John Voelcker Talks "How GM's Ultium Electric Car Revolution Went Off The Rails" | Episode 275
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- John Voelcker, Kyle, and Francie sit down to discuss the GM's Ultium Platform. They review GM's initial goals, their current progress, and the various problems GM continues to face. This episode explores the specific setbacks that prevented GM from delivering EVs.
Thank you again to John Voelcker for taking the time to speak with us! (@TemptingFateTours)
Link to his full article: insideevs.com/...
We also reached out to GM and received an official response: “GM confirmed that removing phone projection has no relation to the issues leading to the pause in sales of the Blazer EV.”
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#electricvehicle #gm #hummerev
Thank you again to John Voelcker for taking the time to speak with us! Link to his full article: insideevs.com/features/709703/gm-ultium-problems-software-batteries/
We also reached out to GM and received an official response: “GM confirmed that removing phone projection has no relation to the issues leading to the pause in sales of the Blazer EV.”
Thanks for having John on the Podcast!! Looking forward to the "Tempting Fate EVs" 🥂
My last three EVs were a Volt, Bolt EV, and my current 2022 Bolt EUV... GM killed the Volts, Killed the Bolts, and raised the prices on the Equinox EVs out of my price range. And now they concentrate on building $100,000 EVs that no one wants... that is if they can, even after all the Bolt BS mine you, build a working EV at all! Screw them... I've placed a $500 Deposit on a Volvo EX30! This is not an EV issue... it is a CEO issue!!!
equinox ev pricing has been released and with the rebate it will cost you under $40k in lowest trim.
Mary BS Barra?
Yeah the biggest mistake they made was killing off the Voltec program before they were ready to produce enough batteries to replace their ICE sales with BEVs. I too am shopping Volvos to trade my Volt in on, settling on an XC-60 Recharge. My G2 Volt has 150k km on the battery (according to the app) and still running fine with nearly all it's range still intact (still has a bit more than 70 km in daily city driving), but finding spare parts for them is insane, even simple seals and body panels are becoming very rare and require nationwide searches to track down. I had to get some under body panels after running over a critter and they had to come from a warehouse from the other coast and took weeks, no local inventory!
I was building the Ultium Lines at said Tier 1 supplier for Spring Hill and Ramos. One of the most compact and complex lines I've ever seen. Requires highly skilled millwrights, electricians and TIME to get everything working right.
One of your best podcasts, so far!
Another GREAT program, EXCELLENT guest, and, the Dynamic Duo of EV News. I sent this immediately to my friend (EV Sales) at the local GM Dealer where I bought a new Bolt EV ♥️ - (You saved it Kyle!) and suggested it as “MUST SEE” for ALL personnel. This same ownership group has Honda, locally, and a Hyundai dealership 90-mins away, so there shall be learning ahead! Hard to grasp the sheer speed on this EV thing, and your advice and counsel prior to purchasing the Bolt, were invaluable. FRANCIE: May your Vinfast never betray your trust. Updates always entertaining. When Sandy M. reviewed the V, in Vietnam, he was impressed! Hope springs. 👍🏿👍🏿👊🙏🏻
I'd avoid automakers with dealerships at this point.
After buying my 2020 Bolt EV (with 8300 miles) last year and holding on to my 2010 Mazda 3 hatchback for a few months to be sure that an EV works for me, I finally listed the Mazda on Craigslist yesterday. I sold it a few hours later after someone drove an hour to see it. I had five inquiries within 24 hours including one this morning after deleting the ad.
So you can tell me that I didn't ask enough for the Mazda, but don't tell me that Americans won't even look at a compact hatchback. Maybe this guy doesn't realize that the Tesla Model Y, the most popular vehicle in the world (including ICEVs), is essentially a compact hatchback. Tesla calls it a "midsize SUV", but its dimensions are similar to the Bolt EUV. It's a bit longer because it has a frunk. Height is the same, and width is six inches greater. It's only a foot longer than the Mazda. The difference between a Bolt EV and an EUV is almost entirely in the back seat. It has three additional inches of leg room.
And most SUVs on the road today are just station wagons with four wheel drive and increased travel
Nice to see that Tim Cook has a side gig as a automotive reporter.
Great episode. I hope you’re able to do more interviews of journalists like this. (Also, thanks for pointing out the article. It was a great read.)
