GM to go all EV by 2035

[Crissa]

Most people still think EVs have ranges like the EV1 and batteries like the Leaf.

It is frustrating, but true.

-Crissa

Advertisement

 

[Diehard]

So what would have happened?

I think if GM stayed on the same trajectory, it would have happened exactly as you predicted. Aside from Hummer EV, GM is mostly a value brand. If they separated their EV like Saturn and made a high performance one (EV_hp) like Tesla did with roadster it would be a different story. EV1 drag coefficient was better than Tesla’s today. There were enough tree huggers in California to support it, as it was. And there were enough rich folks in CA to support the hp version. I can imagine how hard it must have been to make a case in the board meetings with the powerpoints showing how much Silverado made last year. Ultimately you are right. Your guiding light needs to be something more than the mighty dollar.

 

[Cyberman]

This is a bold declaration. I wonder how Ford will respond as we've already heard from Toyota and VW.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a35352321/gm-eliminate-gas-vehicles-2035/

• GM CEO Mary Barra announced a bold plan to phase out gas- and diesel-powered vehicles by 2035.
• The plan is part of a larger strategy to make the company carbon neutral by 2040.
• GM’s plan aligns the automaker with regulations being put in place by states like California.

Cool, doing something Tesla has been doing since 2008.
27 years later. Anybody else taking "bold" moves?

 

[DarinCT]

Cool, doing something Tesla has been doing since 2008.
27 years later. Anybody else taking "bold" moves?

I see you take bold as an absolute, maybe even only the front runners can do it perspective. I take it to be relative, for GM, an antiquated has-been to declare all EV, it is for them.

A winner take all approach to bold, or any other endeavor, suggests we should only care about the leaders. Sure, I believe Tesla is right and kicking everyone's ass, but Tesla can't transform the world by itself.

 

[LoPro]

2035?! The Norwegian government aims for only EVs to be sold new from 2025. We have the population of a city for you lot over there, and not that we’re Ford’s market, but just for comparison.

 

[DMC-81]

I remember being impressed by the Volt concept in 2007 and waited for it to arrive:

...only to be disappointed at the production version. Even my wife didn't want me to buy it because it wasn't as cool as the concept. Then GM only had one or two Volts per dealership, usually in the back of the lot and they were overpriced. I couldn't even test drive one easily.
GM had the early advantage and they squandered it. I have 2 Chevy's but I probably won't buy an electric vehicle from them. I haven't gotten over the Volt yet.

What's their first foray into the electric truck market? A $100K + ugly Hummer. ( BTW, I was a fan of the previous H3 hummer but never bought one).

Good luck GM, you'll need it.

 

[ldjessee]

They did not say this, they said they have an aspiration (ie, hope, a goal, not that they definitely will) have no tail pipe emissions cars and light duty trucks. That leaves out all the big vehicles... does it leave out SUVs?

It sounds good, but when you look at what they actually said and parse it carefully, you realize they did not say anything that the market will force them to do it before then or they will be out of business.

 

[DMC-81]

They did not say this, they said they have an aspiration (ie, hope, a goal, not that they definitely will) have no tail pipe emissions cars and light duty trucks. That leaves out all the big vehicles... does it leave out SUVs?

It sounds good, but when you look at what they actually said and parse it carefully, you realize they did not say anything that the market will force them to do it before then or they will be out of business.

Agreed. Of course the corporate speak was carefully worded, but an "aspiration" is apparently not what the market/media heard. They heard "all electric...2035"

Here's the actual phrase:

"In addition to GM’s carbon goals, the company worked with the Environmental Defense Fund to develop a shared vision of an all-electric future and an aspiration to eliminate tailpipe emissions from new light-duty vehicles by 2035."

And the original source:
https://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm...nt/Pages/news/us/en/2021/jan/0128-carbon.html

 

[flowerlandfilms]

In my opinion Global Warming is the biggest hoax (and wealth redistribution scheme) ever foisted on the human race.

...on a question of scientific veracity, your opinion has no worth, use or purpose...

 

[DarinCT]

Agreed. Of course the corporate speak was carefully worded, but an "aspiration" is apparently not what the market/media heard. They heard "all electric...2035"

Here's the actual phrase:

"In addition to GM’s carbon goals, the company worked with the Environmental Defense Fund to develop a shared vision of an all-electric future and an aspiration to eliminate tailpipe emissions from new light-duty vehicles by 2035."

