GM Sustainability Report Details Progress Toward Electric Future

DETROIT – General Motors says it is rapidly scaling up production capacity to meet its goal of producing 1 million electric vehicles in North America by 2025, according to the automaker’s 2022 Sustainability Report released Friday.

The report cites major investments such as Ultium Cells LLC’s battery cell manufacturing plant in Lordstown, which began production in August. 

A second Ultium plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee, will open in mid-2023, GM said, while a third facility in Lansing, Michigan, will open in late 2024.

In April, GM also announced a plan for a joint investment of more than $3 billion with Samsung SDI to build a new battery cell manufacturing plant in the U.S. that is targeted to begin operations in 2026. No location has yet been disclosed. GM and Samsung SDI will jointly operate the facility, which is projected to have production lines to build nickel-rich prismatic and cylindrical cells.

GM has committed to carbon neutrality in its global productions and operations by 2040 and has a science-based targets initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The new report details how GM is working toward these goals across its priority areas of innovation, environmental action, social responsibility and governance.

“At GM, the focus of our impact is on helping to create an all-electric future that works for everyone,” said Kristen Siemen, GM chief sustainability officer. “Beyond manufacturing EVs that are affordable and accessible, we’re working to improve our supply chain, investing in communities and advancing clean energy solutions. It’s a big mission, and I’m proud of the progress we’ve made and our tenacity to lead the way.”

GM added that it is working to incorporate responsibly sourced materials in vehicles. In the past year, GM joined the First Movers Coalition for concrete, cement, steel and aluminum to work toward a solution and signal its support for the development of low-CO2 materials.

The automaker also said it supports the growth of renewable power generation through direct investments, on-site power generation, green tariffs and power purchase agreements. In late 2022, GM finalized energy sourcing agreements to secure 100% of the energy needed to power all U.S. facilities from renewable energy by 2025, demonstrating tangible progress in reducing emissions in its business operations.

Additional highlights in the report include:

• Cruise, the autonomous driving subsidiary of GM, launched the first paid driverless ride-hailing service in a major U.S. city in San Francisco, followed by commercial expansion into the Phoenix, Arizona, and Austin, Texas, areas.

• GM secured all the battery raw materials to support its goal of 1 million units of EV capacity in North America in 2025.

• GM Energy – a new business unit that aims to provide a holistic ecosystem of connected energy management solutions for residential, commercial and EV customers – was introduced.

• GM achieved its goal of diverting more than 90% of its total operational waste from landfills, incinerators and energy recovery facilities, three years ahead of its 2025 goal.

GM reports its annual data in reference to several reporting frameworks, including the Global Reporting Initiative, Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures, Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, UN Global Compact and the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.Read the full report HERE.

Pictured at top: The General Motors logo is displayed outside the General Motors Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant in Hamtramck, Michigan, on Jan. 27, 2020 (AP Photo | Paul Sancya, File)

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.