Great episode : PLEASE DO focus in on the Dealer Channel challenges faced by the Traditional Auto Makers .
How about some mention of the prospect of GM and other legacy manufacturers actually managing to build cars at a profit. No discussion of the costs. Building a large number of cars is just a quicker road to bankruptcy unless this is addressed. What plans do they have to address this?
Tesla went through this too around 2017 with the Model 3. Their supplier couldn't get it done, and were covering it up. Those boys they got from Grohman Engineering saved their bacon by coming up with a new system in record time that actually worked. Also, Tesla software on the Model 3 was buggy in 2017. The key thing though, was it was 2017. By 2018 it was working well.
This has truly been forgotten as if Tesla made the M3 perfectly on the first try.
16 is when i got my Volt, looked into model 3, but $67,000 and 9 month wait, i was like nope!!! Got me a volt for $36000!
@@crsp76691 Ahh, the OG Volt. I have a lot of appreciation for it. It has usable EV range, and it could do everything back in the day when Model S was expensive, and charging networks were nowhere compared to now. I don't think it's the future, now that batteries are so much cheaper, and with everybody going to NACS, charging will continue to improve. You don't want to carry the extra powertrain once your battery is big, charges fast, and chargers are plentiful. How many miles do you have on it, and how much of it electric?
John is incredible… the best..
Thank you.
Wondering about why GM dropped Apple Car Play? Simply put - MONEY. If you allow the Apple Ecosystem to dominate the infotainment system in your vehicle you will have far fewer opportunities to generate future software based revenue streams. Additionally, you have to accept the features of Apple Car Play whether you like them or so far less control for GM to dictate what goes on in the vehicle.
they wont be the last to drop it. The EV companies have never played ball with Apple and NO ONE questions it
There's a lot more to Tesla than just cars.
Yeah, Elon's ego.
Until a better battery tech comes along, it's Sodium-Ion batteries for a cheaper power storage future. You can buy a auto size battery for $300 with a 3 year warranty today.
Everyone is stepping back Tesla is stepping back from Giga Mexico. Rivian and Lucid flat production for 2024. Everyone wants to see stronger global economic growth before significantly ramping up production capacity.
@EnriqueThiele contrary to what was said in this video there is widespread agreement that EV sales growth will slow this year for a host of reasons, including high interest rates. Everyone is agreeing that the growth rate will not match the rosy predictions so many had a few years back
Shipping port trucks and local delivery trucks should be first?
I would think mail trucks and vehicles that can get unloaded while recharging.
Cars will work as good for grid backup power in parking lots while working.
USA made a solid state Polymere battery.
It was just released in another brand of Class 3 trucks last month.
It was approved for a $40,000 EV discount by IRS.
Vehicles are made in Michigan Indiana ?
Polymere battery made in California.
Basically, even after doing the learning curve to make Bolt originally, GM (management??) did not believe that manufacturing hell existed, even though Ultium had all new battery cells (3X size), module format and electronic integration, and battery platform.
And the perspective that ‘production targets were too high to start’ sounds a lot like Management NOT listening was a big part of the problem to start, compounded by ‘manufacturing hell’. Only Q left is, have the GM POTP group(s) learned yet??
Probably because 70-80% of people can't afford electric vehicles and don't want to put up with charging stations not working, range anxiety etc. Look what happened in Chicago when it was 0 degrees out.
Ok boomer
Two observations they should’ve kept the original name of the article, but the lyric was never going to sell the numbers they wanted. I was looking for an electric car for replace my Cadillac when the lyric was announced I put my name on the list and I never got a serious call back, they’re not available in anything except very small numbers. I think they sold 1700 units in January that’s not a volume car.
Saw al Lyric on the freeway the other day. It looks WAY better in person. The internet does not do this vehicle proper justice.
Silverado ev is too big for me, would love it the size of a Colorado if it was Ev would be cool
After watching the Munro teardown of the large pack from the HummerEV, I think the lack of thermal sensing on the large Ultium cells will be the next colossal problem that haunts GM. However, that might also be why GM hints that the next generation of Ultium might be cylindrical cells.
Nobody is talking about the engineering disaster that is ultium. That will be the next gm fiasco.
GM could have done themselves a favor by just saying that there were issues with the modules. Just let the rumor mill make up the narrative (not blaming the rumor mill). Unfortunately this is typical.
