General Motors is speeding up its EV fleet development plans with some solid investment. After revealing Origin, the self-driving electric car last week for its subsidiary Cruise, the automaker is now all set to invest in autonomous and electric vehicles under its own brand.
CEO Dan Ammann already laid out plans to reveal production details in the coming days and accordingly GM is going to invest $2.2 billion for the production of all-electric trucks, SUVs and self-driving cars at its Detroit Hamtramck assembly plant. It further committed to spending another $800 million in supplier tooling and other related projects at several facilities.
Apart from all the environmental benefits of electric vehicles, the Detroit-Hamtramck plant will also boast new employment opportunities. Under its full capacity, this first fully dedicated electric vehicle assembly plant can create more than 2,200 new jobs. Detroit-Hamtramck currently builds the Chevrolet Impala and Cadillac CT6, production of both will be discontinued at the facility. GM said tax incentives from the state of Michigan made this decision possible
The first manufactured vehicle at the facility will be an all-electric pickup truck that will be followed by production of Cruise Origin. The first production is planned to start in late 2021 at Detroit area plant. The automaker plans to release 20 electric nameplates by 2023, virtually ensuring that Tesla does not remain the only major player in the game.
Marl Reuss, GM president said, “Through this investment, GM is taking a big step forward in making our vision of an all-electric future a reality.”
He further added, “Our electric pickup will be the first of multiple electric truck variants we will build at Detroit-Hamtramck over the next few years.”
This is the second major investment by GM, the first one was a partnership worth $2.3 billion in a joint venture with South Korea’s LG Chem for mass-producing batteries for electric cars. The capital would be used for opening a new facility in Lordstown, Ohio that will create more than 1,100 job opportunities. In fact, the batteries for vehicles at Detroit-Hamtramck plant will be supplied from this facility itself.
Origin’s announcement marked a significant milestone for GM’s future plans, largely because it didn’t release a new electric vehicle since the chevy Bolt in 2016. The Origin will be the first purpose-built autonomous vehicle without traditional controls to go into mass production.
According to a company release, since the fall of 2018, GM has committed to invest more than $2.5 billion in Michigan to bring electric vehicles to market through investments at Orion assembly, GM battery lab in Warren, Brownstown and today’s announced direct investment in Detroit-Hamtramck.
