General Motors’ electric-focused Factory Zero is going from 0 to 60 from the starting gate.
The old-school, yet next-gen assembly plant near Detriot, which GM just showcased last month, has completed and delivered its first electric vehicles built on the same Ultium EV Platform. The GMC Hummer EV Edition 1 pickup and BrightDrop EV600 light commercial vehicle assembly and marketplace deliveries mark an important milestone for GM’s EV ambitions.
The auto giant is vowing to deliver 30 all-new EV models globally by 2025, with two-thirds of those planned for the North American market. Ultium is the EV architecture and propulsion system which provides the foundation for GM’s promised all-electric future, company leaders say.
“This is the first chapter for Ultium – and for GM’s transition to a zero-emissions future,” said GM President Mark Reuss said in the release. “Both commercial and retail customers will benefit from the EV experience, from exhilarating acceleration to low cost of operation, versatility and ability to customize after the sale. GM is ideally positioned to provide EVs for every customer in every segment, retail or commercial.”
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Reuss told CNBC that GM will make about 1,200 Edition 1 Hummers and has 17 ready for customers. The first shipment was ready Thursday night.
Factory Zero, which is located between Detroit and Hamtramck, Michigan, was unveiled by the automaker with a grand opening ceremony and visit from President Biden in November. Now touted as GM's flagship EV assembly plant, the 37-year-old facility previously turned out more than three million internal combustion vehicles in previous years.
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(Rod Walton, senior editor for EnergyTech, is a 14-year veteran of covering the energy industry both as a newspaper and trade journalist. He can reached at [email protected]).
