Posted on 01/31/2022 9:02:15 AM PST by Red Badger
We've always pushed for General Motors to succeed with EVs. In fact, if you know anything about InsideEVs' history, you know that we got our start due in part to a loyal group of Chevrolet Volt owners, and several of us still own GM EVs.
That said, GM has been talking up its massive EV future for years, though it doesn't yet have a whole lot to show. According to CEO Mary Barra, that's all about to come to an end, and rather quickly.
General Motors has big plans to invest a ton of money into the segment. Just last week, the automaker made another major announcement stating that it's committing upwards of $7 billion to ramp up electric car and battery production in Michigan. Barra shared details about the company's recent announcement on CBS Mornings, saying "We want to lead in EVs. Full stop."
Barra should absolutely be saying such things, and she should actually believe they're possible. If she's not forward-thinking and optimistic, that's a bigger problem. Barra has also said on multiple occasions that she's confident GM can top Tesla. She went so far as to say that GM will make it happen by mid-decade, so 2025. Again, we encourage Barra to remain confident and work to make it happen as quickly as possible.
Barra and GM are well aware that in order to catch and beat Tesla, the automaker needs to expand its EV efforts significantly. Moreover, it needs batteries. GM's huge investment in its Ultium platform and battery factories will be integral to its future successes. We're thrilled to learn that the automaker is finally doing precisely what it will take to become a proven leader in the segment.
If GM is able to follow through with its massive EV efforts and meet its timelines, it stands to be one of the leaders in the EV space. However, passing Tesla by 2025 is a lofty goal, especially since Tesla will continue to grow while GM takes critical steps to become more competitive.
According to Automotive News, Tesla dominated the US EV market in 2021, with 72 percent market share. The automaker sold nearly one million vehicles in 2021, and it's guiding for 50 percent growth on the year going forward. A recent article by CNBC about GM's investments reads:
"The new spending is part of a plan to increase GM's North American production capacity to build 1 million electric vehicles by 2025. GM has projected it will sell more than 1 million EVs globally by mid-decade and overtake Tesla as the top US-based seller of electric vehicles during that time frame."
If Tesla sold nearly 1 million vehicles in 2021, and has plans to up that by some 50 percent for 2022, GM's plans for 1 million in 2025 won't likely be enough to overtake Tesla. Tesla's 2021 production came from just two factories. The brand is now producing EVs at a huge factory in Texas, and its other new factory near Berlin is set to open soon.
Even if we don't consider 50 percent growth every year between now and 2025, or really any projected growth whatsoever, GM's 1 million EVs in 2025 will essentially be on par with Tesla's current situation. Are Barra and GM sandbagging here? Do they expect Tesla's sales to plummet by mid-decade? Perhaps we are missing something. Let us know your thoughts on this topic in the comment section below.
VIDEO AT LINK.....................
Don’t want their toy cars...ain’t enough juice to run them and I don’t have all day for a ‘fill up’.
“What’s Good For GM Is Good For America.”..................
Part of my math, too, is that my solar inverter has a feature to power only certain circuits (a separate circuit panel) only on the condition that my home batteries are at least X% charged. So if I or my wife come home in the EV and have, say, 2/3rds still "in the tank" and plan nothing but short drives around town the next few days -- we'll plug it into an outlet that's powered only when the home solar has excess (say 80% or more charged). If we come home with a low EV charge or if we plan to drive a lot the next day, we'll plug it into a normal constant power outlet (knowing that some of that power will be pulled from the grid).
So if we plug it into the excess power circuit we'll plug it in knowing that it may not get any charge at all. Or maybe some for a while until the home battery charge level is below the threshold. Likewise with it automatically start charging the next day after the sun comes up if the EV is already plugged into the excess-power outlet (say if I work from home the next day or it's an off day and I'm outside cutting grass, while my wife is either at home or taking the gas car on a day or two trip to visit family).
But this math works only if you live in the south where we get plenty of sun and don't consume as much power at night for heat (I do some this time of year, but my variable speed heat pump usually keeps up with the cold without having to power the heat strips). Here in the south a huge portion of our power is used for A/C about half the year. Since a lot of that is during the daytime and since that half of the year has long daytime days, there's less need for battery power to stay cool.
And since the days it rains or is cloudy tend to also be mild temperature days I don't have to run the A/C or heat as much on days I get little solar power. That's why it currently provides half the power we consume.
“Full Stop” speaking in clichés is a sign of low intelligence
Give me a newer one...i’m kinda old myself!🧙♂️
Unlike GM, DEC hadnt been buying congressman since before WWII. Maybe they have reason to believe they know something.
I know something, Bill Gates past isnt what we have been told it is.
Mary needs help with her math skills. Tesla made 938,000 EVs in 2021. By 2025 they will be at 4 million or more.
Ford has stopped offering sedans in the US except for the Mustang. Only trucks and SUVs.
Charleston SC or Charleston WV?
“And GM still sold a puny 26 EV’s in the entire 4th quarter”
They stopped the sales in 4th gtq due to battery issues not due to low demand.
The new Cadillac Lyriq suv sold 1500 pre production in 9 minutes recently
The Silverado 653 hp, 400 mile range, 10,00 lb towing capacity sold it’s pre production in 12 minutes.
The pre production sale is GM’s way to see how much interest .sort of like poll
They could have sold thousands more but cut it off at 1500
The biggest feature of the 21st century is the huge number of unasked questions. One of the biggest is where does the electricity to charge these vehicles come from?
Gas, coal or oil fired generators are supplying the bulk of the charging so where’s the emission savings?
SC
Thanks
“Gas, coal or oil fired generators are supplying the bulk of the charging so where’s the emission savings?”
If every plant was coal fired and every car an EV there would be less pollution emitted than if every plant was solar/green and all cars were gas.
Gas cars as a whole pollute more than the fossil fueled plants.
Many coal powered plants are being converted to gas and most new plants being built are powered by natural gas because way less emissions than coal. Gas burns fairly clean.
Gas will be our heating and electrical source for the next 100 years because it is clean and cheap overall.
In any case, the next few years in the auto industry are going to be very interesting.
How long has Bara been CEO of GM again?
SEVEN years and counting.
Now if she'd look after business instead of partying at the White House with Dementia Joe, maybe GM may be doing better right now.
There was nothing wrong with the Corvair, Ralph Nader was a damn liar.
Without major investments in capital, EV’s can not go mainstream and the laws banning the sale and licensing of internal combustion engine vehicles will have to be put on hold, unless legislatures want to crash the economy.
GM can kiss my lily white ass. Never going to buy a vehicle from them after they took taxpayer money for ‘bailouts’ and failed to pay it all back.
“Corvair, Vega, Cavalier, Chevette, Volt, etc.”
I owned a Chevette first and then a Cavalier and both were two of the best cars I ever owned. Lasted forever with minimal issues. I had to put in a clutch in the cavalier at 90k miles was the only service issue
I beat that Chevette to h&ll and back, off roaded it, just beat it up and rarely changed the oil and it never let me down.
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