US automakers just can’t seem to make up their minds about EVs. Last fall, GM and Ford gave the anti-EV crowd (which includes many of their dealerships) an early Christmas present, announcing that they would push back EV production plans in response to slower sales (actually a slower rate of increase in sales). In fact,… Read more »
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GMC Sierra EV to launch in a premium limited Denali Edition
“The market needs electric pickup trucks!” That was the EVangelist’s refrain a couple of years ago. Now the mantra of the day is, “The market needs low-priced EVs!” In fact, the market needs both, and another electric pickup (but by no means a low-priced one) is on the way. The GMC Sierra EV will make… Read more »
GM solves software problems, puts Chevy Blazer EV back on the market
The EV press has covered GM’s problems with its new Ultium vehicles in great detail, so now that the company has its new Chevrolet Blazer EV back on the market, it’s only fair that we report on how the company overcame the software issues that forced it to pause sales. Software is a key component… Read more »
GM says equipping the next-gen Chevy Bolt EV with LFP batteries will save billions
EV enthusiasts were disappointed at GM’s decision to discontinue the popular (if a bit dull) Chevy Bolt EV last year. In hindsight, the move may have been premature—the new Ultium EVs that were supposed to replace the Bolt in GM’s lineup have been delayed, causing the company to post embarrassingly low EV sales figures for… Read more »
GM insiders explain why Ultium EV production stalled
As the popular narrative has it, GM, Ford et al are walking back on their electrification plans because EV sales have slowed. Seldom mentioned in the headlines is the fact that GM and others have very few EVs for sale at the moment, and have fallen way behind their putative schedules for releasing new models…. Read more »
GM hires EV superstar Kurt Kelty as Vice President of Batteries
It’s plain to anyone who follows the auto industry that there are pro-EV and anti-EV factions at every legacy automaker. For the last three decades, the OEMs’ interest in EVs has flapped this way and that in the winds of quarterly earnings and political shifts. Last fall, the “let’s wait awhile” contingent appeared to have… Read more »
GM’s rosy year-end figures obscure the fact that legacy automakers are in deep trouble
Duplicitous doublespeak has become de rigueur dialect in the auto industry. “We remain committed to an all-electric future,” says GM as it announces a rollback of its electrification plans. “We strongly believe in EVs,” say auto dealers as they support efforts to slow the EV transition. “The greatest responsibility for us as a company is… Read more »
GM acquires casting specialist TEI, a key enabler of Tesla’s gigacasting process
Tesla’s gigacasting process, which uses giant casting machines to make car bodies with just a few massive cast parts, allows the company to greatly simplify chassis assemblies, saving loads of time, money and factory space. Other automakers, including Ford, Hyundai and several Chinese brands, have taken a keen interest in the technology. Tesla’s process relies… Read more »
Winners and losers from GM’s rollback of its EV plans
When GM agreed to unionize its EV battery plants, we applauded the move, believing that the destructive UAW strike would end with the US Big Three legacy automakers and their unions beginning to come to terms with the EV future. We were wrong. As of this writing, the UAW has reached a tentative agreement with… Read more »
GM agrees to unionize EV battery plants. Will other US automakers follow suit?
The United Autoworkers’ strike doubtless has multiple causes, but the transition to EVs is certainly one bone of contention. EVs are simpler machines than legacy vehicles, and many expect this to translate into less demand for human labor. A wave of new battery plants will surely create new jobs, but some fear that automakers will… Read more »