GM Unveils ‘Factory Zero’ to Manufacture HUMMER EV and More
OCTOBER 18TH, 2020
AUTHOR: KEVIN STILLERMAN
A Goal of Zero
General Motors has just announced ‘Factory ZERO’, an all-electric vehicle assembly plant being repurposed from it’s existing Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center.
The factory is progress towards GM’s future goal of zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion, and will help to serve as a launchpad for the companies multi-brand EV strategy.
Factory ZERO will be a sustainable manufacturing home for GM’s highly anticipated GMC HUMMER EV pickup which is scheduled for production in late 2021.
Factory ZERO will also be the manufacturing home of Cruise Origin, a self-driving electric shared vehicle.
As stated by Gerald Johnson, GM’s executive vice president of Global Marketing
“Factory ZERO is the next battleground in the EV race and will be GM’s flagship assembly plant in our journey to an all-electric future” - Gerald Johnson, GM Executive VP of Global Marketing
A Big Bet for GM
Upgrading the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center will cost a pretty penny. GM is investing $2.2 billion towards Factory ZERO, a large portion of which will go towards retooling and facility upgrades to enable building EVs at scale.
For GM, this will be the single largest monetary investment in company history, which is expected to produce 2,200 good-paying U.S. manufacturing jobs.
A Sustainable Future
As the electric vehicle market continues to grow, companies like GM are looking to transition to emission free vehicles to stay current with widespread movement for a more sustainable planet, led by Tesla Motors.
In the short term, GM plans to fully power Factory ZERO with renewable energy by 2023. For the long term, the company has aggressive goals of sourcing 100 percent of its U.S. facilities with renewable energy by 2030, and a global goal targeted by 2040.
For the long term, the company has aggressive goals of sourcing 100 percent of its U.S. facilities with renewable energy by 2030, and a global goal targeted by 2040.
Future Lineup
GM is developing what they call their ‘Ultium battery platform’ which is a flexible platform that can be utilized on a wide range of EVs including cars, trucks, and more.
The Ultium battery platform will be the heart of GMs future lineup including the GMC HUMMER EV and Cruise Origin shared vehicle.
A Clear Vision
Factory ZERO is bold statement from GM that they are serious about electrifying their vehicles and committed to a more sustainable future.
As stated by Dane Parker, GM Chief Sustainability Officer
“This manufacturing plant will be the epitome of GM’s vision by sustainably manufacturing electric and shared autonomous vehicles that can help reduce crashes, emissions and congestion” - Dane Parker, GM Chief Sustainability Officer
Factory ZERO is certainly a step in the right direction to achieve these goals.
As more an more automotive companies enter the EV game, it is becoming more and more obvious that the future of transportation is electric.
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