General Motors on Thursday announced that it aims to make most of its cars and trucks emissions-free by 2035, as a neighborhood of a wider campaign by the American auto giant to go carbon neutral.
The move is that the latest by a serious auto producer to shift faraway from gas-guzzling vehicles in favor of non-polluting alternatives over concerns that their industry is contributing to global climate change .
"General Motors is joining governments and corporations around the globe working to work out a safer, greener and better world," CEO Mary Barra said during a press release announcing the move.
"We encourage others to imitate and make a big impact on our industry and on the economy as an entire ."
The goal to chop emissions by 2035 only applies to light duty vehicles, but GM said it also wants to become carbon neutral by 2040, which Barra said means removing emissions from all products and operations.
"Where removing emissions isn't possible—for example if the technology doesn't yet exist in those timeframes—we will catch abreast of those emissions through carbon credits or carbon capture. Our preference will always be for removal of emissions," Barra wrote on LinkedIn.
Electric only future?
GM's move would apply to the pickup trucks and SUVs that are popular within the us , but the corporate made no mention of its heavy-duty lineup of trucks.
Similar plans are afoot elsewhere in the industry. Volkswagen has announced it wants to supply 70 electric vehicle (EV) models by 2030, and sell 26 million units in 10 years.
Tesla has already become the darling of investors who are convinced that the American electric vehicle manufacturer represents the long run of the car , and its shares are worth far more on the stock market than traditional automakers.
GM has already indicated plans to expand its electric vehicle lineup, including by pledging to supply 30 models by 2025 altogether four of its main brands—Cadillac, GMC, Chevrolet, Buick.
It also withdrew from a lawsuit filed by former president Donald Trump's administration challenging California's right to line its own emissions standards.
But it had been unclear if the newest announcement indicated it might produce electric vehicles exclusively.
"We are taking action toward making that the case," a spokesperson told AFP.
"It would require collaboration with our industry, governments and customers which we'll bring everyone along, especially our employees, therein journey."
Pushed by politics
Any such move could face an extended road to success: electric sales in 2019 accounted for less than 2.6 percent of the worldwide market, consistent with the International Energy Agency.
GM collaborated on its plans with the Environmental Defense Fund, whose president Fred Krupp called the move an "extraordinary breakthrough ."
"GM is making it crystal clear that taking action to eliminate pollution from all new light-duty vehicles by 2035 is a crucial element of any automaker's business plan," he said.
Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives said GM's decision indicates it intends to travel "all in" on electric vehicles, fueled by the environmental goals of President Joe Biden's administration and competition from other automakers.
"With the Biden Green Agenda on the horizon, we believe other automakers could follow GM's lead domestically with Tesla continuing to run away with market share during this EV arms race," he said.
However iSeeCars Executive Analyst Karl Brauer said it seems unlikely GM can eliminate traditional vehicles from its lineup entirely.
"There will likely always be use cases where gasoline or diesel makes the foremost sense. EVs can and can replace a particular amount of the present gasoline market over subsequent decade, but it's hard to imagine electric vehicle technology replacing all of them," he said.
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