This initiative will begin in 2022 as part of GM’s Ultium Charge 360 ecosystem, a commitment to invest nearly $750 million to expand home, workplace and public charging infrastructure.
GM is also announcing that its new line of three Ultium-branded Level 2 smart charging stations will be offered to customers through dealerships and online to provide more home or commercial charging options and help make EV charging more widespread.
“These two initiatives are part of our plan to put everyone in an EV, making access to charging even more seamless than before,” said Mark Reuss, president of General Motors.
“We want to give customers the right tools and access to charging where and when they need it, while working with our dealer network to accelerate the expansion of accessible charging throughout the U.S. and Canada, including in underserved, rural and urban areas.”
The Ultium brand name on GM’s all-new EV platform will eventually expand to a brand of Ultium Chargers for residential and commercial use developed with leading vehicle charging specialist CTEK.
GM’s family of Ultium Chargers will include: an 11.5 kilowatt/48-amp smart charger, an 11.5 kW/48-amp premium smart charger and a 19.2 kW/80-amp premium smart charger
All three Ultium chargers are Energy Star Certified, with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Each charger can be upgraded over time through over-the-air updates with automatic download capabilities. The two premium models include a customizable touchscreen and an embedded camera. Customers have the ability to choose their own charging schedule, view statistics on their charging habits, historical charging sessions and receive readouts of charger status through the GM brand mobile apps.
GM will work with its dealers to deploy Level 2 charging stations at key locations in the dealer’s respective communities, including workplaces, multi-unit dwellings, sports and entertainment venues, colleges and universities. These charging stations will be available to all EV customers, not just those who purchase a GM EV.
Charging deserts exist in many urban and rural areas, lacking in critical EV charging infrastructure necessary for the more widespread adoption of EVs. As part of its Dealer Community Charging Program, General Motors will help address that by giving each of its EV dealers up to 10 Level 2 destination charging stations and working with them to deploy these at key locations throughout their local communities. Nearly 90 percent of the U.S. population lives within 10 miles of a GM dealership.
General Motors has worked with policymakers, community leaders and industry groups to deploy charging stations or infrastructure faster and improve access for those that might not be able to install charging equipment at their homes such as apartment dwellers.
These charging networks simplify the charging experience by allowing drivers to find stations along a route and initiate and pay for charging while on the go, all through their GM vehicle mobile apps. Customers will have access to nearly 85,000 charging spots throughout the U.S. and Canada.
The first Ultium Chargers will ship early next year with customers able to roll the price into their GM Financial lease or financial contracts.
