GM Aims to Make Zero-Emission Consumer Lineup by 2035

DETROIT — General Motors announced Thursday its plans to be carbon neutral in its global products and operations by 2040, and committed to setting science-based targets to reach that goal.

The company also signed the Business Ambition Pledge for 1.5°C, a call-to-action from a global coalition of UN agencies, business and industry leaders, according to a company release.

“General Motors is joining governments and companies around the globe working to establish a safer, greener and better world,” said Mary Barra, GM chairwoman and CEO. “We encourage others to follow suit and make a significant impact on our industry and on the economy as a whole.”

Part of that goal includes eliminating tailpipe emissions from new light-duty vehicles by 2035. GM is working with the Environmental Defense Fund to develop “a shared vision of an all-electric future,” by offering zero-emissions vehicles across a range of price points, according to the release.

By working with EDF and other stakeholders, GM announced it will build out the charging infrastructure and promote consumer acceptance while maintaining jobs. The automaker is implementing plans now to reduce the supply chain impact while supporting grids and utilities that power electric vehicles with renewable energy, the company stated.

GM is working with EVgo to triple the size of the public fast-charging network by adding more than 2,700 fast chargers powered by 100% renewable energy by the end of 2025.

“With this extraordinary step forward, GM is making it crystal clear that taking action to eliminate pollution from all new light-duty vehicles by 2035 is an essential element of any automaker’s business plan,” said Fred Krupp, Environmental Defense Fund president. “EDF and GM have had some important differences in the past, but this is a new day in America — one where serious collaboration to achieve transportation electrification, science-based climate progress and equitably shared economic opportunity can move our nation forward.”

Currently, about 98% of GM’s sales and all of its profit are from vehicles that run on fossil fuels, particularly pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles, the Wall Street Journal reports. Governments around the world, including the state of California, Japan and the United Kingdom, have already pledged to ban gas- and diesel-powered cars by 2035, the Journal reported.

GM’s products account for 75% of carbon emissions related to its carbon-neutrality commitment, the company reports. By the middle of this decade, the company expects to offer 30 all-electric models globally, and 40% of its U.S. models will be battery electric vehicles by the end of 2025, according to the release.

In the next five years, the company is investing $27 billion in electric and autonomous vehicles, upping its commitment from the previously announced $20 billion. Electric vehicles will be available in every segment, from sedans to crossovers to trucks to SUVs.

To address its own emission, the automaker plans to source 100% renewable energy to power its U.S. locations by 2030, and globally by 2035, according to the release. It will also invest in carbon credits and offsets in the coming years to account for any remaining carbon emissions.

Pictured: Mary Barra, GM chairwoman and CEO, says the company plans to become carbon neutral in its global products and operations by 2040 and has committed to setting science-based targets to achieve carbon neutrality. (Photo by Steve Fecht for General Motors)

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.