Tag: GM

Amazon, GM in talks to invest in electric pickup truck maker Rivian -sources

(Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc and General Motors Co are in talks to invest in Rivian Automotive LLC in a deal that would value the U.S. electric pickup truck manufacturer at between $1 billion and $2 billion, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. FILE PHOTO: The logo of Amazon is seen at the company… Continue reading Amazon, GM in talks to invest in electric pickup truck maker Rivian -sources

Lyft Brings on Former Uber Executive as Vice President of Finance Strategy

2019 is off to a great start as we continue to bring top talent into the Lyft family. The newest addition to Lyft’s leadership team is Michelle DeBella who joins as our Vice President of Finance Strategy. Michelle is a dynamic and results-oriented finance executive with more than 20 years of experience. She was mostly… Continue reading Lyft Brings on Former Uber Executive as Vice President of Finance Strategy

Rumor: GM electric pickup could come from Tesla

2019 GMC Sierra
Last month, the president of General Motors' GMC truck division said the brand was considering building an electric pickup.

Now, according to a CleanTechnica report, that pickup could come from Tesla.

Even the CleanTechnica reporter says to file this in the category of an enticing rumor, rather than fact, because there are no pictures, and a single, anonymous source inside GM. Still, he reports confidence in the source and says the person has been reliable about other findings.

DON'T MISS: GMC could join electric-pickup tailgate party

Tesla's own CEO Elon Musk has been talking for years about building a Tesla pickup. In his most recent interviews about the Tesla truck, he has described it as “a really futuristic-like cyberpunk, Blade Runner pickup truck,” and said that it will have a massive towing capacity of 300,000 pounds and be made with lots of expensive titanium.

Musk has even alluded to a second, more attainable and mainstream pickup. Now it looks possible that latter pickup could come from GM. GM CEO Mary Barra has announced that the company plans to convert to an all-electric lineup, and is revamping the automaker's electric strategy with a move to make Cadillac its primary electric-car division.

CleanTechnica reports that the General Motors pickup—either a GMC or a Chevrolet Silverado—could get its entire powertrain from Tesla, including batteries and motors. That would hardly be an unprecedented step, after GM leaned on supplier LG to develop most of the powertrain for the Chevrolet Bolt EV.

It wouldn't be the first time a company has leaned on Tesla for powertrain components either—Toyota with the 2012-2014 RAV4 EV, for instance.

MUST READ: Rivian R1T all-electric pickup revealed: 400-mile range, 160-kw DC fast charging

GM regularly partners with other automakers to provide specialized engineering expertise or manufacturing.

The rest of the truck could would come from GM's practiced truck development team.

If such an agreement pans out, it could also be a way for GM to access Tesla's battery production from its Nevada Gigafactory, the largest producer of lithium-ion batteries in the world. Thus far, GM has bought batteries from South Korean supplier LG Chem.

CHECK OUT: Ford confirms future all-electric F-Series truck, holds details close

Pickups are the second-largest selling segment of the car market, and many electric-car buyers have been clamoring to be able to buy a pickup with battery power.

Last month, Ford said it is developing an electric version of its upcoming F-Series, along with a plug-in hybrid version.

The automakers seem to be racing startup electric-automaker Rivian, which got a glowing reception for its R1T electric pickup concept when it revealed the truck at the LA auto show last November.

It's not clear how seriously to take this report, but we'll be watching for any confirmation.

Lyft founders to tighten grip with supervoting shares in IPO: WSJ

An illuminated sign appears in a Lyft ride-hailing car in Los Angeles, California, U.S. September 21, 2017. REUTERS/Chris Helgren (Reuters) – Lyft Inc founders are preparing to take near-majority voting control of the ride-hailing company when it goes public this year, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the matter. The… Continue reading Lyft founders to tighten grip with supervoting shares in IPO: WSJ

Lyft plans to give riders and drivers an electric lift

Lyft car picking up a rider
Lyft is the latest car-sharing company to sign onto an effort to make ride sharing cars more efficient.

The post-millennial taxi service announced that it plans to introduce “thousands” of electric cars onto its platform and make it easy for riders to choose them using a new “Green Mode” in the Lyft app.

