Tag: electrification

Report: Volkswagen to Sell Stake in Electrify America

vw

According to a report in Automotive News, Volkswagen Auto Group is about to sell its stake in Electrify America, a company that builds chargers for electric vehicles.

The company wants to do this so that it can seek outside funding to build its own charging infrastructure.

According to the News, VW is working with Citi to find a co-investor that would be willing and able to pump $1 billion into building charging infrastructure.

Electrify America, a rival to Tesla’s Supercharger network and ChargePoint, came into the picture after VW’s diesel-emissions scandal and has been expected to spend $2 billion on the expansion of a charging network for EVs from 2017 to 2026. So far the company has 635 stations active and 125 planned.

As recently as March, Electrify America and VW made mention of plans for further expansion. Now, VW is trying to consolidate its infrastructure efforts.

The segment is attracting attention from all sorts of companies as the EV future looms larger and larger.

Renault and Shell, for example, are rumored to have an interest in becoming co-owners of Ionity, a European joint venture for charging that is already owned by OEMs such as BMW, Daimler, Ford, Hyundai, and VW.

It makes sense to see OEMs investing in charging companies and attempting to increase infrastructure to support the EVs they plan on selling. The bigger question is why VW is possibly moving away from one company and seeking out another.

Regardless, expect to see more corporate musical chairs over the next few years.

[Image: Volkswagen]

Chevrolet Electric Silverado A ZERO Production

Silverado

Chevrolet’s Silverado electric pickup will be built at the Factory Zero assembly plant in Detroit-Hamtramck, Michigan, along with GMC’s Hummer EV SUV which will also be produced there, General Motors president Mark Reuss said today.

Silverado

A new-from-the-ground-up EV pickup, and not adapted from the gas-powered Silverado, it will use the Ultium Platform. Ultium is General Motors’ virtual development tools and technology, said to have reduced development nearly 50 percent to 26 months.

Chevrolet estimates the new Silverado EV will have a 400-mile range on a full charge. Like its gas-powered sibling, there will be retail and fleet versions of the EV, both expected to be in demand. “Chevrolet will take everything Chevy’s loyal truck buyers love about Silverado — and more — and put it into an electric pickup that will delight retail and commercial customers alike,” said Reuss.

Factory ZERO, General Motors’ renamed Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant, signifies the company’s zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion outlook for the future. ZERO is the largest renovation and retooling ever for a General Motors manufacturing plant. Its paint and body shop, along with the general assembly area, are getting upgrades including new machinery, conveyors, controls, and tooling. The plant’s footprint is now over 4.5 million square feet.

Silverado

General Motors previously hawked its modular propulsion system and Ultium battery-powered global EV platforms. The company is definitely looking to compete head-to-head for customers wherever they may exist. Ultium is a joint venture with LG in Lordstown, Ohio to produce battery cells for future battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Construction of that facility is underway.

General Motors world domination plan calls for a million EVs by 2025, and North American EV leadership. How will this work out with the power grid, President Biden’s future vision, and infrastructure improvements?

[Images: General Motors]