The company recently named its first all-electric plant which will create thousands of new jobs, announced a $2 billion investment in electric vehicle production, and debuted its Hummer EV
In the past week, General Motors (GM) has announced a string of initiatives signaling its intent to move toward an all-electric future. The automaker recently shared that the name of its reconfigured Detroit-Hamtramck facility, the company’s first all-electric manufacturing plant, will be Factory Zero. According to GM, it’s the largest single investment in a plant in the company’s history. The company said that when construction on Factory Zero is complete, the facility will create a whopping 2,200 manufacturing jobs.
“The name Factory ZERO reflects the significance of this facility in advancing GM’s zero-crashes, zero-emissions, and zero-congestion future. Factory ZERO will be the launchpad for GM’s multi-brand EV strategy. The facility has advanced technology and tooling and was designed with a focus on sustainable manufacturing,” the company said in the press release.
GM Executive Vice President of Global Manufacturing Gerald Johnson said, “Factory ZERO is the next battleground in the EV race and will be GM’s flagship assembly plant in our journey to an all-electric future.” “The electric trucks and SUVs that will be built here will help transform GM and the automotive industry.” Additionally, GM confirmed that it will invest $2 billion into transitioning its Spring Hill, Tennessee assembly plant to build EVs.
The automaker is also positioned to ramp up its EV battery-making efforts, with construction on its Ultium Cells LLC Battery Plant currently underway in Northeast Ohio. GM says that the nearly three-million-square-foot plant will bring more than 1,100 jobs to the region. Ultium Cells LLC is a joint venture between GM and LG Chem. The batteries are unique in that “the large-format, pouch-style cells can be stacked vertically or horizontally inside the battery pack. This allows engineers to optimize battery energy storage and layout for each vehicle design,” GM said in a press release.
<!– wp:paragraph –><p>Perhaps the most difficult part to understand about offshore wind is the sheer scale of what can be built when you are building over the ocean. While land-based wind projects are truly large in their own right, offshore wind turbines can be colossal with a single turn powering multiple homes for 24 hours. Moreover, the power source is always present, unlike some other renewable energy sources, because the wind always blows over the ocean. It’s an inexhaustible resource like the waves rippling over the surface of the Atlantic. For the first time in history, Americans will be capturing that resource at the utility-scale by harnessing the abundant wind energy right off the coast of Massachusetts to deliver cheap, clean energy to power over 400,000 homes and businesses by 2023.</p>
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<p>The <a href="https://www.vineyardwind.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Vineyard Wind</a> offshore wind project is nearing the end of its federal review, and after 3 years of environmental impact studies, community cooperation, and technological developments, Vineyard Wind 1 is expected to start construction as early as this summer. Located 15 miles off of the coast of Massachusetts, the project is going to produce 800 Megawatts of clean, renewable energy for the state annually, lowering the cost of electricity for residents over <a href="https://www.vineyardwind.com/press-releases/2021/3/11/vineyard-wind-statement-on-amended-ma-climate-legislation" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$1.4 billion</a> in the first 20 years of operation. New Englanders are no stranger to high energy costs, and this project will demonstrate the effectiveness of offshore wind farms at reducing energy bills for Americans across the country. Additionally, the project is projected to reduce CO2 emissions by 1.68 million metric tons every year and is expected to start producing clean power in early 2023.</p>
