General Motors has made another proclamation at CES 2022, this time providing a timeline for electric variants of its heavy-duty pickups. HD EVs are scheduled for 2035, which just happens to be the same time it has promised to have phased out gasoline engines. Presumably, that means the hardest working of GM’s work vehicles will also be the very last models to go all-electric.
“As previously announced, our plan is to have all new light-duty vehicles be electric by 2035,” GM CEO Mary Barra said during her keynote address. “And today, I’m pleased to announce that we’ll introduce all-electric heavy-duty vehicles on that same timetable.”
The automaker entered into an agreement with five other automakers during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) held in November to end gas vehicle sales by 2040. Signatories included Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Jaguar Land Rover, Chinese automaker BYD, and a slew of fleet operators hoping to do continued business in thirty nations that likewise signed various, non-binding environmental commitments.
That provides GM with some additional time to continue selling HD pickups utilizing liquid fuel. But it’s hard to take any of these climate promises totally seriously in the first place. China has once again stalled commitments and placed itself on a timeline that is decades behind the United States, despite the Eastern nation now being the worlds leader in air pollution buy a sizable margin. Though other groups have also made lopsided agreements and COP26 lacks any serious obligations, making the similarly unequal Paris Climate Agreements look positively ironclad in comparison.
I’m just taking the long way of telling you not to count on GM (or anybody else) sticking to the agreed-upon targets. Let’s not forget that General Motors made the very first mass-produced and purpose-designed electric vehicle in 1996, with suggestions that it would fundamentally change the industry, only to scrap the program a few years later and reclaim all the cars. It would take well over a decade for the company’s next EV to appear. Granted, there’s different leadership in place today and the whole industry is now committing itself to electrification. But automakers have a habit of doing what’s in their best interest, even if it means breaking a promise or five.
The relevant technologies also might not be there come target time. While EVs are making genuine headway in becoming directly comparable to internal combustion vehicles, manufacturers have continued to stress how to improve their ability to effectively haul heavy loads. A few years ago engineers from multiple Japanese automakers told me their biggest hurdle with EVs were finding ways to maximize energy density to a point where it wouldn’t dramatically sap overall range whenever large payloads were at play. Toyota outright said this situation actually contributed to its decision to prioritize hybridization, rather than focus entirely on battery electric vehicles.
Then again, we’re talking about something that’s over a decade away. GM knows that placing such a large buffer between promise and delivery gives it plenty of time to cram everything down the memory hole. However, if the current pace of battery development is retained, a 2035 Chevrolet Silverado HD EV certainly sounds plausible. After all, the 2024 Chevy Silverado EV is fast approaching and GM is probably already using R&D teams to increase the relevant specifications to make usable HD models in thirteen years.
I’m of the mind that the upcoming deluge of electric pickups is going to decide the fate of HD EVs, however. If the domestic market goes big on models like the Ford Lightning, Tesla Cybertruck, and Chevrolet Silverado EV, then it seems assured that HD models will follow. But if those trucks turn out to be poorly suited for anything other than showing off to the neighbors (fun fact: Pickup trucks were originally working vehicles) then it seems less likely that there will be bigger models being planned for contractors in need of heavy lifting.
[Image: General Motors]
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Electric HD’s make sense for municipal fleets or large industrial sites where there isn’t any long distances required. Site where ventilation is an issue would be another place for electric vehicles.
So the Hummer EV weighs 9000 lbs. 3/4 ton pickups have a GVRW of 10,000 max to keep them below the requirements to have a commercial drivers license to operate. So GM is going to make this truck that already can weigh over 7000 pounds with an ICE engine all EV. Not seeing it happening without changing the regs on CDL requirements or making the truck useless. Happy to be proven wrong.
CDL requirements don’t begin to apply until much higher.
