General Motors President Mark Reuss confirmed today the first-ever Chevrolet Silverado electric pickup will be produced in Detroit at Factory ZERO assembly plant.
The Chevrolet Silverado electric full-size pickup is designed from the ground up to be an EV, harnessing the best of the Ultium Platform and Silverado’s proven capability. The electric Silverado will offer customers a GM-estimated range of more than 400 miles on a full charge. Both retail and fleet versions will be available.
Today’s announcement affirms Chevrolet’s commitment to build on the brand’s 100 years of truck expertise and leadership, while transitioning to an all-electric future in the light-vehicle space.
Reuss also confirmed the recently revealed GMC HUMMER EV SUV will be built at Factory ZERO.
GM plans to deliver more than 1 million electric vehicles globally by 2025 and earn EV market leadership in North America. GM says it has reduced vehicle development times by nearly 50 percent to just 26 months with the company’s Ultium Platform, virtual development tools and technology.
“The vehicles coming from Factory ZERO will change the world, and how the world views electric vehicles,” said Reuss. “The GMC HUMMER EV SUV joins its stablemate in the realm of true supertrucks, and Chevrolet will take everything Chevy’s loyal truck buyers love about Silverado — and more — and put it into an electric pickup that will delight retail and commercial customers alike.”
In January 2020, GM announced it was investing $2.2 billion in its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant to produce a variety of all-electric trucks and SUVs. In October 2020, GM renamed the plant Factory ZERO, which reflects the facility’s significance in advancing GM’s vision of a future with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion. Factory ZERO is the launchpad for GM’s multi-brand EV strategy. The facility has advanced technology and tooling and was designed with a focus on sustainable manufacturing. The GMC HUMMER EV pickup and the Cruise Origin, a purpose-built, all-electric and shared self-driving vehicle will also be built at Factory ZERO. Production of the GMC HUMMER EV pickup will begin later this year.
Factory ZERO is undergoing a complete renovation and retooling, the largest ever for a GM manufacturing facility. The plant’s paint and body shops and general assembly area are receiving comprehensive upgrades, including new machines, conveyors, controls and tooling. The plant has expanded to over 4.5 million square feet.
General Motors has made several announcements in the last 18 months about rapidly driving toward its all-electric, zero-emissions future, including:
– GM revealed the heart of its EV strategy, a modular propulsion system and highly flexible global EV platform powered by proprietary Ultium batteries that will allow the company to compete for nearly every customer in the market today.
– GM committed more than $27 billion to EV and AV product development, including $7 billion in 2021 and plans to launch 30 EVs globally by the end of 2025, with more than two-thirds available in North America. Cadillac, GMC, Chevrolet and Buick will all be represented, with EVs at all price points for work, adventure, performance and family use.
– Chevrolet announced its growing EV lineup with the 2022 Bolt EUV and Bolt EV, both expected in dealerships this summer.
– In January 2021, GM unveiled BrightDrop, a new business that aims to electrify and improve the delivery of goods and services by offering an ecosystem of electric first-to-last-mile products, software and services to help empower delivery and logistics companies to move goods more efficiently.
– GM’s zero-emissions technology will extend to fuel cells and the company announced it will supply its Hydrotec fuel cell power cubes to Navistar for use in its production model fuel cell electric vehicle – the International® RHTM Series.
– In October 2020, GM announced it would invest $2 billion in its Spring Hill, Tennessee assembly plant to begin the transition to become the company’s third vehicle manufacturing site to produce electric vehicles, joining Factory ZERO and Orion Assembly.
– In 2019, GM announced the formation of Ultium Cells LLC, a joint venture with LG Energy Solution to mass-produce battery cells in Lordstown, Ohio for future battery-electric vehicles. Construction of the $2.3 billion facility is well underway.
