GM confirms ‘Factory Zero’ & GMC Hummer debut
General Motors confirms plans to convert its core production site at Detroit-Hamtramck into an all-electric vehicle assembly plant. The facility will run as Factory Zero to designate GM’s zero-emissions, zero-congestion, and zero crashes future.
One of the first electric vehicles to come off the lines will be the GMC Hummer that awaits its presentation on 20 October. Following the electric pick-up in Detroit is the autonomous electric shuttle Cruise Origin which General Motors presented in January this year.
The US carmaker had decided to repurpose the Detroit-Hamtramck plant around the same time. The current confirmation positions Factory Zero as “the next battleground in the EV race and will be GM’s flagship assembly plant in our journey to an all-electric future,” said Gerald Johnson, GM executive vice president of Global Manufacturing.
Retooling is costing GM 2.2 billion dollars, making it the single largest investment in a plant in the company history, the manufacturer said. Among other things, GM will equip the assembly, bodywork and painting areas with new robots, conveyor belts and tools. Besides, the plant is to receive a new control system. They added that once fully operational, the plant would create more than 2,200 jobs.
GM also said they were committed to sourcing 100 per cent of its US facilities with renewable energy by 2030, and all global facilities by 2040. All DTE-supplied GM facilities in southeast Michigan, including Factory Zero, will be powered by renewables by 2023, according to the latest announcement. The factory also features a 30-kilowatt solar carport and 516-kilowatt ground-mount photovoltaic solar array from DTE.
The Hummer will become the first model to be assembled there. GM is currently reviving the previous “climate-killer” with military genes as a zero-emission truck under the GMC brand. They have set the virtual unveil the coming Tuesday during the World Series, ‘The Voice’ and across a barrage of social media and streaming platforms.
GM will begin taking reservations and $100 refundable deposits for the electric vehicle starting Tuesday night. An SUV version of the Hummer is expected sometime after the pickup. The company did not comment on how much they are spending on the advertising campaign but clearly are trying to reach a similar hype such as the one that surrounded the Tesla Cybertruck.
On a more sombre note, the GMC Hummer, as well as the Cruise Origin, utilise GM’s Ultium system that is to carry the carmaker into the era of the electric vehicle, for good this time.
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