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<p>As the first utility-scale offshore wind farm, Vineyard Wind 1 will serve as a proving ground for the viability of offshore wind energy generation, so the team is working to ensure the Vineyard Wind 1 is as energy-efficient and environmentally sound as possible. “Our goal is to set high standards. We want to be good stewards of the ocean, and we know that we have to share it with other users of the water,” Andrew Doba, Acting Communications Director for Vineyard Wind, shared in an interview with The Business Download. “So setting those standards is important for us, and obviously, we always look to improve but the higher you can set the standards in the beginning, the higher you can go from there.” One of the ways they do this is by partnering with <a href="https://clean-energy.thebusinessdownload.com/the-optimist-of-greentown-ceo-emily-reichert/">Green Town Labs</a> to develop an environmentally friendly <a href="https://www.vineyardwind.com/offshorewindchallenge" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">offshore wind accelerator</a>.</p>
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<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/QkqQukUVlzxxCoc6P17ygBUn41pWhm5fwq2HILxhtkyBISI52NsjD7wVvLF72VkikjEJfCLMttalNk8SbQTWr1yFAlNHuwaXpg0-ZNg9B_Vydsq92nGmI8vvOdLE-ISlNkjVY2UF" alt="" /><figcaption>One rotation of this wind turbine produces enough energy to power two homes for 24 hours. Photo courtesy of <a href="https://www.ge.com/renewableenergy/wind-energy/offshore-wind/haliade-x-offshore-turbine">General Electric</a>.</figcaption></figure>
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<p>Building Vineyard Wind 1 is expected to cost roughly $2.8 billion and will create around 3,600 full-time equivalent job years. Meaning the construction process and maintenance of the farm will generate 3,600 years of full-time employment, a number derived from combining short-term construction contracts and year-round maintenance jobs. Massachusetts is an ideal location for Vineyard Wind for several reasons. The ocean is relatively shallow out to the 15-mile mark, keeping construction costs low, and the wind resource is tremendous. Using 84 of GE’s massive <a href="https://www.ge.com/renewableenergy/wind-energy/offshore-wind/haliade-x-offshore-turbine" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Haliade-X</a> wind turbines, the largest, most powerful wind turbine in the world, Vineyard Wind will create over 800 MW of power for Massachusetts. By working with the local fishing industry, the Vineyard Wind team is creating transit channels throughout the 200 mile Vineyard 1 project. Each transit channel is at least 1 nautical mile wide, giving local fishermen plenty of room to navigate the waterways in and out of port.</p>
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<p>By working closely with the local communities, the Vineyard Wind team has been able to address individual and group concerns about the project proactively. “Anytime you're doing something new, something that's never been done before, there are concerns, but people see the tremendous potential that's surrounding this industry, particularly in areas that are looking to revitalize their economies,” Andrew Doba shared. “People see the tremendous opportunity for jobs and investment and welcome it. They are just really getting excited about the potential here.”</p>
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Most recently, GM debuted its long-anticipated Hummer EV–the company’s first electric pickup truck. The vehicle is an all-electric iteration of the automaker’s Hummer brand, which for years, received criticism over its harmful environmental impact until the line was discontinued in 2010.
Each year until 2024, when the $80,000 base model is released, GM will roll out three other versions with the price decreasing on each. Hummer EV Edition 1 starts at $112,595, with production on the vehicle beginning late next year at Factory Zero in Detroit. Just hours after reservations opened up on GM’s site, the company said it had sold out.
Hummer EV will compete with upcoming electric trucks from automakers like Tesla, Rivian, and Ford. GM says it will be capable of more than 350 miles of range per charge, reach 0-60 in approximately three seconds, and will come with a first-of-its-kind crabwalk feature that will allow the vehicle to drive diagonally at low speeds. It’s interior will feature a 12.3-inch diagonal Driver Information Center as well as a 13.4-inch diagonal touch screen.
