GM Wants to Electrify Everything: Here’s How
GM is grabbing for all of the electric mobility business that it can. To that end, it is starting to promote its “Powered Solutions.” It takes in commercial EV conversions, marine, and vintage rides like the 1972 El Camino shown. GM estimates the business could be worth as much as $20 billion by 2030.
The GM eSVM program connects electric powertrains with conversion shops
It is wrapping both the hardware and the conversion itself with its Electric Connect and Cruise eCrate package. GM has its electric specialty vehicle modifier (eSVM) program that puts buyers of its eCrate package together with shops that can do the electric propulsion conversion.
Promotion for the electrification enterprise in the aftermarket centers around some recent concepts. These include the E-10 pickup, Blazer-E, eCOPO Camaro, and Hot Rod magazine’s Project X 1957 Chevy. Cagnazzi Racing’s eCrate Solutions Group in conjunction with GM handled the Project X conversion.
Lingenfelter Performance Engineering in Brighton, Michigan, used a 1972 El Camino SS as the first independent installation of an eCrate package. It has seen hundreds of road test miles since completion earlier this summer. Power comes from a Chevy Bolt EV electric motor with 200 hp from a 400-volt battery pack with 60 kilowatt-hours of energy.
Electric Connect and Cruise eCrate packages have been delayed
The Electric Connect and Cruise eCrate package used in the El Camino was to have been available now. Due to the Chevy Bolt recall, GM has pushed the release off until mid-2022.
Besides the aftermarket, GM’s Powered Solutions, Ground Support Equipment, and Marine Propulsion are the key focus groups. Through Powered Solutions, it will offer custom electric packages for GM Marine, On-Highway, Off-Highway, and Industrial applications.
GM just bought a huge chunk of Pure Watercraft in Seattle
For airport ground support equipment, Powertrain Control Solutions will assist in electrifying TUG equipment, baggage tractors, belt loaders, and the like, with lithium-ion powertrains. For its Marine Propulsion, it has a significant investment in Pure Watercraft. It is a Seattle-based electric watercraft company.
“As companies across many industries look to reduce their environmental impact, GM is uniquely positioned to serve as a leader. Not only through exciting new EVs across our brands but through additional technology applications,” says Travis Hester, GM vice-president of Electric Vehicle Growth Operations. “And we look forward to bringing customers-existing and new, along with us on our zero-emissions journey,”
As you can tell GM’s approach is far-reaching and inclusive. It has the resources to take this approach and also many areas of the company that will need to follow the electric zeitgeist, or they will no longer exist.
