General Motors said today it will produce two new all-electric vehicles within the next 18 months, part of a broader plan for 20 new EVs to come by 2023.
GM framed the announcement as part of its “vision of a world with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion.” The company did not announce a potential timeline for producing only all-electric or hybrid vehicles, but showed a renewed commitment to hydrogen fuel cell technology.
Given customers’ various needs, getting to a zero emissions future will require more than just battery electric technology. It will require a two-pronged approach to electrification — battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell electric depending on the unique requirements.
The two electric vehicles coming in the next 18 months will be based off knowledge gained from the all-electric Chevrolet Bolt, GM said. But an “all-new battery system” has been developed for future models, reports Automotive News. Unfortunately there are currently no additional details about the next-generation system other than it’s set to be produced starting in 2020 at the automaker’s Brownstown Battery Assembly plant south of Detroit.
Automotive News also reported that vehicles designed for the new system include a Buick crossover, Cadillac wagon and a “pod-looking vehicle” carrying a Bolt EV badge. A vehicle that “appeared to have the silhouette of a Chevrolet Corvette,” was among six other concepts kept under sheets.