General Motors will build and sell its own brand of electric vehicle (EV) chargers and donate 40,000 of the units to areas that lack significant charging infrastructure.
The chargers bear the Ultium brand name. That’s the same name GM gave to a platform it will use to build its next generation of electric cars. The Ultium platform includes a chassis that can be scaled up or down to build different size vehicles, as well as modular batteries and engines that can be mixed and matched to create everything from bargain sedans to full-size luxury SUVs. The Ultium platform already forms the basis for the Cadillac Lyric luxury SUV and the GMC Hummer off-road EV.
Now, it will adorn the chargers that refuel them, too.
3 Chargers for Home Use
Units available for purchase will be Level 2 chargers, meaning they require the same sort of 240-volt outlet that feeds most electric dryers. Three models will be offered, ranging from 11.5 kilowatts to 19.2. Those figures could make them among the fastest chargers on the home market. Electrify America’s HomeStation, for instance, uses a 9.6 kW connection.
All are Energy Star certified and connect to your home network and smartphone through Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. That allows users to set charging schedules and view their energy use statistics with a phone app.
GM hasn’t announced prices. It has said that dealers will fold the purchase of a charger into GM Financial leases and financing contracts alongside the purchase of a new EV.
The chargers will collect usage information sent back to GM, but users can opt out of the data collection.
40,000 Donated to “Charging Deserts”
Though the chargers will be available for purchase, GM also plans to install them in underserved communities.
The company explains, “charging ‘deserts’ still exist in many urban and rural areas, lacking in critical EV charging infrastructure necessary for the more widespread adoption of EVs.” To address the issue, GM is giving each dealership up to 10 stations to install “at popular destinations and workplaces” in the areas they serve.
The move has the potential to create one of the world’s largest charging networks. According to GM, more than 90% of the U.S. population lives within 10 miles of a GM dealership.
The public chargers will not be a proprietary network, so owners of any compatible EV can use them.
