General Motors, which has promised to make only zero-emissions vehicles by 2035, has taken a key step to making its promise practical.
The company has partnered with seven companies that make electric-vehicle charging stations – Blink, ChargePoint, EV Connect, EVgo, FLO, Greenlots, and SemaConnect – to set up 60,000 charging locations “no matter where” GM’s customers go in the U.S., it said in announcing the partnership.
The partnership’s engine is an app called Ultium Charge 360.
The app will let customers find the closest charging stations, see which are in use, then connect to a station of choice and pay the charging fee through the app.
Charging stations will average four chargers each and will be able to deliver 350 volts, enough power to qualify as a “Level 3” or fast-charging station, reducing refueling time from hours to minutes.
Initial sites are live in California, Florida, and Washington, GM said in announcing the initiative, and the entire network will be online in 2025.
Ford competes with its FordPass app, and a growing network now with 13,500 charging stations, and a trip planner routing you along corridors of well-placed charging stops.
TRENDPOST: President Biden’s infrastructure plan has pledged to foster 500,000 EV charging stations across the U.S. However, that pledge is prey to political surprises. Corporations are more directly accountable to the public for fulfilling their promises and can offer greater assurance that chargers will be in place where and when drivers need them.
“Range anxiety” has been one of the chief fears car shoppers have expressed in considering an electric car. By relieving the fear of running out of electrons and being stranded on the road, GM is not only guaranteeing drivers won’t run dry but also that those drivers will be willing to buy the only cars GM will be making 14 years from now.