And the original source:
https://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm...nt/Pages/news/us/en/2021/jan/0128-carbon.html

Maybe I should not have said "bold move" but rather "GM had a thought and some feelings".

 

[jerhenderson]

They prob should have ran that by the shareholders first. It sounds like a good way to commit business suicide. Sounds to me like they are giving in to "greenmail" to appease those who want to force everyone to adapt to their idea of how the world should work.
I love EV technology and am waiting eagerly for my CT.
That being said ICE vehicles are going to be around for a lot longer than the rabid environmentalists want to believe. Some machines just can't be made to run on batteries. Until I see a CAT D9 bulldozer or a 40,000 pound Link Belt excavator running on batteries for twelve hours a day without charging I won't be convinced.
Let me give you an example of how the road to hell is paved with good intentions (and government regulations). I have a friend that farms hundreds of acres of land, mostly soybeans and corn. He spent over one million dollars on new John Deere tractors, combines and other diesel powered equipment over the last two years. All of the new diesel powered farm equipment is electronically controlled and have the DEF pollution systems on it mandated by the EPA. This is the rogue Federal agency that took the most reliable engine ever built and made a technical nightmare out of it. The software that keeps the equipment running is proprietary meaning only a dealer technician can work on it. And it breaks down constantly requiring a technician to come to the worksite and reset or repair it. It got so bad that he and some fellow farmers threated the dealership he bought it from with a class action lawsuit. They finally assigned a technician that would drop whatever he was doing and go out immediately and get the machines up and running when they frequently broke down.
This government bullying results in lost productivity for everybody that has been forced to use these new machines. This is not limited to farm equipment, Class 8 trucks are beset with electronic issues that leave them limping down the road or stuck in truckstops when they malfunction. Caterpillar quit making engines for Class 8 trucks because of this stupidity. I'm sure the people that worked in those engine plants appreciated doing their part to save the world when they lost their jobs.
I didn't line up to buy an EV to save the planet........Earth will be here long after humans disappear.
In my opinion Global Warming is the biggest hoax (and wealth redistribution scheme) ever foisted on the human race.
People should not have to be bullied into accepting new technology if said technology makes sense. Make it practical and affordable (like Musk is doing) and people will accept and embrace it.

everything you said went into the trash when you said you think global warming is a hoax. think what you want; you just don't understand the evidence that proves it.

 

[Quicksilver]

" everything you said went into the trash when you said you think global warming is a hoax. think what you want; you just don't understand the evidence that proves it. "

" ...on a question of scientific veracity, your opinion has no worth, use or purpose... "