1 ton trucks are 11,500 GVWR and duallies something like 14,000. No problem for anyone to drive those.
not exactly. If you hitch at 3/4 truck with a GVRW of 10000 lbs up to a trailer with a GVRW greater than 16000 pounds (except RV trailers) you need a CDL. So if GM or others offer an EV 3/4 ton truck that weighs 10.000 empty they would have to increase the GVRW to make it useful for anyone. And if they bumped the GVRW to say 12,000 lbs then you would be limited to trailers with GVRW’s less than 14000 lbs (except RV’s) to avoid CDL requirements
@kcflyer
It all depends on one’s jurisdiction. In my province you can tow up to 10,400 lbs. with a regular license. You can get a “heavy towing” endorsement for RV’s or one for commercial trailers. Anything with air brakes means an air brake “ticket” and/or a commercial level license.
But that’s no different than the requirements right now. The Big 3 already all sell HD trucks at 11,000-14,000 GVWR. My F350 has an 11,500 sticker on it and it’s not even a dually.
so losing 2 to 4 thousand pounds of capability is “no different”?
Example, my buddy is a landscaper. Uses GMC 3/4 gas trucks to get max payload and towing. Tows flatbed landscape trailers rated at or below 16000 GVRW to avoid CDL requirements. If the electric truck has to bump GVRW 2 to 4 thousand pounds to allow them to actually haul or tow something without exceeding GVRW then his trailer payload would have to drop by a like number. He would have to sell his trailers and buy new ones for starters and have them rated for the lower amount. Because the DOT will fine you if your combined GVRW exceeds 26000 lbs even if the truck and trailer are empty and the actual combined weight is way under 26k.
I guess in that edge case of someone towing to the absolute limit of a 3/4 ton truck it would matter.
My experience is most people towing that heavy regularly are in a diesel dually anyways.
But for your friend’s sake and mine, I hope ICE trucks are here for a long while yet.
@kcflyer – your friend would need a heavy tow licence and commercial vehicle insurance in my jurisdiction. He’d also be subject to commercial vehicle inspections since he’s doing work commercially.
A EV would not meet his needs. He would not need to sell his trailers, he’d just have to carry less to meet GCWR. A 2k heavier truck just means 2k less payload.
“As previously announced, our plan is to have all new light-duty vehicles be electric by 2035,” GM CEO Mary Barra said during her keynote address. “And today, I’m pleased to announce that we’ll introduce all-electric heavy-duty vehicles on that same timetable.”
Parsing this language carefully, it seems GM is only committing to *introducing* electric HDs by 2035, not discontinuing gas/diesel models as they are with smaller stuff.
That’s correct. GM is in a non-binding agreement to phase out liquid fuel in 2040. Its only potting to have fleetwide electrification by 2035.
I heard the dragons are coming too, or was that winter?
With the first Tesla Semi samples about to be delivered to Pepsi (Frito-Lay) in San Diego, HD pickup tech doesn’t seem far-fetched at all.
odds are they won’t be in business by then, maybe not 2025.
2035 is thirteen years from now. 13 years ago, GE was still selling mortgages and Tesla was in the first model year of its roadster. Considering that Ford is already yelling at dealers about not screwing up their F-150 Lightning launch, it seems fair to guess that EV technology will have advanced in the next 13 years to allow for an HD pickup with a few hundred miles of range, loaded. My big question about this is, why bother announcing something so far in the future that it’s effectively meaningless as a corporate matter? How many members of GM’s board will still be with the company in 2035?
Because. Stock price.
I forgot, bonuses too.
With any luck…GM will be bankrupt by 35. :-)
@kmars2009
You want to bail them out? Again?
By 2035 GM is likely to be part of Geely.
Treat car companies like politicians: ignore what they say, watch what they do.
“Treat car companies like politicians: ignore what they say, watch what they do.”
I disagree. Question what they say. Verify what they say. Challenge what they say. Definitely watch what they do.
Vote at the ballot box or vote with your purchase.
Why?
Absolute waste.