“These efforts will provide cleaner transportation options for Lyft riders, and increase net earnings for our driver community. Once adopted widely, EVs hold the promise of making cities more livable by dramatically reducing air pollution,” the company said in a blog post Wednesday.

READ MORE: Uber starts paying drivers to buy electric

The company, which already bills itself as the only ride-sharing service to become carbon neutral after purchasing carbon credits to offset the emissions from its drivers' vehicles, says all the electric cars will be charged using renewable energy.

The Green Mode launched in Seattle on Wednesday and is expected to roll out in other parts of the country later. Riders just select Green Mode in their Lyft app, and only electric Lyfts will show up.

Lyft says that 80 percent of its drivers favor eco-friendly vehicle options, and consistently tell the service they want to increase their profits by lowering fuel costs.

Green Mode on Lyft app

Drivers will be able to rent electric ride-sharing cars through Lyft's Express Drive service. For drivers who choose electric cars, unlimited charging will be included in the weekly rental charge.

Electric cars will be available to drivers through Express Drive immediately in Seattle and Atlanta, and the service plans to roll out electric Lyfts more widely throughout 2019.

CHECK OUT: Uber to bank London surcharge toward electric vehicles for its drivers

Some taxi and ride-sharing drivers have struggled with electric cars when they've found inadequate places to charge or had to spend too long off the road waiting for a charge.

From the standpoint of cities, though, converting taxis and ride-sharing cars to electric power could offer clean-air benefits that are too good to ignore.

Scoop: GM Reportedly Working On Electric Pickup Truck With Tesla Powertrain

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Clean Transport Published on February 12th, 2019 | by Zachary Shahan
Scoop: GM Reportedly Working On Electric Pickup Truck With Tesla PowertrainTwitterLinkedInFacebookFebruary 12th, 2019 by Zachary Shahan

Not an electric pickup truck. But could it be infused with a Tesla powertrain soon?
For years, electric vehicle enthusiasts in the US have been begging for a solid electric pickup truck for consumers. I’ve long reported on monthly electric car sales and I put them in the context of broader US car sales, but looking at the number of gas-thirsty pickup trucks sold each month is a whole other level and is quite disturbing.
Elon Musk announced a while back that Tesla was working on a wicked electric pickup like nothing else we’ve seen. Just last month, Ford finally announced plans for an electric version of the F-150, which is the king of the US auto market — by far — with nearly a million sales a year. But what about GM, which currently has the #2 vehicle on the US auto market, the Chevy Silverado?
Remember, Chevrolet raced the Bolt to market in order to be the first US automaker offering a long-range, semi-affordable electric car. It cares about going electric, maybe.
A source somewhat close to the heart of a big new development at GM has informed CleanTechnica that GM is indeed working on an electric pickup truck, and it is based around a Tesla powertrain. As in, the majority of the guts of the truck will be made by Tesla.
I know, I know — it seems unlike GM to swallow its pride and tap Tesla for this job. However, I’d briefly note a few things.
LG reportedly designed and built much of the Chevy Bolt’s powertrain.GM doesn’t have to announce or acknowledge a Tesla partnership if it doesn’t want to look less than capable.If GM does announce or acknowledge a Tesla partnership, it is likely to get big props from consumers for being brave and using the world’s electric vehicle leader to make an awesome electric pickup. Tesla is cool. Being friends with Tesla is cool.If GM wants to make sure to compete well with an electric F-150, there’s a good chance this is its best avenue, and the company knows that.Batteries — batteries, batteries, batteries. Aside from Tesla’s skill at designing and producing high-performance electric motors, it has a giant source of batteries. If other automakers want to offer mass-market EVs in the coming years, they need a good source of batteries, and Tesla may be as good as it gets for the time being.GM is good at building trucks, at putting them together. It has massive, awesome truck brands. Even if Tesla develops an amazing electric pickup truck of its own, many buyers will want to stick with the brands they know and love, and a truck design they’re familiar with. They may not want a giant Tesla touchscreen, minimalist interior, and smooth, futuristic exterior. A Tesla–GM partnership is a win–win that would bring a lot more people into the electric fold.Yes, I get it, you’d like to see proof of this partnership before getting too excited. So don’t get too excited. Take it as a rumor and stay tuned for more info in the coming months. I don’t currently have hard proof of this truck (no definitive picture or document), but I received enough information to feel confident the tip is correct and to thus run this article. The core source of this information wants/needs to remain anonymous and doesn’t even want any hints of identity tossed around, so I’m not going to say more about that. But let yourself dream a little bit tonight and accept that GM might be making a brilliant move in its approach to electric trucking.
If this plan rolls as smoothly as an electric powertrain, we may well have a Tesla semi, Tesla pickup, and Tesla-powered pickup from GM (Sierra Electric?) getting close to the starting line before the end of 2019. It could be another exciting year for the electric revolution. (Well, how could it not be?)
Note: No, the source is not Elon Musk.

