Optimistic GM helps dealers to install 40 000 AC chargers

Tony Verhelle Posted On October 28, 2021

The deployment of an impressive charging infrastructure will be of crucial importance for the success of EVs /GM

The car company reveals concrete steps after General Motors recently announced charging infrastructure investments of almost $750 million by 2025. Together with its dealers, GM will launch the ‘Dealer Community Charging Program’ to build up to 40 000 AC charging stations for electric vehicles in the US and Canada.

The chargers will not just stand at car dealers. Instead, the scheme will involve each GM dealer receiving up to ten AC/Level 2 chargers and installing them at key locations in their local communities.

These include workplaces, multifamily housing, sports and event venues, colleges, and universities. According to the company, the reasoning is that today, nearly 90% of the US population lives within 10 miles of a GM dealership. Therefore, the charging stations will also be open to the public.

Three chargers

GM also announced it would offer a line of three proprietary chargers for home and commercial use beginning next year under the name Ultium Chargers. These will also be available through the GM dealerships.

“These two initiatives are part of our plan to put everyone in an EV, making access to charging even more seamless than before,” said GM President Mark Reuss.

“We want to give customers the right tools and access to charging where and when they need it. So we’re working with our dealer network to accelerate the expansion of accessible charging throughout the US and Canada, including in underserved, rural, and urban areas.”

For the three chargers, the company is working with Swedish charging specialist CTEK. The offer will be an 11,5 kW/48 A charger and two premium smart chargers of 11,5 kW/48 A and 19,2 kW/80 A.

According to GM, all three feature wifi, Bluetooth, and dynamic load management while handling over-the-air updates (OTA). The two premium models also feature a customizable touchscreen and integrated camera. The first Ultium Chargers are scheduled for early next year.

BrightDrop gets its own dealer network

Meanwhile, General Motors’ electric commercial vehicle business, BrightDrop, will build out a dedicated dealer network to drive growth, the unit’s head said on Tuesday. While CEO Travis Katz did not disclose how many dealers will be in the network, he said it would be smaller than GM’s retail network and focus on urban markets. In addition, the locations will be tailored to serve fleet customers such as FedEx and Verizon, which GM supplies vehicles to by contract.

“The plan is we’re setting up our own BrightDrop-specific dealership network,” Katz told the Automotive Press Association in Detroit, adding that BrightDrop is talking to existing GM dealers but could use others as well. BrightDrop is an important growth market for GM, which has said it plans to double revenue by 2030.

Asked if GM will spin-off BrightDrop or seek outside investors for the business as it did for its Cruise autonomous-driving unit, Katz said there were no such current plans, and GM does not need external capital to build the business.

BrightDrop is scheduled to begin selling its first vehicle, the EV600 van, this fall, followed by the smaller EV410 car in 2023.

Confident CEO

While its turnover and profits are lower because of the chips shortage, GM is optimistic about its future. In a letter to the shareholders, CEO Mary Barra has welcomed the “excellent results thanks to our financial division and the agreement with our esteemed supplier LG Electronics.” Barra is, of course, referring to the acceptance of the Korean supplier to pay up to 1,9 billion dollars in compensation for the delivery of faulty batteries for the Chevrolet Bolt.

Analysts of Wedbush Securities point out that the worst of the chips shortage crisis should be behind us now. However, they also underline that the future of GM, like for its major competitors, lies in the intensification of EV production.

Mary Barra has indicated that she hoped the GM revenues from electric vehicles would increase from $10 billion in 2023 to $90 billion in 2030. She also confirmed to analysts that GM intends to build two new battery plants in the US before 2025.

While the same analysts are convinced that Tesla will keep its lead in the EV business, undoubtedly because of its mega-deal with Hertz, Mary Barra has assured that GM can catch up with the brand concerning the amount of EVs sold in the five coming years. Before 2025, GM wants to commercialize at least 30 electric models.

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