal-combustion engines. But car-makers are not backing away from the challenge, pointing to stricter regulations to reduce carbon emissions as the future.
GM is addressing the cost of EV batteries with the upcoming launch of its new Ultium batteries as part of a joint venture with South Korea’s LG Chem. Using the Chevrolet Bolt EV as an example, the current cost is to operate the EV is $145 per kilowatt-hour.
However, the near-term target for batteries coming out of a new plant in Ohio is $100 per kWh, and eventually $70. At that figure, it would save over $4,000 per vehicle using a 65 kWh pack like the Bolt.
Dane Parker, GM’s chief sustainability officer, was optimistic about the company’s future. “We feel this is going to be the successful business model of the future,” he said during a media briefing Thursday.
“We know there are hurdles, we know there are technology challenges, but we’re confident that with the resources we have and the expertise we have that we’ll overcome those challenges and this will be a business model that we will be able to thrive in the future.”
GM plans to release 30 new EVs globally by 2025 under a $27 billion investment in electric and autonomous vehicles during that time frame.
