This GM plan to capture EV market will only charge up electric vehicle detractors
General Motors believes installing around 40,000 Level 2 (L2) chargers through its Dealer Community Program can help build its position in the new EV era. However, with L2 chargers taking many hours to charge up an electric vehicle, is this really the experience GM wants for its EV owners?
GM sticks to L2 EV chargers for its dealership program
GM is going all in on electric vehicles with the strategy of providing an EV for everyone. The automaker’s CEO, Mary Barra, has made it well-known the company is looking to lead the auto industry into a new (electric) era, going as far as to say they will beat current leader Tesla.
One way of doing so, GM believes, is by utilizing its extensive dealership network and driving adoption in untapped markets. With nearly 90% of the US popular living within ten miles of a GM dealership, the company rolled out its Dealer Charging Community Program in October 2021.
The dealership program is designed to drive EV adoption and access to charging infrastructure in “underserved, rural, and urban areas.”
As part of the program, GM will give its dealers up to ten new UIltium-branded EV chargers to install throughout the community, deploying up to 40,000 chargers in total. GM revealed earlier this month that almost 1,000 dealers have signed on to participate so far, which will result in an extensive network of chargers. GM’s vice president of the EV ecosystem, Hoss Hassani, recently told Yahoo Finance:
That’s going to be hugely consequential to the decision of which EV people want to choose. We know that’s going to catapult General Motors to a leadership category in EVs.
However, there’s a caveat. The chargers are Level 2, meaning it could take several hours to charge up your electric vehicle battery. According to Hassani:
Participating dealers are eligible to receive up to 10 19.2 kilowatt level 2 charging stations, allowing drivers to get a roughly 80% battery charge in under three hours.
Realistically, that’s going to take way longer to get to 80% (and why even use 80% at slower chargers because EVs don’t taper when charging this slow?).
He adds that most charging is done at home, and Level 2 chargers “remain the most affordable option for divers.” Both of those things are true and both of these things have nothing to do with this program.
Level 2 chargers do make sense in some places. Hotels where people stay overnight are a great place for a Level 2 EV charger. Street parking and train stations might make sense for some people. However, restaurants, malls, stores and most of all, car dealerships are not places where people want to spend all day/night charging their car.
On the flip side, Ford is also working with its dealers, announcing that two-thirds have opted to join its Model e program to sell EVs. Unlike GM, however, Ford is deploying Level 3 fast chargers, which will result in one of the US’s largest DC fast charging networks. Charging stops will be measured in minutes, not hours.
Electrek’s Take
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to hang around a GM dealership or some adjacent location for three hours to charge up my electric vehicle – and that’s on the low end. Realistically, it will be more like six to eight hours. So what’s the plan, GM? What will visitors do for half the day while visiting dealerships and other places far from home?
I understand the idea of placing chargers in underserved areas, and something is definitely better than nothing. But waiting for so long for a charge will turn people away. Instead, it would make more sense to go with fast chargers like Ford has laid out, or at the very least, give the option. If GM is planning for 3,250 fast chargers to be installed by the end of 2025, why not go “all in” and offer level 3 to dealers where it would make the most sense?
People in rural areas will charge at home and start every day with 200+ miles of range. If they need more power on the road, a Level 2 charger will do almost nothing for them.
It seems GM’s dealership charging program was designed by those more concerned with numbers than what would actually benefit EV adoption. I can’t imagine anyone who has lived with and driven an EV would dream up this kind of scheme. If GM was serious about driving adoption, L3 fast chargers would be the way.
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Environment
Tesla hires celebrity ambassador despite Elon Musk saying they don’t pay for endorsements
Tesla has hired a celebrity ambassador, a departure from Elon Musk’s policy of not paying for celebrity endorsements.
Musk has often bragged about the fact that Tesla doesn’t pay for celebrity endorsements in contrast to other automakers who hire celebrity brand ambassadors to promote their cars.
Much like advertising, Musk seems to be abandoning this strategy.
Tesla announced that it hired Olympic shooter Kim Ye-ji, whose performance at the Paris Olympics this summer went viral, to be the automaker’s brand ambassador in Korea.
Kim said about her new partnership with Tesla:
I’m very excited to work with Tesla, who have recognized me. I hope to convey a positive message together with Tesla.”
Here are a few pictures released to announce her new partnership with Tesla:
Kim’s agency said that her relationship with Tesla started from CEO Elon Musk tweeting about her viral performance at the Olympics:
“The relationship between Kim Ye-ji and Tesla developed after Elon Musk mentioned her. The company said that Kim is Tesla Korea’s first brand ambassador.”
She is not only Tesla Korea’s first ambassador, but she is the first known paid celebrity ambassador for Tesla globally.
