[ad_1]
“I never thought vehicle propulsion would become a political issue,” Mary Barra, GM chairman and CEO, said on stage at TechCrunch Disrupt on Tuesday.
While the executive branch did not expand on this statement, former President Trump has criticized electric vehicles and claimed, incorrectly, that There is a mandate To manufacture and sell electric vehicles in the United States.
“GM’s goal is to continue to provide great vehicles, continue to support the charging infrastructure to be more robust…and open up the Tesla charging network as well, so people choose it because it’s a great vehicle,” Barra continued. “And that’s the journey we’re on, as we work to bring down battery costs. We’re still looking for battery innovations to increase energy density and lower cost, and all of those things will be available to everyone.”
Reducing battery costs could help lower EV prices. Affordability is top of mind for Barra, who said it is a key factor for consumers.
“That’s why we’re so excited to have Equinox and Blazer because we’re getting into the affordable range, especially when you look at the Equinox EV which will start at a mid-$30,000 price point,” she said.
“But they want affordability with the right scale,” she continued. And that sweet spot is actually 300 miles away before people start getting range anxiety.
Finally, access to functioning, well-lit charging stations that are easy to pay for is what consumers want.
“Charging will continue to improve,” she said, noting that GM has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to help bolster charging infrastructure in partnership with companies like Ifgo.
While electric vehicles are a key component of Barra’s vision for GM, autonomy, cybersecurity and China strategy are also important. Here are some highlights.
Cruz will still help GM transform the industry
“I became CEO in 2014, and in 2015 we spent a lot of time in Silicon Valley and at Stanford and other places within the leadership team,” Barra said. “What are the technologies that were really going to change our industry? We started looking at those. Autonomy was one.
She noted that when GM acquired Cruise in 2016, the automaker kept its hands off the startup’s AV business and allowed it to develop as the startup did, which led to Cruise marketing a fully driverless robotaxi in San Francisco. Cruz’s permits to work were suspended after a safety incident last October.
However, Barra remains optimistic about the safety potential of autonomous vehicles. She also believes the cruise investment will continue to help GM one day provide self-driving personal vehicles.
GM will one day manufacture AV
After Cruise’s safety mishap, the company canceled plans to produce the Origin, a purpose-built, self-built vehicle without a steering wheel or pedals. While Barra acknowledged that there are challenges to putting such a vehicle on public roads — specifically federal motor vehicle safety standards — she believes a self-driving car built without human control is still in the future for GM.
Keep data safe
Today’s electric cars are computers on wheels, and as a result, they collect a lot of data, including the environment you’re driving in, how the car is performing, and driving behavior. This data could contain sensitive information, something Barra says GM is prioritizing.
“I take cybersecurity very seriously from a vehicular perspective, because again, if something goes wrong, it can have serious consequences,” Barra said. “So this is something we’ve invested in for years. Privacy as well, treating data with respect and continuing to raise the bar on how we manage data and making sure we’re doing the right thing.
It’s worth noting that GM is among a number of automakers that have been sharing consumer driving data with insurance companies The New York Times reported Earlier this year. GM has since stopped sharing that data with LexisNexis Risk Solution and Verisk, two data brokers that created risk profiles for the insurance industry, and has appointed an executive to oversee customer privacy.
Stay away from China
Barra referred to the competition for electric vehicle market share in China as “Race to the bottomShe doubled down on those comments on Tuesday.
“There’s a lot going on from a political perspective,” she said. “Our business in China is changing.”
During the third quarter, GM’s joint venture in China lost $137 million, compared to a profit of $192 million last year. This is because it is difficult to compete with local brands that enjoy government support to produce excellent cars at low costs.
“The competition continues,” she added. “From a pricing perspective, it’s less and less and less. So you have to look at what is a sustainable business? Because the way it is right now is not sustainable. We have 100 businesses or so, and less than a handful of them are profitable.”
[ad_2]