I've been on this earth for 66 years and without fail every 20 years or so another lot of Chicken Littles come out of the woodwork to tell us the earth is doomed for whatever reason.
I distinctly remember reading an article in Popular Science back in the late 60's or early 70's that predicted another ice age soon. The article even told how we would be living in nuclear powered underground cities connected by tunnels under the ice. Food would be grown in huge underground chambers using hydroponics and artificial light.
Later came Acid Rain, the hole in the ozone and the prediction that we would be running out of petroleum by this century. The last time I looked the world was still here.
Scientific research is driven by grants that the researchers depend on for their jobs........and he who pays for the grants dictate what results they want to see. And this is driven by the agendas of who is providing that money. For every "researcher or scientist" that you can find to support Global Warming I can find one that opposes it. If you don't understand that then you don't understand the evidence that proves it.
The EPA has been infiltrated by rabid environmentalists that are determined to control policy and dictate regulations that affect jobs and lives........what they can't get by legislation they get by regulation. And unlike elected officials these appointed bureaucrats almost never get fired or held accountable when their policy has an adverse impact on the economy or how people live their lives. And they don't care how it adversely affects the working man as long as it serves their twisted purpose. Once a regulation is adopted it is almost impossible to rescind it or modify it.
I want clean air and water as much as anybody and when the EPA was formed and did the mission it was created for, we got cleaner water and air. Love Canal, Times Beach, Missouri and other Superfund sites got cleaned up and industry was held accountable.
I worked in the Hazardous Waste industry for a government contractor and a private company.....I am well versed in how the EPA and state environmental laws and regulations work and have been involved in many small and major environmental projects to include the destruction of the US Army's Chemical Weapons Stockpile in Anniston, Alabama.
I remember when Birmingham, Alabama was referred to as "Smoke City" by me and my fellow truckers. The steel industry created a pall of smoke that covered the low lying city most of the time in the 1950's and 60's. Kudos to the EPA for fixing that.
What happened, and what always happens to any Federal agency, is what we military guys call "Mission Creep". Mission Creep occurs when an organization is afraid they will lose funding and personnel unless they come up with more ways to justify their existence.
These Federal agencies are ran like little fiefdoms by their director (usually an appointed political toady) who constantly demands a bigger budget and more manpower in order to complete the missions they keep taking on.
When was the last time any Federal agency was reduced in size or scope? I blame this on both political parties and the career politicians that keep allowing those agencies to expand. We need term limits for Congressmen and Senators and we need them now.
That is the evidence I understand having been associated with the military for 34 years and working for a military contractor for six.
If you want a classic example of EPA stupidity look at the lowly gas can. They have made it an ordeal just to put fuel in the tank of a vehicle.
The diesel shop we take our Dodge truck to for service makes stupid money deleting the overly complicated and unreliable emission equipment now mandated on diesel engines by the EPA. And it is not just John Q. Public having this crap deleted. They do it for city, county and state vehicles too.
The Global Warming hoax is designed to milk prosperous countries of money to give to Third World countries that are ran by corrupt leaders who allow their resources to be sold to the highest bidder. They get rich and their people suffer. Where do you think a lot of the exotic metals needed for EV's come from?
As fond as I am of Tesla and Elon Musk they are gaming the system by selling the carbon credits they receive for producing EV's. Who do you think came up with that scheme? Hint........it is a three letter Federal agency. Would Tesla have been able to stay afloat without doing that? A couple of articles I read said it would have been hard pressed to do so.
Our newly elected POTUS has already put thousands of people working on or associated with the Keystone Pipeline out of work. He did it as a stab in the eye to the former President without any consideration for those hard working Americans that depend on those jobs to put food on the table. He did it to pander to his radical environmental base and if just few of the objectives of that idiotic "New Green Deal" are enacted there will be a Depression that will make the one last century look like a walk in the park. Kiss all those electric vehicles goodbye because nobody will be able to afford them. Just like the small automobile companies that folded back in the 1920's and 30's when the economy fails again startup EV companies will go tits up.
Now tell me in your own words exactly what you are willing to give up to stop the dreaded Global Warming. Air conditioning, reliable electric power at the flip of a switch, modern medicine, cheap food shipped from all over the world to a supermarket near you, all these modern devices we use to post stuff like this on a world wide web. What exactly would you personally be willing to forgo if it would save old Mother Earth? My guess is not much because it is always easier to expect the other guy to make the sacrifice (especially if your side gets to mandate it) than to actually do without yourself.
Don't presume to tell me my opinion belongs in the trash can unless you are willing to toss yours right in there beside it.

 

[flowerlandfilms]

" everything you said went into the trash when you said you think global warming is a hoax. think what you want; you just don't understand the evidence that proves it. "

" ...on a question of scientific veracity, your opinion has no worth, use or purpose... "

