General Motors in the U.S. has just announced it will scrap petrol- and diesel-powered Silverado models before 2035 in a move to make the company carbon neutral by 2040.
General Motors (GM) has become the first big U.S. vehicle manufacturer to effectively scrap fossil-fuelled vehicles such as the Silverado 1500, confirming earlier in the week that it is making the move to electric vehicles only, in its car, SUV and truck (light-duty) markets. According to a report in the Washington Post, GM has confirmed this will happen before 2035, making the company the next major auto manufacturer to join the likes of Toyota with a carbon-neutral standpoint by putting an end to fossil-fuelled vehicles by that year.
A GM executive, who asked for anonymity to describe details of the GM shift, said that the company would spend $US27 billion on electric vehicles and associated products between 2020 and 2025, outstripping spending on conventional gasoline and diesel cars. That figure includes refurbishing factories and investing in battery production in conjunction with LG Chem, a South Korean battery maker.
It’s worth noting, at this stage there hasn’t been an official statement surrounding GM’s larger ‘trucks’, such as the Silverado HD, however with the setting of its ‘carbon neutral’ target of 2040, it will be interesting to see how GM manages that target. It should be noted that GM has allowed itself some ‘wiggle room’ in continuing with internal combustion engines (especially its diesel ‘heavy-duty’ options such as the Silverado HD), as the company has not ruled out using carbon offsets or credits “if absolutely necessary” to reach its carbon-neutral goal. What this means is that GM could invest in tree planting and the like, and still sell diesel and petrol-powered vehicles while remaining carbon neutral.
As this is a developing story, we will continue to keep it updated as more information comes to hand. We can, however, confirm that the Silverado (Light-Duty) will no longer be petrol- or diesel-powered beyond 2035, with an electric-only version set to replace it in coming years.
