GM is going electric with 10 new EVS
CEO intends to show industry how it’s done
WARREN, Mi ch .• Automaker snailed the electric car back in 1899, when about a quarter of all U.S. vehicles ran on batteries. But they didn’t get far on a charge, and when Cadillac introduced a self-starter for gasoline engines so drivers didn’t have to crank them, these short- range electric cars were doomed.
After originally helping to kill the EV, General Motors is now working to bring it back.
At a special no- cameras- allowed preview at its research campus, the automaker unveiled 10 new all-electric models, including the Hummer teased during a Super Bowl commercial. Right now, GM’S only electric vehicle is the subcompact Bolt, but chief executive Mary Barra said all 10 will be in customer hands by 2025.
The key is a proprietary battery system called Ultium, along with a third- generation flexible platform. That basic architecture will underpin all upcoming electric vehicles, from subcompacts to full- sized pickup trucks and SUVS. The plan is for every brand — Chevrolet, GMC, Buick and Cadillac — to have electric offerings, and to have at least one EV choice in every segment. As GM president Mark Reuss put it, “a Tahoe (SUV) owner is going to stay in a Tahoe; he’s not going to squeeze into a Bolt.”
On display was a small SUV from Chevrolet, smalland medium-sized Buick SUVs, and a full- sized Cadillac sport ute looking suspiciously like an Escalade. The styling- refreshed 2021 Bolt was there, plus an all-new, slightly- longer- wheelbase utility version of it. A sleek Cadillac concept called the Lyriq, with 34- inch curved LED dash screen and cantilevered centre console, is “about 95 per cent of the production vehicle,” according to its designer.
And there was the Cadillac Celestiq, a long and low four- door with styling that drew mixed reactions ( let’s just say I’m not clamouring to buy one). Call it an unusual marketing decision: locally hand- built and customized to each owner, in limited quantities and likely an unlimited price tag.
Reuss told me it’s an attempt to polish the Cadillac brand, “which really isn’t in good shape, and this brand needs a transformational vehicle to bring it back.” It does, but I’m not sure if a made- to- order electric Caddy is the way to do it — unless it ends up appealing to all those athletes and rappers who bought enough Escalades to raise the brand from the dead the last time.
And then — a Hummer truck and SUV. Whoever thought a name synonymous with gas-guzzling excess would turn up on an EV? But it’s back as a nameplate in the GMC portfolio. They’re considered full-sized, but are not as tall as a Sierra pickup, and both seem as ridiculously wide as the Hummer H2 was. And there won’t be any leather inside a new Hummer — just synthetic, renewable, or recycled materials.
Like everything else built on the EV platform, the GMC Hummer truck and SUV are unibody, rather than bodyon-frame, as the conventional Sierra is. The truck box is integrated with the body, similar to the defunct Chevy Avalanche ( and the current Honda Ridgeline). It looks more lifestyle truck than workhorse, with four targastyle roof panels that pop out and store under the hood ( since there’s no engine taking up space, EVS offer lots of storage).
A Chevrolet pickup is coming, with hints that it’ll be called a Silverado. An interior shot showed a High Country interior — the conventional Silverado’s top trim — but the exterior wasn’t revealed.
The Ultium battery was developed in conjunction with LG Chem, and it’s a modular system with large- format, pouch- style cells that can be stacked horizontally or vertically inside the battery pack. Cells can be added for more power or range, and the battery can be configured to the vehicle’s layout for maximum interior space.
Most vehicles will have 400- volt battery packs and up to 200- kw fast- charging capability. The trucks will have 800- volt packs and 350- kw fast- charge capacity. At the top end, GM estimates range as high as 644 kilometres “or more” on a charge.
Range is only half the battle; price is the other half. Almost everything in the system will be made in- house, which will help keep costs down. The batteries will be built at a repurposed auto plant in Ohio, and there’s money to be made in licensing the technologies to other companies.
Engineers are working on reducing nickel and cobalt in the battery cells, since they’re the two most costly ingredients. In their place, they’ll use more aluminum. With volume production, the price could potentially drop below US$ 100- per- kwh, about US$ 50 less than it is now. But how long that will take is unknown.
GM plans to sell a million EVS a year in North America by 2025. That’s just five years away, and we’ve heard these kinds of predictions before. Barra admits Tesla set the pace for EV adoption, but she is now counting on her company’s size, R & D investment, factory capacities, dealer network, and multi-segment offerings to show Tesla how it’s done. The company certainly has the intent. From there, it’s up to buyers to see if it’ll become a reality.