2022 has ignited the race of the major automakers to take a leading position on electric vehicle manufacturing. The high demand for this technology in recent years, and its high contribution to protect the environment, are fundamental aspects for brands to bet on this market.
This is the case of the U.S. company General Motors (GM), which announced this week a large investment of 7 billion dollars for the construction of a battery factory, and the expansion of electric car production capacity at its four plants located in Michigan.
The impressive amount of financial resources will be used specifically to build a battery cell plant in Lansing and to convert the Orion Township facility to manufacture electric versions of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra models.
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The facility, to be built on General Motors-owned land, will create 1,700 new jobs once it is fully operational, which is expected to be by the end of 2024.
A Bet on the Future
Despite the fact that electric car sales in the United States only accounted for 3% of total vehicles during 2021, the number of electrified ones did register an 89% increase, according to data released by the consulting firm Cox Automotive.
For this reason, GM has put the meat on the grill with the multi-million dollar investment on innovations. General Motors President and CEO, Mary Barra, said the company’s financial effort demonstrates its commitment to strengthen the industrial presence in Michigan and the United States, as well as to increase the number of well-paying jobs.
She assured that the manufacturer will have the products, battery cell production capacity and vehicle production capacity to be the leader for electric mobility by the middle of this decade.
Mary Barra, President of General Motors. Photo: courtesy
This is one of the biggest bets on specific projects announced so far by the group, since along with this announcement, GM plans to invest a total of 35 billion dollars between now and 2025 to produce electric and autonomous vehicles.
US Government Gives the Go-ahead
Following the announcement by General Motors, the President of the United States, Joe Biden celebrated the news that will give an economic boost to the automotive industry and will open a large number of jobs.
It is worth noting that at the end of 2021, Biden’s administration signed a decree stating that by 2030, half of the cars in the country will be electric or hybrid, aiming to reduce carbon emissions.
Written by I Jhonattan González
