Charting GM’s Epic Path to an All-Electric Future

There’s no denying GM’s commitment to what it calls the ‘All-Electric Future’. 

By 2025 the automotive giant intends to invest US$35 bn globally in EVs and AVs, helping to develop battery technology and expand manufacturing capabilities. 

By 2035 it aims to completely phase out gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles in favour of an all-electric lineup, as part of a seismic shift to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040.

This has been a bumpy journey so far, with GM slowing EV production earlier this year due to low demand.

But now in the second half of 2024 the company’s EV sales have soared, setting new records.

GM delivered 21,930 EVs in the second quarter of 2024- a promising increase of 40%.

This is primarily driven by sales of new, Ultium battery-based EVs, an area where GM is a prominent innovator. 

In truth, GM's ongoing journey to an ‘All-Electric Future’ has been marked by challenges. 

But the company's ability to weather these challenges, highlight both its phenomenal dedication to EV innovation and resilient belief in their potential to revolutionise the automotive industry.

With that said, let's explore the GM EV journey. 

The EV1: A bumpy start  

The electric car is a far older phenomenon than people realise.

While EVs are often treated as an invention of modern technology and sustainability sensibilities, a revolution to fit a new green, digital age, this isn’t true.

In 1897 America, the best-selling car was an electric vehicle: The Pope Manufacturing Company’s Columbia Motor Carriage. 

Electric models were in fact outselling steam for many years during the rise of early automobiles.

Their dominance ended however in the 1900s with the emergence of more efficient petrol-powered vehicles. 

Almost a hundred years later, GM was a part of bringing EVs back into the cultural mainstream through the EV1, a mass-produced electric vehicle.

It was launched in 1996, in response to a California mandate that required automakers to have zero-emissions vehicles ready for market by 1998. 

In 1971 GM was making 1,000 of the sleek two-seaters and leasing them to customers as a market study.

The EV1 had an innovative design and incredibly enthusiastic reception.

The reaction from the press and public was so positive in fact that then-GM CEO Roger Smith announced on April 22, 1990 that GM intended to formally produce the car, targeting 25,000 units a year.

This goal was hampered however, when the team on the project evaluated the shortcomings of 1990's EV technology. 

Ken Baker, Head of Advanced Vehicle Engineering for GM’s Chevrolet-Pontiac-Canada Group and a leader on the project would later reflect: 

“We recognized the obvious shortcoming of EVs.

“Our plan was to be battery agnostic—take the best available and focus on engineering the world’s most efficient vehicle, which would give dramatically better performance once a better battery came along.

"We had just come off of the success of the [race-winning solar-powered] SunRaycer and were encouraged by the sold-state electronics that had been demonstrated in that car and [in] Impact.”

Ultimately, due to technological limitations and high production costs the EV1 was ultimately discontinued by GM.

The destruction and reclaiming of the EV1’s units caused controversy, directly influencing the creation of Chris Paine’s infamous 2006 documentary ‘Who Killed The Electric Car?’.

But it wouldn't be long until GM turned its focus to EV's again.

Chevrolet Volt: Starting the drive

The 2000s was a period of EV observation, research and reflection for GM.

In 2000 Toyota launched the Prius worldwide, its instant celebrity success increasing the electric vehicle’s profile. 

There was the rise of Tesla Motors, founded in 2003, with PayPal co-founder Elon Musk becoming chairman in 2004. 

Toyota also launched the Roadster sports car, the first production EV to use lithium-ion battery cells in 2008.

The profile, popularity and potential of the electric car continued to grow- along with sustainability concerns - driving GM to officially re-enter the market around 2010. 

GM launched the Chevrolet Volt in 2018, a plug-in hybrid which featured both a gasoline engine and an electric battery.

Embodying the transition between the two automotive forms, the model highlighted GM’s renewed commitment to electrification- and was a commercial success. 

By the end of October 2018, 177,000 units had been sold and until December of that year, the Volt family of vehicles was the world's bestselling plug-in hybrid vehicle.

When it was discontinued, the Chevrolet Volt was still listed as the top-selling plug-in hybrid in the American market.

Later in 2016, GM introduced the Chevrolet Bolt EV, signifying a desire to better compete in the EV market.

With a range of over 100 miles on a single charge, this model was competitive with the popular Tesla Model 3. 

However, the innovation that would truly kickstart GM’s journey to full electrification was its development of the Ultium platform. 

The Ultium Platform: A Pivotal Moment

A pivotal development in GM's EV strategy was the Ultium battery platform and motor architecture, introduced in 2020.

Featuring an innovative modular battery and drive unit combinations, the platform has the versatility to power a wide range of EV's from trucks to SUV's to crossovers.

This down to the unique size and shape of the batteries, which have pouch-style cells capable of horizontal and vertical stacking inside the pack. 

Ultium, now Ultium+ provides exceptional power, performance and range, boasting up to three motors and multiple battery modules. 

This innovation has massively helped confront EV range anxiety and concerns surrounding charging infrastructure. 

GM also forged several strategic partnerships during this time to advance EV infrastructure. 

These include its partnerships with Honda to co-develop future EV platforms and its collaboration with LG chem to develop battery technology.

EV expansion: luxury vehicles & trucks

In the ‘electric 2020s’ GM focused on expanding its electric vehicle portfolio into new consumer markets. 

It famously revived the Hummer brand as an electric vehicle, launching the GMC Hummer EV in 2021.

The GMC Hummer, an all-electric pickup truck developed to target the electric truck market has impressive performance metrics, including 11,500 lb-ft of torque and 1,000 horsepower.

In 2022, GM also introduced the Cadillac Lyriq, representing its push into the luxury EV market.

With a sleek design and range of over 300 miles, it was designed to compete with high-end electric offerings from Audi and Tesla. 

"GM's ability to grow EV sales is the payoff for many years of investment in R&D, design, engineering, manufacturing, our supply chain and a new EV customer experience that is designed to be the best in the industry," GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra comments.

"Our multi-brand, multi-segment, multi price point EV strategy gives us incredible leverage to grow revenue and market share and we believe our Ultium Platform and vertical integration will allow us to continuously improve battery performance and costs." 

GM also increased its targeting of the commercial vehicle market with its BrightDrop brand.

This brand provides electric delivery vans like The BrightDrop EV600 and associated services to reduce emissions in the logistics and delivery sector.

Now in 2024, GM is furthering its plans to eliminate tailpipe emissions from new light-duty vehicles by 2035, ramping up investment in EV and battery technology. 

The company has invested in expanding charging networks through partnerships with companies like EVgo, to enhance the appeal and convenience of owning an electric vehicle.

GM has big ambitions in the EV space, but the company's capacity to weather uncertainty and pursue strategic innovation is sure to keep them on course. 

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