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GM CEO Mary Barra predicts mass electrification will take decades

General Motors is allocating a substantial amount of money to the development of electric technology, but Mary Barra, the firm's CEO, conceded that battery-powered cars won't fully replace their gasoline-burning counterparts for several decades. She stressed the shift is ongoing, but she hinted it will be slower than many assume. "We believe the transition will happen over time," affirmed Barra on "Leadership Live with David Rubenstein," a talk show aired by Bloomberg Television. She added that not every car will be electric in 2040. "It will happen in a little bit longer period, but it will happen," she told the host. She was presumably talking about the United States market; the situation is markedly different in Europe and in China, where strict government regulations (and even stricter ones on the horizon) are accelerating the shift towards electric cars. On the surface, it doesn't look like General Motors has much invested in electrification; the only battery-powered model it sells in America in 2020 is the Chevrolet Bolt (pictured), which undeniably remains a niche vehicle. Sales totaled 16,418 units in 2019, meaning the Corvette beat it by about 1,500 sales. In comparison, Cadillac sold 35,424 examples of the aging last-generation Escalade during the same time period. And yet, the company isn't giving up. It has numerous electric models in the pipeline including a slightly larger version of the aforementioned Bolt, the much-hyped GMC Hummer pickup, and an electric crossover assigned to the Cadillac brand. These models (and others) will use the Ultium battery technology that General Motors is currently developing. Its engineers are also working on a modular platform capable of underpinning a wide variety of cars. Bringing these innovations to the market is a Herculean task. EVs may not take over for decades, but Barra and her team must believe their 2% market share will increase significantly in the coming years if they're approving these programs. Autonomous technology is even costlier, more complicated, and more time-consuming to develop. Barra nonetheless expects to see the first General Motors-built driverless vehicles on the road by 2025. "I definitely think it will happen within the next five years. Our Cruise team is continuing to develop technology so it's safer than a human driver. I think you'll see it clearly within five years," she said on the same talk show. Her statement is vague but realistic.

Malcolm Butler gets the MVP's Chevy Colorado

In the wake of the Super Bowl last week, we reported that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady intended to give the Chevy Colorado awarded to him as the game's most valuable player to Malcolm Butler instead. In our informal poll (to say nothing of the hundred-plus comments that ensued), an overwhelming 86.7 percent of you, our loyal readers, agreed that it was the right thing to do. And now that's precisely what's happened. "After consulting Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady," the automaker said in the press release below, "Chevrolet presented an all-new Colorado pickup to New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler." The rookie, as you may have seen in between the commercials, made the game-saving interception that handed his team the victory, propelling Butler to stardom. "I am ecstatic that Chevrolet has chosen to reward me with a Colorado," said Butler upon taking delivery of his new red pickup. "It is just another unreal event in what has been an incredible week." We can only imagine. Enjoy the truck, Malcolm; you've earned it. Related Video: Upon Further Review, Chevrolet Awards Super Bowl MVP Colorado to Malcolm Butler 2015-02-10 DETROIT – After consulting Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady, Chevrolet presented an all-new Colorado pickup to New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler, whose end zone interception preserved the Patriots' victory in Super Bowl XLIX. The Colorado was intended to be awarded to Brady, the Patriots' quarterback, in recognition of his Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award. However, Brady and Chevrolet huddled on Monday and Chevrolet determined Butler deserved recognition for his game-saving interception. "I've seen several game-changing moments in big games, and Malcom's interception last Sunday ranks up there as one of the biggest," said Brady. "I appreciate Chevrolet wanting to honor the Super Bowl's top performer, and I'm glad they have agreed to award the Colorado to Malcolm." Said Butler: "I am ecstatic that Chevrolet has chosen to reward me with a Colorado. It is just another unreal event in what has been an incredible week." The Chevrolet Colorado, 2015 Motor Trend Truck of the Year®, was engineered to be the most capable, most versatile and most technologically advanced midsize truck in the market. With class-leading horsepower and fuel economy along with a 4G LTE built-in Wi-Fi hotspot, the Colorado adds a new dimension to the Chevy truck line.

7 major automakers to build open EV charging network

A new joint venture established by BMW, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis will build a new North American electric vehicle charging network on a scale designed to compete with Tesla's industry-benchmark Supercharger network. The 30,000-plus planned new chargers will accommodate both Tesla's almost-standard North American Charging System (NACS) and existing automakers' Combined Charging System (CCS) options, effectively guaranteeing compatibility with the vast majority of current and upcoming electric models — whether they're from one of the involved automakers or not.  "With the generational investments in public charging being implemented on the Federal and State level, the joint venture will leverage public and private funds to accelerate the installation of high-powered charging for customers. The new charging stations will be accessible to all battery-powered electric vehicles from any automaker using Combined Charging System (CCS) or North American Charging Standard (NACS) and are expected to meet or exceed the spirit and requirements of the U.S. National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program." Critically, the automakers involved will have a say in how the charging tech is implemented, guaranteeing that the hardware will play nicely with each automaker's in-house charging systems. Hyundai and Kia, for example, were hesitant to jump on board the Tesla NACS bandwagon earlier this year over concerns that the Supercharger network is insufficient for powering the two automakers' 800-volt charging systems; similar tech is used by Volkswagen and Porsche.  In addition to providing much-needed capacity and high-output charging for America's growing fleet of electric cars and trucks, the new network will integrate seamlessly with each automaker's in-app and in-vehicle features, rather than forcing customers to use third-party tools and payment systems, as is the case with some existing public charging infrastructure.  "The functions and services of the network will allow for seamless integration with participating automakersÂ’ in-vehicle and in-app experiences, including reservations, intelligent route planning and navigation, payment applications, transparent energy management and more. In addition, the network will leverage Plug & Charge technology to further enhance the customer experience," the announcement said.