GM announced a new program to deploy over 40,000 new EV chargers in the US and Canada.
It’s an interesting venture into charging for GM, but the automaker is sticking to level 2.
The automaker is calling the effort a community charging program:
“Today, General Motors announced a new community charging program to install up to 40,000 Level 2 EV chargers across the U.S. and Canada, including in underserved, rural and urban communities where charger access is limited. This initiative, which begins in 2022, is part of GM’s recently announced commitment to invest nearly $750 million to expand home, workplace and public charging infrastructure through its Ultium Charge 360 ecosystem.”
In short, GM plans to give up to 10 new Ulitum chargers to each of its dealerships. The dealerships will then decide where to deploy them in their own communities.
GM President Mark Reuss commented on the announcement:
“These two initiatives are part of our plan to put everyone in an EV, making access to charging even more seamless than before. We want to give customers the right tools and access to charging where and when they need it, while leveraging our dealer network to accelerate the expansion of accessible charging throughout the U.S. and Canada, including in underserved, rural and urban areas.”
At the same time as its community dealer charging program, GM also unveiled its Ultium chargers:
The Ultium charger will be offered in three configurations:
- An 11.5 kilowatt/48-amp smart charger
- An 11.5 kW/48-amp premium smart charger
- A 19.2 kW/80-amp premium smart charger
These chargers are going to be offered to customers and through the dealer community charging program.
Deliveries are expected to start early next year.
Electrek’s Take
Look, level 2 is certainly better than nothing, and 40,000 is a lot of chargers, but I just don’t think that’s really what EV infrastructure needs right now.
We need more level 3 fast-charging stations to enable travel. Level 2 is primarily for overnight charging, which people do at home.
For those who can’t charge at home, level 2 is only practical if it’s near your place for overnight charging, or ideally, where you park to work during the day.
Either way, it will be interesting to see where the dealerships decide to install those stations in their communities.
If you have a good idea, maybe it would make sense for you to reach out to your local GM dealership and let them know.
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