GM actually isn’t that far behind Tesla if they are behind. They are on gen 3 of their electric platform, and gen 4 is starting to come together. The ultium platform, because it is a lego kit should cut down their costs significantly.
GM is part owner of the hottest selling EV in the world which is the Wuling Hongguang mini-ev. Telsa fanatics are always dismissive of that vehicle because it trumps their volume numbers.
Gm’s first of four announced US battery factories is coming online this summer. They are in part waiting for the utility to finish installing electrical service. Once they get lordstown online, they can start shipping products. Most likely, they start with big products like Bright Drop delivery vans, the Hummer and possibly even Silverado EVs, and quite possibly they may have some agreements with other companies like through Detroit Diesel.
If you are aiming at oil demand or emissions, it isn’t necessarily about volume of consumer vehicles. It is about getting the vehicles that run 8-12 hours a day converted. The average US consumer vehicle only travels 35miles/day.
I read something along the lines of the Tennessee plant was going to produce a different type of cell. I didn’t have time to chase down what they meant but quite possibly, it could be LiFe, and destined for their consumer vehicles.
The whole transition is hard, not only because of all the legacy investments, but because you have to find a market to sell vehicles that cost more while you work through the cost structures. It was always going to be awkward growth. Because no one could predict what market segment would take off. But even if there are some delays, they are on the right path, and they made the right move to get a lot of the investment done, while they were making profits. GM wouldn’t be able to maneuver if they waited until they weren’t making a profit to switch. Stockholders would get upset.
Despite what Tesla morons say, GM is not in a bad position at all. I figured (in 2008) it would take 4 generations of EVs and and until about 2030 for cost competitive vehicles (based on sticker price) with ICE (which was a conservative estimate that I thought they could achieve prior to that, but realistic given they could run into unforeseen problems)
The only thing I really missed was the wholesaling of Electrified vehicles outside the country because oil prices spike about every 15 years for whatever reason. We wanted about a million in the us by 2021. I don’t think we got that. And the Tesla folks can’t shut up about hybrids nor can the v8 crowd… So they got squashed when that was the easy button. It was kind of like shipping E85 vehicles which is another easy button but that got cut off by the distribution channel.