US Department of Defense embracing electric military vehicles using GM’s Ultium Platform
Tactical military vehicles are about to get an electric upgrade. GM Defense, a business unit of General Motors focusing on advanced defense mobility needs, was selected by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to develop a battery pack that can be used for functional electric military vehicles.
The need to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and transition to clean energy alternatives is becoming more evident as unpredictable weather events, including extreme heat, droughts, floods, hurricanes, etc., continue to intensify across the globe.
When these events happen, it directly affects the Department of Defense, which includes the US Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force. The government agency is tasked with providing national security, including from the results of climate change.
Former US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel called climate change a “threat multiplayer” as it can “exacerbate” other issues, such as infectious diseases that can impact operations.
The Department of Defense looked at how climate change has impacted its department so far, giving several examples of why something needs to be done. For example:
- Hurricane Michael, a category five hurricane, destroyed at least half of the buildings at Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City, Florida.
- Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia, the world’s largest naval base, is threatened by rising ocean levels. Since the 1920s, water in the bay has increased by around a foot and a half, and during high tide, the water almost breaches containment walls.
- The Missouri River flood in 2019 swallowed up about a third of the US Strategic Command base at the Offutt Air Force in Nebraska, costing over $500 million.
These are just a few recent examples of how climate change has impacted the DOD. As a result, the Agency devised an action plan, including a climate strategy for each of its divisions, the US Army, Navy, and Air Force.
One of the primary focuses of the campaign is introducing functional military electric vehicles. The Defense Innovation Unit, a division of the DOD aimed at accelerating advanced technology use throughout the military, announced Thursday it had chosen GM’s Ultium Platform to test and analyze for tactical electric vehicles.
DOD testing GMs Ultium Platform for electric military vehicles
The DOD released a Climate Adaptation Progress Report, labeling climate change as a “national security issue.” The Agency says its military departments are “taking bold steps to accelerate climate adaption,” including using military electric vehicles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In July, the US Army selected GM defense to demonstrate an electric vehicle for the military, so it provided the GMC Hummer EV pickup.
The Agency is now moving forward with its strategy, awarding GM Defense to build a heavy-duty battery pack to power electric military vehicles in its fight against climate change. GM Defense president, Steve DuMont, states:
Commercial battery electric technologies continue to mature. GM Defense offers a unique advantage with our ability to leverage proven commercial capabilities and the billions in GM investments in electric vehicle and autonomous vehicle technologies in order to help provide our customers with the most advanced capabilities the commercial market can offer.
GM says it will use its advanced Ultium Platform – its electric vehicle architecture – to meet the standards.
GM believes the Ultium Platform can “deliver power, range, and scale beyond and previous GM hybrid or extended range EV.” The EV platform is scalable, with battery options ranging from 50 kWh to over 200 kWh and space for up to 24 modules.
The automaker’s scalable EV platform allows modules to lay flat (for performance vehicles) or vertical for heavy-duty EVs, making it a good choice for US electric military vehicles.
Electrek’s Take
Electric vehicles taking over the battlefield is only a matter of time. As battery technology like GM’s Ultium Platform advances, it enables longer travel distances, more power, and better performance.
Most importantly, electric vehicles are quieter, more powerful, can accelerate faster, and are technologically superior, making them the perfect choice for the military.
The US Army and Navy are aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050, while the Air Force is committing to 2046. Electric vehicles will likely play a critical role in the military as they look to achieve these objectives.
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Chevron is not seeing signs that the U.S. is close to a recession even as President Donald Trump’s tariffs weigh on expectations for oil demand, CEO Mike Wirth said Tuesday.
“There’s no signs that we see at this point that we are in or close to a recession,” Wirth told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “There are signs that growth may be slowing and we have to always be prepared for that.”
The International Monetary Fund on Monday cut its growth outlook for the U.S. this year to 1.8%, down from 2.7% previously.
The oil market is expecting reduced demand as a consequence of Trump’s tariffs and the decision by OPEC+ increase production faster than expected, Wirth said. Chevron isn’t changing its capital spending plans in response to drop in prices, the CEO said.
U.S. crude oil prices have fallen about 11% since Trump announced his tariffs on April 2. West Texas Intermediate was last up about 72 cents at $63.80 per barrel. OPEC and the International Energy Agency have cut their demand outlooks for this year.
Wirth said U.S. onshore oil production in patches like the Permian Basin is likely to pull back if prices hit $60 per barrel. Offshore production likely won’t be affected, he said.
“That’s an area where if we were to be at a $60 price or even lower you’re likely to see activity pull back in this sector and you’ll see the production response over a few months,” Wirth said. “That’s what we should watch, not so much the deep water activity.”
Chevron is not expecting a major direct impact on its business from Trump’s tariffs as energy has largely been exempt from the levies, Wirth said.
“The effects that we feel are likely to be more the macroeconomic effects as they flow through the economy,” Wirth said. “The bigger issues would be what would it mean for growth, and global trade and how does that evolve.”
Executives at oil and gas companies were scathing in their criticism of Trump’s tariffs in an anonymous March survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, warning that steel tariffs were raising their costs and low prices could impact their activity.
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Little is known about super-secretive EV startup Slate, but the fledgling brand is rumored to be backed by Jeff Bezos and determined to shake up the existing electric order with an affordable lineup of compact SUVs and pickups with that golden $25,000 price tag.
Now, at least, we know what it’s gonna look like. The battle of the billionaires is on!
Redditor jonjopop over at the spotted subreddit spotted what looks like an early prototype of an unbranded SUV with bizarre “CryShare” wrap. CryShare, as a concept, seems to combine the functionality of a ride sharing app like Uber or Lyft with the familiar (to parent, anyway) idea that small babies will often sleep better in a moving car than in their own cribs … but that’s not what’s important here.
Instead, focus on the vehicle itself – parked on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Los Angeles without explanation or fanfare, this is our best look yet at the kind of vehicle(s) Slate is likely to reveal in the coming days.
Stumbled upon the Bezosmobile [Slate Automotive…idk?] being revealed with an absolutely bizarre marketing campaign
byu/jonjopop inspotted
Other local automotive journalists caught wind of the public unveiling, too – and our friends at The Autopian (Hi, Matt!) sent their own David Tracy out on the streets of LA to check it out. Tracy took the following video and posted it to Instagram.
The Slate breaking cover and causing buzz just ahead of what’s sure to be a painful Q1 earnings call for Tesla is a masterstroke of marketing – especially as doubts surrounding the viability of a “less expensive” Tesla Model Y or Model 3 continue to mount amid the uncertainty of Trump’s tariffs and declining sales of the brand’s more profitable models both at home and abroad.
As with so much involving Slate, however, there is nothing here written in stone – or even cast in cheese. Nothing has been announced, nothing is promised, and for all we know this might have more to do with the affordable Rivian brand launch, a new BYD, or be a viral marketing bit from some local Art Center design student in (relatively) nearby Pasadena. In fact, about the only thing I think we can say about Bezos (?) new Slate project with confidence today is this: Elon could probably use that drink.
SOURCES | IMAGES: Reddit, The Autopian.
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