About the AuthorZachary Shahan Zach is tryin' to help society help itself (and other species). He spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as its director and chief editor. He's also the president of Important Media and the director/founder of EV Obsession and Solar Love. Zach is recognized globally as an electric vehicle, solar energy, and energy storage expert. He has presented about cleantech at conferences in India, the UAE, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, and Canada. Zach has long-term investments in TSLA, FSLR, SPWR, SEDG, & ABB — after years of covering solar and EVs, he simply has a lot of faith in these particular companies and feels like they are good cleantech companies to invest in. But he offers no professional investment advice and would rather not be responsible for you losing money, so don't jump to conclusions.

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Ford investing $1 billion, adding jobs at Chicago factories as it makes cuts overseas

Tim Boyle | Bloomberg | Getty Images
A worker assembles a 2011 Ford Motor Co. Explorer at a plant in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., on Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2010.

Ford is sinking $1 billion and adding more jobs to plants in the Chicago area to expand production of the redesigned Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator sport utility vehicles.

The expansion comes as the automaker makes cuts overseas and shifts its lineup to make more SUVs, crossover-utility vehicles and trucks and away from sedans and sports cars, which have fallen out of favor with American drivers.

The move will add 500 jobs at Ford's Chicago-area Assembly and Stamping plants, bringing the total number of employees at the two factories to 5,800, the company said Thursday. Ford is building a new body shop and paint shop at the assembly plants and plans to make major changes to the final assembly area. The company also plans to install some new manufacturing technology, including 3D-printing tools and robots.

America is falling back in love with trucks and SUVs, and that's causing big changes at big car companies
10:38 AM ET Tue, 5 Feb 2019 | 04:45

It's also spending $40 million to upgrade the facilities for employees, including new LED lighting and cafeteria updates, new break areas as well as parking lot security upgrades.

In addition to the Explorer and Aviator, the plants make Ford's Police Interceptor, an SUV modeled on the Explorer.

Ford is undergoing an $11 billion restructuring that will shrink its salaried workforce of 70,000. It is also cutting thousands of jobs in Europe, where Ford has struggled to maintain solid footing.

Ford is not the only automaker that has had to reshape its business in the face of a changing industry. Rival General Motors is in the process of cutting production at plants in the United States and Canada as part of its own turnaround plan.

GM has been faced with underutilized factory capacity in plants that had heavily focused on building less popular sedans and compact cars. GM said it has offered jobs to hundreds of hourly workers at new plants building vehicles in growing segments, such as SUVs and crossovers.

Paul Eisenstein/CNBC
Joe Hinrichs, Ford president of global operations, speaks with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel after the automaker announced it was investing $1 billion in Chicago area factories.

Lyft puts $700K toward Oakland’s underserved communities

Lyft is donating $700,000 to TransForm, an organization focused on improving access to transportation in underserved areas throughout California. In partnership with Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, Lyft and TransForm will invest in a free bike library and community parklets in Oakland, Calif. Lyft will also offer free rides to low-income residents of Oakland. “At Lyft,… Continue reading Lyft puts $700K toward Oakland’s underserved communities

Nissan, Toyota, Mercedes, VW, Honda, BMW, Lexus, Infiniti, & Audi Sales Drop In USA, While Ford & GM Hide

We have a weird situation. Not that long after GM decided to stop sharing monthly US sales figures, Ford has now followed suit and done the same. This is making monthly market sales report quite challenging. Of course, underneath the GM and Ford brands are Chevrolet, Lincoln, Buick, and Cadillac