The policy change is not entirely surprising since the policy of Musk not paying celebrities to endorse Tesla’s products was often attached to the automaker’s strategy not to advertise.
Musk went as far as to say that he “hates advertising,” and Tesla started advertising last year.
The change in strategy coincidently, or not, came after Musk bought Twitter, a company relying on advertising, and Tesla even started to advertise on Twitter, now called X.
Tesla sales in Korea haven’t been amazing, but the country’s auto market greatly favors domestic brands. The American automaker does fairly well for a foreign brand with the Model Y becoming the best-selling imported vehicle in Korea during the first half of 2024.
Although, it amounted to just over 10,000 units.
Electrek’s Take
It’s a change of strategy, and Elon certainly can’t claim that Tesla doesn’t pay for celebrities to endorse its products, but it is probably a smart move due to the fact that Koreans prefer domestic brands.
Kim could help create a deeper level of attachment to the Tesla brand, but I don’t really know. I’m just speculating.
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Kia just broke its October sales record as its impressive US sales run continues. After another record-breaking month, Kia said the growth is fueled by “strong demand” for its electric vehicles.
Kia sets new October sales record in the US
Kia sold 69,908 vehicles in the US last month, up 16% from its previous October sales record in 2023.
According to Kia, higher demand for its electric models is charging up sales in the US. Kia’s electrified sales (EVs, PHEVs, and HEVs) reached its highest ever in October.
All-electric vehicles (EVs) led the way, with sales surging 70% year-over-year (YOY). Plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and hybrid (HEV) sales were up 65% and 49%, respectively, from October 2023.
Kia’s first dedicated electric model, the EV6, set a new October sales record with 1,941 units sold. Through the first ten months of 2024, Kia has now sold over 17,700 EV6 models in the US. Meanwhile, its first three-row electric SUV, the EV9, continues to defy expectations.
With another 1,941 models sold last month, Kia EV9 sales reached 17,911 through October. That’s even more than the EV6 despite costing +$12,000 more.
Kia’s first US-made EV9 rolled out of its West Point, GA plant this summer. Although the EV9 is expected to qualify for the full $7,500 federal tax credit next year, Kia is matching it for now through incentives.
Next year, we will also finally see the EV9 GT, which Kia promises will have “enormous power.” Ahead of its official debut, we got our first look at the sporty electric SUV with an active spoiler last month.
| 2025 Kia EV9 Trim | Starting Price* |
| Light Standard Range | $54,900 |
| Light Long Range | $59,900 |
| Wind | $63,900 |
| Land | $69,900 |
| GT-Line | $73,900 |
Earlier this month, we learned that the 2025 EV9 will start at $54,900 (not including the destination fee), which is only $700 more than the 2024 model.
With prices dropping to potentially under $50,000, Kia’s three-row electric SUV is a steal. If you’re ready to experience the EV9 for yourself, we can help you get started. You can use our links below to view deals on Kia’s electric vehicles in your area.
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The outcome of the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 5 won’t affect oil production levels in the short- to medium term, Exxon CEO Darren Woods told CNBC on Friday.
Former President Donald Trump has called for unconstrained oil and gas production to lower energy prices and fight inflation, boiling his energy policy down to three words on the campaign trail: “Drill, baby, drill.”
“I’m not sure how drill, baby, drill translates into policy,” Woods told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Friday after the largest U.S. oil and gas company reported third-quarter results.
Woods said U.S. shale production does not face constraints from “external restrictions.” The U.S. has produced record amounts of oil and gas during the Biden administration.
Over the past six years, the U.S. has produced more crude oil than any other nation in history, including Saudi Arabia and Russia, according to the Energy Information Administration.
Output in the U.S. is driven by the oil and gas industry deploying technology and investment to generate shareholder returns based on the break-even cost of production, the CEO said.
“Certainly we wouldn’t see a change based on a political change but more on an economic environment,” Woods said. “I don’t think there’s anybody out there that’s developing a business strategy to respond to a political agenda,” he said.
While shale production has not faced constraints on developing new acreage, there are resources in areas like the Gulf of Mexico that have not opened up due to federal permitting, the CEO said.
“That could, for the longer term, open up potential sources of supply,” Wood said. In the short- to medium term, however, unconventional shale resources are available and it’s just a matter of developing them based on market dynamics, he said.
Exxon Mobil shares in 2024.
The vast majority of shale resources in the U.S. are on private land and regulated at the state level, according to an August note from Morgan Stanley. About 25% of oil and 10% of natural gas is produced on federal land and waters subject to permitting, according to Morgan Stanley.
Vice President Kamala Harris opposed fracking during her bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. She has since reversed that position in an effort to shore up support in the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania, where the natural gas industry is important for the state’s economy.
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