One fascinating/annoying aspect of the coverage -- not present here -- is how differently the "EV Media" treats the legacy automakers. Objectively the GM technology is superior in many respects to what Tesla offers, but if you looked at Kyle's videos you would never ever ever know that. And objectively Tesla hasn't done a better job at hitting its announced release dates any better than GM, not to mention Tesla's initial quality issues when releasing a new model. But again, watching Kyle's videos you would never know that.
Such optimism, don’t buy it, we’ll see.
100% view.
“When this problem is solved” presumes gm can easily solve it which history says they clearly cannot
Is it ultium or faultium?
Ultra fiiiiiiiiire
Comment
GM hasnt built anything in decades and decades, they are just a end of line assembler.
The problem is the entire ultium platform is garbage from the start. Pouch cells should have never been allowed in anything bigger than a phone. Watching a Hummer pack tear down just shows how poorly engineered the entire pack is. Everything about it is over complicated and slow and inefficient to build.
Tesla is doing UnBoxing in its building of cars , GM is going the other way ,Boxes upon of Boxes underneath a humomngous box of an SUV and its Porker🐖of a Hummer!..😂
Looks like the GM joint-venture partner SAIC, took GM to the cleaners...years of R & D knowledge is in SAIC's hands...I am a GMH vehicle lover but GM rate now as a pack of arseholes'...The end of GM is looming.
Mary is not an engineer and has no idea how to innovate out of this hole. She'll be walked out Q3/Q4
GM sux since EV1 scandal
It's still an equinox they where garbage before and probably again same with the blazer that all have the same problems year over year
Sounds just like the Tesla model 3 launch
What's gms excuses then though? They ain't new, they once made ev trucks in the 1920s and have made other evs since.
Inc the ev1 and ev s10.
They also once had over 60% of the ENTIRE worlds auto sales.
So again what are the justifiable excuses for their multitude of ev lies under barra and reuss.
Referring to the ultium platform evs 6 of which got approved in September of 2017.
Again per reuss and barras many many public comments about ev scale, sales, model's available&production per year.
Dating back to the bolt overtaking tesla by 2017.🤔
By removing Apple Carplay, GM has removed itself from ever getting my consideration for a car purchase.
GM: where for decades and despite previous corporate failures wrought by management incompetence in spades, disseminating corporate and stakeholder BS still takes precedent over reality: "we will dominate the US EV Market by 2025". Hahaha 🤣🤣🤣
I was really happy to see John's article when it came out; finally answering the question "what the heck has gone wrong with Ultium batteries". It's even cooler that he is here talking about it. Great job getting on this so quickly, Out of Spec!
I thought this was the most interesting bit of EV news in a while as it’s more of a behind the scenes on what’s going on instead of the usual promises of something grand two years from now. Appreciate the effort!
😂From far away it looks like you are both interviewing Tim Cook!!
He kinda talks like him too lol
@@pine111 Yeah, John gets that a lot. About once a year, someone nervously walks up to him in a restaurant and asks ...
Great video, thanks guys! I can’t understand why ford and GM are starting with full sized pickups. Maverick buyers would JUMP into and electric truck, but full size truck buyers seem to be quite skeptical
That's because full-size pickup trucks are purpose built and small pickup trucks are primarily commuter vehicles with room to carry some crap
@@drunvert ...while most truck owners typically use them as trucks rarely. Which is why small pickups are the best and large target audience.
Full size pickups are the largest market segment in the US. Best segment for integration of EVs, most profitable.
@@jamesengland7461 100% wrong move
@@jamesengland7461 Not if nobody buys them! The smart play is to target those truck buyers who don't use the truck as a truck. They don't need towing, hauling much. It's why the Maverick is a hit. That's what should have been their truck EV. It's why Rivian is smaller too.
Thank you for having John Voelcker! He’s a titan of the rare intersection of outstanding journalism and EVs.
Curious why this battery module assembly story blew up now? The Detroit News reported this in July 2023. We already knew about all of these issue 🤷🏼♂️
Q: Curious why this battery module assembly story blew up now? A: well (not to put too fine a point on it) it generally makes us "feel good" to think information is NEW and that nobody's heard it before, when in reality it's just US (personally) who don't know about something. re: "The Detroit News reported this in July 2023..." correct. re: "We already knew about all of these issue(s)..." that's a bingo.
