General Motors Says It Plans To Be Carbon Neutral By 2040

DETROIT — General Motors plans to be carbon neutral by 2040 in its global products and operations with aspirations to eliminate tailpipe emissions from new light-duty vehicles by 2035, the company announced Thursday.

GM’s focus will be offering zero-emissions vehicles and working with all stakeholders to build out the necessary charging infrastructure while maintaining jobs, the company said.

“General Motors is joining governments and companies around the globe working to establish a safer, greener and better world,” GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra said. “We encourage others to follow suit and make a significant impact on our industry and on the economy as a whole.”

To reach the goals it announced Thursday, GM said it plans to decarbonize its portfolio by transitioning to battery electric vehicles or other zero-emissions vehicle technology, sourcing renewable energy and leveraging minimal offsets or credits.

The company said it will offer 30 all-electric models globally by mid-decade and 40 percent of the company’s U.S. models offered will be battery electric vehicles by the end of 2025. GM is investing $27 billion in electric and autonomous vehicles in the next five years — up from the $20 billion planned before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said.

This investment includes the continued development of GM’s Ultrium battery technology, updating facilities such as Factory ZERO in Michigan and Spring Hill Manufacturing in Tennessee to build electric vehicles from globally sourced parts and investing in new sites like Ultium Cells LLC in Ohio, officials said.

More than half of GM’s capital spending and product development team will be devoted to electric and electric-autonomous vehicle programs, according to the company.

To address emissions from its own operations, GM officials said the company will source 100 percent renewable energy to power its U.S. sites by 2030 and global sites by 2035, which represents a five-year acceleration of the company’s previously announced global goal.