I've been on this earth for 66 years and without fail every 20 years or so another lot of Chicken Littles come out of the woodwork to tell us the earth is doomed for whatever reason.
I distinctly remember reading an article in Popular Science back in the late 60's or early 70's that predicted another ice age soon. The article even told how we would be living in nuclear powered underground cities connected by tunnels under the ice. Food would be grown in huge underground chambers using hydroponics and artificial light.
Later came Acid Rain, the hole in the ozone and the prediction that we would be running out of petroleum by this century. The last time I looked the world was still here.
Scientific research is driven by grants that the researchers depend on for their jobs........and he who pays for the grants dictate what results they want to see. And this is driven by the agendas of who is providing that money. For every "researcher or scientist" that you can find to support Global Warming I can find one that opposes it. If you don't understand that then you don't understand the evidence that proves it.
The EPA has been infiltrated by rabid environmentalists that are determined to control policy and dictate regulations that affect jobs and lives........what they can't get by legislation they get by regulation. And unlike elected officials these appointed bureaucrats almost never get fired or held accountable when their policy has an adverse impact on the economy or how people live their lives. And they don't care how it adversely affects the working man as long as it serves their twisted purpose. Once a regulation is adopted it is almost impossible to rescind it or modify it.
I want clean air and water as much as anybody and when the EPA was formed and did the mission it was created for, we got cleaner water and air. Love Canal, Times Beach, Missouri and other Superfund sites got cleaned up and industry was held accountable.
I worked in the Hazardous Waste industry for a government contractor and a private company.....I am well versed in how the EPA and state environmental laws and regulations work and have been involved in many small and major environmental projects to include the destruction of the US Army's Chemical Weapons Stockpile in Anniston, Alabama.
I remember when Birmingham, Alabama was referred to as "Smoke City" by me and my fellow truckers. The steel industry created a pall of smoke that covered the low lying city most of the time in the 1950's and 60's. Kudos to the EPA for fixing that.
What happened, and what always happens to any Federal agency, is what we military guys call "Mission Creep". Mission Creep occurs when an organization is afraid they will lose funding and personnel unless they come up with more ways to justify their existence.
These Federal agencies are ran like little fiefdoms by their director (usually an appointed political toady) who constantly demands a bigger budget and more manpower in order to complete the missions they keep taking on.
When was the last time any Federal agency was reduced in size or scope? I blame this on both political parties and the career politicians that keep allowing those agencies to expand. We need term limits for Congressmen and Senators and we need them now.
That is the evidence I understand having been associated with the military for 34 years and working for a military contractor for six.
If you want a classic example of EPA stupidity look at the lowly gas can. They have made it an ordeal just to put fuel in the tank of a vehicle.
The diesel shop we take our Dodge truck to for service makes stupid money deleting the overly complicated and unreliable emission equipment now mandated on diesel engines by the EPA. And it is not just John Q. Public having this crap deleted. They do it for city, county and state vehicles too.
The Global Warming hoax is designed to milk prosperous countries of money to give to Third World countries that are ran by corrupt leaders who allow their resources to be sold to the highest bidder. They get rich and their people suffer. Where do you think a lot of the exotic metals needed for EV's come from?
As fond as I am of Tesla and Elon Musk they are gaming the system by selling the carbon credits they receive for producing EV's. Who do you think came up with that scheme? Hint........it is a three letter Federal agency. Would Tesla have been able to stay afloat without doing that? A couple of articles I read said it would have been hard pressed to do so.
Our newly elected POTUS has already put thousands of people working on or associated with the Keystone Pipeline out of work. He did it as a stab in the eye to the former President without any consideration for those hard working Americans that depend on those jobs to put food on the table. He did it to pander to his radical environmental base and if just few of the objectives of that idiotic "New Green Deal" are enacted there will be a Depression that will make the one last century look like a walk in the park. Kiss all those electric vehicles goodbye because nobody will be able to afford them. Just like the small automobile companies that folded back in the 1920's and 30's when the economy fails again startup EV companies will go tits up.
Now tell me in your own words exactly what you are willing to give up to stop the dreaded Global Warming. Air conditioning, reliable electric power at the flip of a switch, modern medicine, cheap food shipped from all over the world to a supermarket near you, all these modern devices we use to post stuff like this on a world wide web. What exactly would you personally be willing to forgo if it would save old Mother Earth? My guess is not much because it is always easier to expect the other guy to make the sacrifice (especially if your side gets to mandate it) than to actually do without yourself.
Don't presume to tell me my opinion belongs in the trash can unless you are willing to toss yours right in there beside it.

...you do not understand science...
...as evidenced by the fact that you think 66 years Is a long time...
...I'm 34, and I've grasped the notion that climatological and geological timescales are not well grasped by the human mind...
...try harder...
...the species depends on it...

 

[Taildragger]

Lack of scientific curiosity has doomed many civilizations. Humans are literally "tree huggers", breathing their oxygen. Humans don't live long breathing tailpipes.

 

[jerhenderson]

" everything you said went into the trash when you said you think global warming is a hoax. think what you want; you just don't understand the evidence that proves it. "

" ...on a question of scientific veracity, your opinion has no worth, use or purpose... "

