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.
GM Defense CEO Steve DuMont stands aside the All-Electric Military Concept Vehicle at its Concord, NC production facility. Source: GM Defense
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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No matter how badly a fleet wants to electrify their operations and take advantage of reduced fuel costs and TCO, the fact remains that there are substantial up-front obstacles to commercial EV adoption … or are there? We’ve got fleet financing expert Guy O’Brien here to help walk us through it on today’s fiscally responsible episode of Quick Charge!
This conversation was motivated by the recent uncertainty surrounding EVs and EV infrastructure at the Federal level, and how that turmoil is leading some to believe they should wait to electrify. The truth? There’s never been a better time to make the switch!
New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (and sometimes Sunday). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news.
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Vermont’s EV adoption has surged by an impressive 41% over the past year, with nearly 18,000 EVs now registered statewide.
According to data from Drive Electric Vermont and the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, 17,939 EVs were registered as of January 2025, increasing by 5,185 vehicles. Notably, over 12% of all new cars registered last year in Vermont had a plug. Additionally, used EVs are gaining popularity, accounting for about 15% of new EV registrations.
To put it in perspective, Vermont took six years to register its first 5,000 EVs – and the last 5,000 were added in just the previous year.
Rapid growth, expanding infrastructure
In just two years, Vermont has doubled its fleet of EVs, underscoring residents’ enthusiasm for electric driving. To support this surge, the state now boasts 459 public EV chargers, including 92 DC fast chargers.
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The EV mix in Vermont is leaning increasingly toward BEVs, which represent 60% of the state’s EV fleet. The remaining 40% consists of PHEVs, offering flexible fuel options for drivers.
Top EV models in Vermont
Vermont’s favorite EVs in late 2024 included the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Nissan Ariya, Toyota RAV4 Prime PHEV, Tesla Model Y, and the Ford F-150 Lightning. These vehicles have appealed to Vermont drivers looking for reliability, performance, and practical features that work well in Vermont’s climate.
Leading the US in reducing emissions
This strong adoption of EVs earned Vermont the top ranking from the Natural Resources Defense Council for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in transportation in 2023. “It’s only getting easier for Vermonters to drive electric,” noted Michele Boomhower, Vermont’s Department of Transportation director. She emphasized the growing variety of EV models, including electric trucks and SUVs with essential features like all-wheel drive, crucial for Vermont’s climate and terrain.
Local dealerships boost EV accessibility
Nucar Automall, an auto dealer in St. Albans, is a great example of local support driving this trend. With help from Efficiency Vermont’s EV dealer incentives – receiving $25,000 through the EV Readiness Incentive program – it recently installed 15 EV chargers for new buyers and existing drivers to use.
“Having these chargers on the lot makes it easier for customers to see just how simple charging an EV can be,” said Ryan Ortiz, general manager at Nucar Automall. Ortiz also pointed out the growing affordability of EVs, thanks to more models becoming available and an increase in pre-owned EVs coming off leases.
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Elon Musk said Tesla’s self-driving will start contributing to the company’s profits… wait for it… “next year” with “millions of Tesla robotaxis in operation during the second half of the year.”
The claim has become a running joke, as he has made it for the last decade.
During Tesla’s conference call following the release of its Q1 2025 financial results, Musk updated shareholders about Tesla’s self-driving plans, which he again presented as critical to the company’s future.
He made a series of claims, mainly updating timelines about Tesla’s self-driving efforts.
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Here are the main comments:
The CEO reiterated that Tesla will launch its paid autonomous ride-sharing service in Austin in June.
He did clarify that the fleet will consist of Model Y vehicles and not the new Cybercab.
Musk also confirmed that Tesla is currently training a fleet specifically for Austin.
As we previously reported, this internal ride-hailing fleet operating in a geo-fenced with teleoperation assist is a big change from Tesla’s approach.
Musk said “10 to 20 vehicles” on day one.
Musk said that Tesla’s self-driving will start contributing positively to the company financially in the middle of next year, and “There will be millions of Teslas operating autonomously in the second half of next year.”
Musk has literally said something similar every year for the past decade and therefore, it’s hard to take him seriously.
The CEO claimed that Tesla would get “a 90-something percentage market share” in the autonomous market.
Musk again claimed that no one else is getting close to Tesla’s capacity, and he criticized Waymo for being too expensive.
Musk is “confident” that the first Model Y will drive itself from the factory to a customer’s home later this year.
The CEO said that he is confident that Tesla will deliver “unsupervised full self-driving” in consumer vehicles by the end of the year.
Despite Tesla missing earnings expectations by a wide margin, the company’s stock rose 4% in after-hours trading following Musk’s comments, indicating that shareholders still believe Musk’s self-driving predictions, despite his predictions having been incorrect for almost a decade.
Electrek’s Take
The first point I believe will happen. Tesla needs it to happen. It badly needs a win on the self-driving front.
However, as we previously explained, while Tesla will claim a win in June, it will be with a limited geo-fenced and teleoperation-assisted system that won’t scale to customer vehicles, which is what has been promised for years.
Tesla was even asked how it plans to launch this in Austin in June, when FSD in consumer vehicles currently requires frequent interventions from drivers, and Ashok, Tesla’s head of autonomous driving, admitted his team is currently focused on solving the intervention specifically related to driving in Austin.
With training on specific Austin routes and using teleoperations, Tesla can make that happen, but the road between that and unsupervised self-driving in consumer vehicles and “million of Tesla robotaxis” in the second of next year is a long one.
Basically, other than the first point, I believe Tesla will not achieve any of the other on anything close to the timelines announced by Musk today.
I’m willing to take bets on that.
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