Yeah I'm watching it specifically because I knew about this for over half a year
Nobody wants a GM EV. I believe Honda prologues will sell better than the Blazer because people trust Honda and not GM.
Honda took over the core GM computer code and are writing their own code for much of everything else. This is a wise move, but they better hope it is transferable to the car when they start making it on their own.
Why are GMs nrw EV products 10k more than they should be with all their mass production ability
The MFG's are spoiled and don't want to give up Covid high prices.
Yes exactly!
They just don't know how to make them cheaper d make a profit. They don't make a profit selling them at high prices.
Batteries
@@drunvert nah tesla has batteries too
I THINK we are all saying the same thing but not saying it……FIRE MARY BARRA!!
she is the one who pushed for EVs- if it wasn't for her they would be way behind like HOnda, Toyota, Stellantis, etc.
Mary Barra did it again! Lead GM to unDeliver on its promises !😮
Chevy should not stopped production of the Bolt. They seem to be selling and bringing people into the Chevy family. Attracting a buying segment ignored by others.
They were losing money on every one they built.
I am new to Chevy with a Bolt EUV in January. Love the car for my daily needs. Simple and fun to drive.
bolt has old battery tech, they want everything to be Ultium
Enjoying my Lyriq after being AFFECTED by the issues described. The corporate Tragedy the complete incompetence at GM and Cadillac in failing to treat this issue as worthy to communicate to the on order.
Hopefully you you really really really really really like it because the depreciation on that car is going to be so horrendous
Cars aren't an investment genius @@drunvert
@@cangle37 definitely not an EV. You're right.
GM says major EV problems should have been fixed before cars were sold
The Electric Viking
There's as well the super-subjective issue of looks. The Mach-E actually looks better in person than in pictures, but it's not as beautiful as your typical Mustang. The F-150 Lightning I can also attest looks much better in front of you than it does in pictures, but not revolutionary. The Lyric doesn't look like traditional Cadillac's at all ... not that any of the newer Cadillac's do ... The Bolt looked like poop. The Volt looked nicer but it's hard to see. The BMW i3 looked like the GM Bolt. The BMW i4 has this front grill that makes the whole car look like a bunny rabbit. VW's id's look like complete crap. Deimler's electrics look like plastic toy versions of their ICE cars. The only companies in the electric space that make good-looking cars are Tesla, Porsche and BYD, unless you count minor players doomed to bankruptcy like Lucid. It does not seem to me that legacy automakers really _wanted_ to sell EV's ... consciously or unconsciously; I don't know ... But anyhow; their complaining about EV demand seems ludicrous to me: If you really want something to sell, you throw the kitchen sink into it, you make it beyond beautiful, you make it stunning, as well as perfect. And I see this drive for perfection manifested in the Model 3, beauty in simplicity, every part of the car pulling in the same aesthetic direction; and the perfection of efficiency, with their world-leading regenerative brakeing and their octo-valve for thermal management, not to speak of their super-intuitive computer interface, operating system, over-the-air updates, safety and performance.
I have a Blazer EV. I will take the software update now please.
I think the early adopters got their EVs and now persons want the charging and battery degradation developments to come around. Solid state batteries that can charge in 10 min or less like fueling takes is what it will take. ICE cars numbers and full scale acceptance didn't happen until haying and bedding horses was more trouble than cranking an engine. The first generation of cars had engines that had short lives and lots of maintenance. Dropping oil pan and removing bearing shims so the gap would close enough to go another 3-6k miles (or way less) on the side of the road if you left the populous parts of the US was just what you did. Heavy pickups for towing will have to have enough capacity to go 300+ miles while towing 17 tons fast up a hill and charge in the time it takes to pump 40 gallons of diesel.
So GM can't make the packs? Tabed batteries was and still is a big mistake
I hate how secretive GM is. I contacted for them years ago, and everything was a secret, even mundane things
Interesting that GM Ulitum's main production bottleneck was module assembly, since that was also the bottleneck for early Tesla Model 3 "production hell." Tesla had to hire a different supplier to provide automated assembly equipment that worked. Tesla ended up buying the company, Grohmann Engineering, to bring the expertise in-house.
Good point. Who do you speculate GM’s tier 1 supplier is?
