- GM still plans to sell only EVs in its low-powered passenger cars by 2035
- The automaker backed off its current EV sales targets
- GM expects to be the first US automaker outside of Tesla to turn a profit on EVs
General Motors still intends to remove tail pipes from its light passenger cars by 2035, CEO Mary Barra said in an interview with the New York Times.
GM announced an all-electric commitment by 2021 as an important part of achieving zero carbon emissions by 2040. Barra said at the time that about 75% of GM's carbon footprint comes from emissions from its sales vehicle pipeline. The 2035 target would see that drop to zero for low-efficiency vehicles, while still leaving GM with the opportunity to continue selling heavy-duty trucks with internal combustion engines.
2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV
The first steps toward that goal were predicted in the release of GM's new EV battery and transmission system, until recently called Ultium. That didn't go well, but GM is still committed to ditching the pipes, Barra said, adding that the automaker is on track to get started. making EVs profitable at the end of the year. It would be the first US automaker to do so besides Tesla, which has made money selling EVs since 2021 after profiting for years from selling emissions credits.
That positive outlook assumes that the problems GM has had so far with its EV ramp-up will be temporary. Barra said the automaker has largely resolved the production issues that caused the product to get off to a slow start and led to delays for other EVs, while hinting that an arrival could be imminent. $35,000 version of the Chevrolet Equinox EV that will be the key affordability game until the new Bolt EV arrives as a 2026 model.
2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV
Barra said earlier this year that GM would come you missed the targetannounced in 2022, to have the capacity to produce one million EVs by 2025, says the market is “not improving.” But there is still time between now and 2035 for that development to happen. And while Barra expressed surprise that EVs have become political, GM said it will not change course regardless of which party wins the presidency in November—despite the proud standing of the Republican EV.
GM is still making changes, though. The automaker earlier this month pulled the plug on the Ultium name for its EV batteries and related products, and is moving forward with plans to adopt lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells to lower costs.