General Motors announced Tuesday that it’s launching a major initiative to provide workplace charging for its own employees.
Through the effort, it will install 3,500 charging connectors across facilities in the U.S. and Canada—tripling the number of connectors currently available from the company.
Citing “the internal popularity of the Chevrolet Bolt EV,” as well as the upcoming other models from Cadillac and GMC (and by extension, Hummer), the company voiced that it’s “committed to ensuring that all employees are able to conveniently charge their vehicles as the employee EV-owner population grows.”
Chevrolet Bolt EV at ChargePoint station
GMC’s full-size electric pickup is expected to arrive in the second half of 2021, for the 2022 model year, as is a GMC Hummer electric truck for model year 2022. A Cadillac fully electric crossover will arrive for model year 2023.
Rick Spina, GM’s VP of EV/AV commercialization and infrastructure, said that the company wants “to make it as convenient as possible for our employees to enjoy the rewards of EV ownership.”
GM also notes it as a method of employee retention, and an extension of its commitment to sustainability.
The new workplace chargers, all Level 2 (which can add 25 miles of range to the Bolt EV per hour) will be installed at company facilities starting late this year.
GM workplace charging initiative - March 2020
According to GM, 900,000 out of approximately one million EV drivers in the region aren’t able to charge at work; and when workplace charging is offered, employees are six times more likely to choose an EV.
As a baseline, GM projects that 6.5% of the vehicles on the road (assuming in the U.S.) will be electric by 2025.
According to GM, 90 percent of EV owners charge either at home or at work. Using an average daily commute of just 22.5 miles a day, the company notes that it takes just an hour to fully recharge at home or at work from that average commute.
GM also recently made improvements allowing for more dynamic charging-network functionality in its Energy Assist functionality in the myChevrolet app, for use in the Chevy Bolt EV. It announced last year that it plans its own nationwide charging network, with Bechtel, but it seeks outside investment for that.