I totally forgot about that
I suspect that GMs Ultium concept is going to turn out like the F-111 was for the USAF. You start with a concept-down corporate edict, not a cohesive bottom-up integrated and optimized approach for both drivability and manufacturability. Organizational structure matters a great deal. Embedded software means 150+ incompatible suppliers each writing firmware that spawns decades worth of patch-fixes. I hear Enron-style bragging rights when GMs past efforts with the EV-1 and Bolt were disasters that were 100% recalled and scrapped. Mary Barra was all over the airwaves yakking about volume & market share & how & when they were going to overtake Tesla. What have they actually accomplished?
If the price of EVs is right ... they will sell. If the price of EVs remains too high ... no mass adoption. Edit: Just say NO to all subscription models. Refusals will see that aspect disappear.
Great interview with John! He's got such a deep knowledge of the EV industry and a ton of contacts within the automakers. I really hope he comes back on the podcast to talk about what's going on with all the changes to America's DCFC infrastructure.
Francie! Terrific job putting this pod together! I really appreciated the editing to show photos of the cars that were being mentioned. It was helpful for visualization. Thanks!
Voelker is a nebulous speaker. He keeps producing this gaseous emanation without a solid center. You keep searching for the actual point. It gets a little better when they ask him questions, but its still pretty frustrating.
he's an actual professional journalist, his information is better than 80% of the youtube self-proclaimed ones. You're probably just used to them so you don't understand how good he is.
Fantastic work guys! LOVED this podcast. Read the article yesterday and it is an excellent piece. THIS is the kind of information we need to keep moving the needle forward. 👏🏻
If GM is targeting a $35K EV while Tesla and BYD are targeting $25K EV's for the US market it sounds like a losing formula for GM and once again they are behind their competition.
Is John Voelcker actually Tim Cook?!
I liked the Kei car analogy to North American pickup trucks!
Agreed, excellent. Apart from Kei cars can never being profitable enough to tempt the industry into totally insular ways.
Mary has made her stock options more important than the company’s future.
I think EV's are inevitable. It was brushed on for a second, but what about the uprising among the GM and Ford dealerships refusing to stock any more EV's because they don't want to make the considerable investment in a product line that they can't sell?
And EV’s don’t have anywhere near the maintenance requirements. Dealers don’t want to sell a product that will not generate future revenue in their service department, the profit of which keeps the doors open.
inevitable for what reason??? They make a lot of sense for a % of owners in the same way pickups make sense for some but not others. They will remain a big part of the auto market but short of a drastic increase in gas prices or gov mandate I would not expect them to become the majority of sales anytime soon- maybe in 15-20 years.
None of this is surprising. Everyone has talked about how pack architecture and the integration of cells into a viable pack along with battery management and heat management are much bigger technological hurdles and involve much more trial and error than simply manufacturing the cells. Orders of magnitude in fact. This experience with GM shows that but it also shows how overconfident they were and how little they really knew.
Thanks for a great show! I’m a fan of all things EV and a very happy EV owner since fall of 2022. I live in Calgary where it’s currently -23C (-9F) and I’ve yet to have an issue with my Model Y. People ask me about range anxiety and I ask them about their ICE car “Will it start?” Anxiety. You see, they are already used to plugging their car in… they are simply doing it in a very inefficient way ;) As for the topic: GM is brutally over promising. I understand that most corporations do some of this to keep interest in their products but to see their EV production numbers so low deep into 1st Quarter of 2024 is truly emBarrassing! Remember! They were supposed to be the big boys that would show the industry how it’s done…
In a word, the PRICE!!!....First Silverado EV's over $100k. Ford screwed the pooch when they bumped the Pro price to $60k, and reservations dropped like flies.
China has gotten the basic issue with EV's right......quick replace batteries....under 3 minutes for a fully charged cell pack.
I really want to see this happen, cmon GM!
Idk how ppl can continue believing in GM. Mary Barra is only leading that company to the grave
Right! Elon Musk has some lithium stock he's like to sell you . . .
@@ricksand6477 as long as he can grow it 8000% like he has done for me with Tesla stock. I'm all in
I bought 17 volt, happy with it, been a gm guy my life, i wanted to eventually move to a GM electric awd suv. But mary mary mary, all you do is crank out v8 gas hog trucks and gigantic v8 suvs i just dont want to pay so much per mile to operate. Now the stop sale on the blazer ev😢! Get with it.
