General Motors announced its plans to build up to 40,000 electric vehicle chargers throughout North America as part of a $750 million investment in charging infrastructure to help entice drivers to its electrified vehicles.
GM will provide charging equipment to car dealers in the United States and Canada as a part of this initiative. Instead of installing these chargers on their private properties, those dealers will find appropriate locations and get the infrastructure in place. GM will provide each dealer with up to ten Ultium charging stations to deploy in their local areas. The carmaker also stated that it would assist dealers with procurement of funding and other incentives to install the chargers.
According to Alex Keros, GM’s lead architect of EV infrastructure, General Motor decided to collaborate with dealers under the “Dealer Community Charging Program” as they are already actively involved in developing the charging infrastructure in their local regions. Alex said, “Dealers are already pretty active in their communities, have great relationships, they know them well, and so why not leverage them?”
GM’s 40,000 new Level 2 chargers will be named Ultium Chargers with clear GM branding, but unlike Tesla’s Supercharging network, they will not be a proprietary network. Keros stated that the manufacturer has no intention of pursuing an exclusive network strategy to enhance electric vehicle sales. ‘Our view of the world is, everybody in, and we want to make sure that we’re growing the ocean, according to Keros.
The automaker will also release three Ultium Level 2 smart chargers developed and manufactured with EV charging company CTEK for home and commercial use. Two of the units will have a capacity of 11.5 kilowatts, and the third will be a 19.2 kW unit, making it ideal for powering the upcoming electric GMC Hummer or Cadillac Lyriq. According to Keros, these chargers will be utilized in the Dealer Community Charging Program, but they will also be ideal for home usage.
The chargers will include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and a customizable screen on the more powerful version. The stations will also be able to balance the load, which means that each unit will securely synchronize the energy supply to the vehicle. When placed at home, this may imply balancing the power flow between the car and other electrical household equipment.
Customers will be able to create a charging schedule, access the charger’s status, and examine other information on charging habits using GM’s Ultium Charge 360 app. According to GM, the charging devices will be accessible next year, simultaneously with the start of the community charging scheme. Customers will be able to add the cost of a charger to their lease or contract with GM Financial.
The manufacturer is working diligently to meet its goal of releasing 30 electric vehicles worldwide by the end of 2025, with plans to spend $35 billion on EVs and autonomous technologies during that time.
“When you look at the strong portfolio, the fact that we’re going to have affordable EVs, really affordable EVs for people, and we’re also working on the ecosystem they need because for a lot of people, it’s going to be their only vehicle — they need a reliable charging infrastructure,” said Mary Barra, chair and CEO of General Motors.
Vehya is working in conjunction with auto dealers nationwide to move EV adoption ahead. We provide turnkey sales, installation, and service of EV chargers throughout the US. Contact us today and let’s get you moving toward the electric future.
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