The days of the internal combustion engine are numbered.
General Motors said on Thursday it would eliminate oil-powered cars and trucks and sell only zero-emission exhaust vehicles by 2035, a seismic shift by one of the world’s largest automakers that makes billions of dollars today with pickups and sports cars . utility vehicles.
The announcement could put pressure on automakers around the world to make similar commitments. It could also encourage President Biden and other elected officials to push for even more aggressive policies to combat climate change. Leaders can point to GM’s decision as proof that even big companies have decided that it is time for the world to start making the transition from fossil fuels that have propelled the global economy for more than a century.
Several other automakers, most of them European, had already promised more modest steps in the direction that GM says it is going. Daimler, which makes Mercedes-Benz cars, said it would have an electric or hybrid version of each of its models by 2022, and Volkswagen promised an electric version for each of its models by 2030.
Electric cars represent the fastest growing segment of the auto industry, but still represent a small proportion of new car sales: about 3% of the global total, according to the International Energy Agency. Sales of these cars increased last year in Europe and China, but they remain niche products in the United States. They are bought mainly by affluent first users who are attracted by the luxury models made by Tesla, which dominates the business, and by environmentally conscious consumers.
GM said its decision to switch to electric cars was part of a broader plan to become carbon neutral by 2040. Its announcement came a day after Biden signed an executive order to step up the fight against climate change, including a directive for the federal government to electrify its large vehicle fleet.
“General Motors is joining governments and companies around the world working to establish a safer, greener and better world,” said Mary T. Barra, GM’s president and chief executive, in a statement. “We encourage others to follow suit and make a significant impact on our industry and the economy as a whole.”
The New Washington
GM said it would increase the use of renewable energy and eliminate or offset emissions from its factories, buildings, vehicles and other sources.
The company plans to spend $ 27 billion over the next five years to launch 30 electric vehicles, including an electric Hummer pickup that it hopes to start delivering to customers later this year.
GM shares jumped after its announcement and rose more than 4 percent around 2 pm, reflecting a growing consensus among investors that electric cars represent the future and that Tesla and other electric companies will eventually dominate the auto industry, while businesses other than the transition to electrical will not work well.
The company said it is working with the Environmental Defense Fund to build charging stations for electric cars and to convince drivers to switch to electric cars.
“EDF and GM have had some important differences in the past, but this is a new day in America – where serious collaboration to achieve electrification of transport, scientifically based climate progress and equitably shared economic opportunities can move our nation forward” , said the group’s chairman, Fred Krupp, said in a statement.
Jack Ewing contributed reporting.