Now own the RS AWD Equinox EV and it is a great car, way nicer that the Model Y. More features that are easier to use and the display is perfect height and size. The ability to put google maps on the drivers infromation screen and use the entertainment screen for other apps is wonderful as I don't need to see a large map most of the time. Was not sure I would like the 21" wheels and tires, but they look good and have a very wide contact to the ground as they ara 75s which should help in rain and snow. I also like the size as I did not want a blazer ev as my wife had a ice blazer if we need a larger vehicle. GM also gave me a lot of discount to get the price to $40000 with tax with 3.9% interest. GM is working hard to make the change to electric and keep the environment from getting worse.
Its amazing how GM can consistently snatch defeat out of the very jaws of victory. Too many accountants, too few engineers - same technique Boeing has used to piss away their sterling reputation by switching to making dangerous planes because its cheaper.
GM had a big lead in EVs with the EV-1. But wanted to keep selling ICE cars because EVs were going to be an investment that took years to pay off and GM never does anything if it cant make a profit within 2 weeks. Thus allowing Tesla to get a foothold with the Roadster. Then GM leveraged the EV-1 technology into the Volt, but took their sweet time doing it (I remember reading about the embryonic Volt in 2006 already). Up until about 2015 GM had sold more EVs than Tesla. Then they took another nap and let Tesla eat their lunch.
The bulk of their production to date (Bolt) was NOT Ultium. Hummers and Lyriq or whatever the Caddy is called are the first Ultium vehicles... so to date, they have made a few thousands of the Ultiums in North America. Hundreds of thousands or millions require a ramp from hell. And then we see what technical flaws emerge in this first-generation GM battery. And then they switch to cylindrical cells...
Wow, I'm glad I found this podcast. But I wonder if it's worth keeping. I don't support electric cars. Hybrids OK. The world is not the horse and carriage days. I know people who work hard trying to make breakthroughs for that battery to change the world. The truth is, engineers don't have the technology yet that can last like gas cars. The Chinese are hiding something that you can't see. Cell technology doesn't mean safe technology. You're all seeing a movie production. Sci-fi.
Kyle, for the first time I disagree with John. Yeah, GM was one of those safe stocks. He seems to have forgotten GM filed chapter 11 in 2009 and stockholders, myself included, lost. Safe? Hardly.
folks don’t let me burst your bubble, Strother Martin said it best, “ what we have here is failure to communicate” as in chargers charging plugs being different manufacturer to manufacturer, the buying public sat back and watched in utter disbelief, this EV revolution can’t even agree on a standardized charge plugs, folks, these aren’t cell phones where everybody has a different plug, where we are wondering where to charge the dang thing
The Tesla bubble deflated a bit because their other industries outside of passenger vehicles which gave them such a high valuation faltered in this world of high interest rates. Their solar, battery storage, Semi, 4680 promises, FSD, charging infrastructure the increased interest rates are hitting everyone hard in terms of funding expansions and R&D. This applies to everyone really, the high interest rates not only slow down consumer spending and debt growth, but stifles a lot of innovation and productive growth also.
If they sold as many EVs as all of want them to make, we would not be able to charge while not at home on a trip. I recently drove on a ski trip to UT and CO and I left the EV at home and drove the ICE. Also all I see being built in mass are apartments and not single family homes with a garage. Where is the I infrastructure going to go when big cities are changing zoning to remove parking requirements for builders?
There are way too many inefficiencies in the legacy auto makers' business model to allow them to survive the transition to electric mobility. The old rule book has been replaced with a new one written by Tesla. Profitability is fundamental. It's amazing that the subject of autonomous vehicles wasn't even mentioned in this talk. Robotaxis will decimate the traditional auto market. Kyle's optimism is misplaced, imo.
.. Peace.. Shalom.. Salam.. Namaste 🙏🏻 😊 🌈 ✌ ☮ ❤
EV not slowing down. Floods , limited charging, cold weather make EVs a must have? Hybrid is the future until batteries resolve their climatic shortcomings
The shameful thing is GM & Ford are making a stand to slow down EV adoption because people don't want EVs but it's not a demand issue it's a build issue! They're also saying they can't build batteries fast enough so build hybrids instead
So, is GM finally matching of even beating Tesla in terms of battery & software tech? Looks like GM will be selling a lot more different models than Tesla. Is that an advantage? Doesn't seem like it to me.