I've been on this earth for 66 years and without fail every 20 years or so another lot of Chicken Littles come out of the woodwork to tell us the earth is doomed for whatever reason.
I distinctly remember reading an article in Popular Science back in the late 60's or early 70's that predicted another ice age soon. The article even told how we would be living in nuclear powered underground cities connected by tunnels under the ice. Food would be grown in huge underground chambers using hydroponics and artificial light.
Later came Acid Rain, the hole in the ozone and the prediction that we would be running out of petroleum by this century. The last time I looked the world was still here.
Scientific research is driven by grants that the researchers depend on for their jobs........and he who pays for the grants dictate what results they want to see. And this is driven by the agendas of who is providing that money. For every "researcher or scientist" that you can find to support Global Warming I can find one that opposes it. If you don't understand that then you don't understand the evidence that proves it.
The EPA has been infiltrated by rabid environmentalists that are determined to control policy and dictate regulations that affect jobs and lives........what they can't get by legislation they get by regulation. And unlike elected officials these appointed bureaucrats almost never get fired or held accountable when their policy has an adverse impact on the economy or how people live their lives. And they don't care how it adversely affects the working man as long as it serves their twisted purpose. Once a regulation is adopted it is almost impossible to rescind it or modify it.
I want clean air and water as much as anybody and when the EPA was formed and did the mission it was created for, we got cleaner water and air. Love Canal, Times Beach, Missouri and other Superfund sites got cleaned up and industry was held accountable.
I worked in the Hazardous Waste industry for a government contractor and a private company.....I am well versed in how the EPA and state environmental laws and regulations work and have been involved in many small and major environmental projects to include the destruction of the US Army's Chemical Weapons Stockpile in Anniston, Alabama.
I remember when Birmingham, Alabama was referred to as "Smoke City" by me and my fellow truckers. The steel industry created a pall of smoke that covered the low lying city most of the time in the 1950's and 60's. Kudos to the EPA for fixing that.
What happened, and what always happens to any Federal agency, is what we military guys call "Mission Creep". Mission Creep occurs when an organization is afraid they will lose funding and personnel unless they come up with more ways to justify their existence.
These Federal agencies are ran like little fiefdoms by their director (usually an appointed political toady) who constantly demands a bigger budget and more manpower in order to complete the missions they keep taking on.
When was the last time any Federal agency was reduced in size or scope? I blame this on both political parties and the career politicians that keep allowing those agencies to expand. We need term limits for Congressmen and Senators and we need them now.
That is the evidence I understand having been associated with the military for 34 years and working for a military contractor for six.
If you want a classic example of EPA stupidity look at the lowly gas can. They have made it an ordeal just to put fuel in the tank of a vehicle.
The diesel shop we take our Dodge truck to for service makes stupid money deleting the overly complicated and unreliable emission equipment now mandated on diesel engines by the EPA. And it is not just John Q. Public having this crap deleted. They do it for city, county and state vehicles too.
The Global Warming hoax is designed to milk prosperous countries of money to give to Third World countries that are ran by corrupt leaders who allow their resources to be sold to the highest bidder. They get rich and their people suffer. Where do you think a lot of the exotic metals needed for EV's come from?
As fond as I am of Tesla and Elon Musk they are gaming the system by selling the carbon credits they receive for producing EV's. Who do you think came up with that scheme? Hint........it is a three letter Federal agency. Would Tesla have been able to stay afloat without doing that? A couple of articles I read said it would have been hard pressed to do so.
Our newly elected POTUS has already put thousands of people working on or associated with the Keystone Pipeline out of work. He did it as a stab in the eye to the former President without any consideration for those hard working Americans that depend on those jobs to put food on the table. He did it to pander to his radical environmental base and if just few of the objectives of that idiotic "New Green Deal" are enacted there will be a Depression that will make the one last century look like a walk in the park. Kiss all those electric vehicles goodbye because nobody will be able to afford them. Just like the small automobile companies that folded back in the 1920's and 30's when the economy fails again startup EV companies will go tits up.
Now tell me in your own words exactly what you are willing to give up to stop the dreaded Global Warming. Air conditioning, reliable electric power at the flip of a switch, modern medicine, cheap food shipped from all over the world to a supermarket near you, all these modern devices we use to post stuff like this on a world wide web. What exactly would you personally be willing to forgo if it would save old Mother Earth? My guess is not much because it is always easier to expect the other guy to make the sacrifice (especially if your side gets to mandate it) than to actually do without yourself.
Don't presume to tell me my opinion belongs in the trash can unless you are willing to toss yours right in there beside it.

its really funny that a common thread in the climate change hoax belief is the reference to old science eg the 1960 / 1970 ice age reference. That was 60 years ago. SIXTY. Back then, a human lifetime ago, the process of ice ages was poorly understood, much like climate in the 90's, although the evidence is there that Big Oil already knew but was intentionally silent. The scientific community knows far more know about climate systems now than it did even 10 years ago. Opinion is irrelevant when it isn't based on knowledge.... there's a huge difference between uneducated opinion and educated opinion.