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<p>The American Petroleum Institute board voted Thursday to endorse putting a tax or other price on carbon dioxide emissions, a shift for the oil industry that could influence the Biden administration’s plans for a government-wide assault on global warming.</p>
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<p>The largest U.S. oil industry lobbying group cast its support for a so-called carbon price as part of a <a href="https://mercury.bloomberg.com/news/www.api.org/climate" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">broader plan</a> for combating climate change, including efforts to <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-19/u-s-weighs-global-benchmark-on-climate-impact-for-wall-street" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">standardize reporting</a> of sustainability efforts and propel emissions-reducing technologies. But API support for the carbon price hinges on the policy being applied economy-wide and replacing existing regulations on greenhouse gases — a trade-off seen as key to luring support from Republicans on Capitol Hill.</p>
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<p>The blueprint reflects the industry’s attempt to reconcile the clamor for zero-emission energy sources with its core business selling fossil fuels. The industry needs to pare emissions while providing more energy to the world, said API President Mike Sommers.</p>
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<p>“We think that a carbon pricing policy that is market-based, transparent and economy-wide gives us the best opportunity to achieve that,” Sommers said. “What we’re not going to support is just putting a price on carbon or carbon tax or whatever it is on top of the existing regulatory regime.”</p>
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<p>A carbon price could take the form of a tax or cap-and-trade program, with explicit costs for emitting carbon dioxide that deter the use of oil, natural gas and coal while encouraging cleaner alternatives.</p>
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<p>The idea of a carbon tax has long enjoyed support from economists — <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2018-09-10/yellen-touts-carbon-tax-as-textbook-solution-to-climate-change" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">including</a> President Joe Biden’s Treasury secretary, Janet Yellen — because it would ensure the costs of climate change are embedded in the price of carbon-intensive products, such as gasoline and cement. Some oil companies, from Exxon Mobil Corp. to Royal Dutch Shell Plc, had already thrown <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-20/oil-companies-join-corporate-lobbying-push-for-u-s-carbon-tax" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">lobbying dollars</a> behind a plan to tax emissions and distribute the revenue back to consumers.</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-19/in-switch-chamber-endorses-climate-action-possible-carbon-tax" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Related: In Switch, Chamber Endorses Climate Action, Possible Carbon Tax</a></p>
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<p>The idea has gained traction with business groups and moderate Republicans in Washington, as the Biden administration readies a new emissions-cutting pledge and regulations cracking down on greenhouse gases from oil wells, automobiles and power plants.</p>
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<p>Another element of the API plan aligns with Biden administration goals: a recommendation to “avoid carbon leakage,” where climate policies put domestic energy producers and manufacturers at a competitive disadvantage, encouraging operations to shift to regions with less-stringent rules. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative <a href="https://ustr.gov/about-us/policy-offices/press-office/fact-sheets/2021/march/fact-sheet-2021-trade-agenda-and-2020-annual-report" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a> earlier this month it would consider a carbon border adjustment to encourage climate action globally while protecting domestic manufacturing.</p>
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<p>The API, which represents large integrated oil companies such as Exxon and Chevron Corp. as well as independent producers and refiners, is vowing to put lobbying muscle behind the effort. Sommers did not specify what resources would be devoted to the push but said the group was already advocating the approach with Republican and Democratic lawmakers. Oil company executives <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-22/oil-industry-titans-vow-climate-collaboration-with-white-house" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">argued in favor</a> of a carbon price in a meeting Monday with National Climate Adviser Gina McCarthy.</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-22/oil-industry-titans-vow-climate-collaboration-with-white-house" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read More: Oil Industry Titans Vow Climate Collaboration With White House</a></p>
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<p>Supporters say a carbon tax would help propel emissions reductions in difficult-to-decarbonize businesses like cement and steel making. A price on carbon could create demand and revenue for technologies that are too costly to develop and deploy today.</p>
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<p>“We all understand the future is going to include policies to address climate change, but what the policies will be is unknown and can swing quite a bit from administration to administration,” said Greg Bertelsen, head of the Climate Leadership Council pushing a carbon fee-and-dividend plan. “What a carbon price does is it puts everyone on a level playing field and says ‘here are the rules of the game, and now you in the marketplace, go compete.’”</p>
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<p>Some environmentalists argue a baseline of federal regulations is needed to guarantee emissions reductions and the rules shouldn’t be traded away for a carbon price. Many congressional Democrats also favor a nationwide standard mandating clean energy instead of a carbon tax that could prolong demand for natural gas.</p>
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<p>Indeed, API is also backing policies to encourage U.S. gas, including through programs that would differentiate among supplies based on their emissions intensity. That dovetails with efforts by some companies to market their gas as “responsibly sourced” and comes as the European Union <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-05/cleaning-up-lng-becomes-a-target-of-eu-in-blow-to-u-s-shippers" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">weighs</a> limiting emissions-heavy imports.© 2021 Bloomberg L.P.</p>
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Select trims of the Hummer EV will be compatible with 800V DC fast chargers, which will allow for vehicle charging speeds of 100 miles per 10 minutes. The car will be the first to utilize GM’s new Ultium-battery-powered EV platform, according to CNBC.
If the company’s other moves weren’t enough evidence of a shift toward an electric future, it’s reimagining a gas guzzler is a promising sign.
“We are committed to investing in the U.S., our employees, and our communities,” said GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra in the Spring Hill plant investment release. “These investments underscore the success of our vehicles today and our vision of an all-electric future.”