I'm making this comment after 9:37 of this video. GREAT . Looks like I have to hold on to my ICE vehicle for the next 2 years to see if Ultium is worth it.
With the agreement with other manufacturers to use the NACS nozzle and integrate it into their cars in 2025, Tesla should have mandated they need to put the connector on rear left of their cars. Elon really fucked up if you not.
GM was having huge problems running car production , now .. running a software house ? :)) ahhahah :))
This provided good information but in the midst of all the skepticism and criticism of what GM has or has not done there was no mention of what is going on with competing manufacturers. Outside of luxury brands there is really not much going on in terms of EV sales for traditional automakers with the exception of Hyundai and Kia. So in spite of all the missteps not one mainstream automaker is better positioned or even on par with GM. Numerous times Francie expresses zero confidence that GM can scale up but there is not one non-Tesla automaker that has any shot of even dreaming of producing what GM aims to in 2024. Even if they only hit half their goal they would probably be #2 in US EV sales this year. One startup automaker has thrived in the EV space- Tesla- that is it. Rivian and Lucid are struggling and may not even be in business in 3 years so its interesting to hear so much about how the startups are schooling the traditional automakers. I think Rivian is slated to produce a whopping 57k units this year- if GM produces that few they will be raked over the coals. I also thought it was amazing that no one bothered to mention Google is responsible for the infotainment system- it was inferred in the podcast that GM eliminated android auto/Carplay and developed their own interface with zero mention of Google- in spite of the fact that GM, Volvo, Ford and others are all shifting to Google interface for their vehicles. Phone projection systems do NOT run cars- they never have. Its absurd to suggest that software issues with Ultium or any other models are a result of not having phone projection. BTW, startup EV companies have NEVER offered phone projection- another fact never mentioned in the midst of all that griping about the gall of GM to not offer phone projection.
Perfect picture of what Government motors can, or in this case, can't do. They cannot innovate, they can only build generic crap.
I so badly wanted a Sierra AT4 EV, but went ahead and got an R1S instead. Don’t feel like waiting 2 more years
It didn't go off the rails, it was never on it. It was just a name to hype things up. Nothing more. No one who knows batteries and companies run by pencil pushers paid any attention to it.
@ 22:25 ya gotta lose money for 6 years while you RAMP production to reach economy’s of scale
You are out of touch with the affordability issues. The average buyer can't afford an average automobile.
Wish i could understand peoples addiction with car play. I actually go out of my way to NOT use it, in both our cars 😂. I find it more of a hassle than anything.
Waze, I like to get a heads up on police sitting radar ahead.
I have a Volvo recharge with android automotive. I don’t need car play. Good software means you don’t need the phone mirroring.
I hate it!
re: Wish i could understand peoples addiction with car play. A: unfortunately at this late date in History, the people living in society have REGRESSED are IMMATURE and now suffer from untreated issues of OCD and ADD. also ref: Smart Phone Addictions.
I'm older so I'm the wrong guy but I have no desire whatsoever to use anything other than my phone
Sorry but I just don't think GM will pull it off and will still need another government bail out!
Anyone remember when everyone laughed at Elon for building the second largest building in the world in the middle of an empty desert?
Tesla and Rivian don't offer Apple Car Play nor Android Auto either.
That sucks but it’s not holding them back.
They built their software for the car they designed from the ground up. GM had a lacking software package and had used those other things on other cars. Removing them left them trying to do new EV necessary stuff (route planning) with in house software.
That said removing the phone mirroring didn’t cause the problems. It’s like turning off an app.
My guess is that GM removed those things in order to sell subscriptions.
Based on OnStar and how GM has handled online and subscription services, I have VERY little confidence in how that will turn out… more like Mary Barra is *sadly* mistaken in her understanding and assumptions of how that will work (like BMW’s attempts and her EV production plans). I hate OnStar, finding it to be a ridiculously overpriced waste of money on a Chevy Bolt.
From what is sounds they couldn’t have Car play and AA and also have battery conditioning built-in which if that’s the case I’d rather have them removed and just use an app.
@@kyliefan7 I believe that is the case with the KIA/Hyundai EVs too (I could be wrong though), you have to use built-in navigation to get DCFC battery preconditioning. Part of my own objections to automakers wasting time/money/energy on CarPlay and Android Auto on EVs.
And we’re supposed to get an Ultium Bolt next year. Yeah I’ll believe it when I see it.