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GM chief Mary Barra “As one of the world’s largest automakers,we hope to set an example of responsible leadership in a world that is faced with climate change,”Credit:Simon Dawson

A GM executive,who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe details of the GM shift,said the company would spend $US27 billion ($35.1 billion) on electric vehicles and associated products between 2020 and 2025,outstripping spending on conventional petrol and diesel cars. That figure includes refurbishing factories and investing in battery production in conjunction with LG Chem,a South Korean battery maker.

The company also said it would manufacture about 30 types of electric vehicles,about 20 of which would be for sale in the United States.

The move toward ending tailpipe emissions will not affect medium and heavy duty trucks,but it will include cars,crossovers and full-size SUVs,such as the light-duty Silverado and Yukon,a company spokeswoman said.

Fred Krupp,president of the Environmental Defence Fund,which had worked with GM on its plan,called it a “breakthrough moment.”

“And it’s part of a wave of industry action that reinforces what the Biden administration is doing,” Krupp said.

President Joe Biden on Wednesday detailed a plan to transition the US economy away from oil,gas and coal and toward solar,wind and other clean energy,saying the country must lead the global effort to cut the pollution that is driving climate change and speeding the planet toward environmental catastrophe. Biden signed an executive order that calls for the federal fleet of about 645,000 vehicles to be converted to electric power.

Biden’s plan “creates demand and drives down costs as privately owned fleets follow suit,” Krupp said.

Critics said GM left itself room to manoeuvrer and still had not publicly joined four other automakers that agreed to comply with California’s fuel efficiency standards,which are more stringent than the federal targets under Trump. The California settlement is an important benchmark in restarting negotiations among auto companies,the California Air Resources Board and the Biden administration over cutting greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector.

A GM executive,who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe details of the GM shift,said the company would spend $US27 billion on electric vehicles and associated products between 2020 and 2025,outstripping spending on conventional petrol and diesel cars.Credit:Bloomberg

GM’s statement left wiggle room in continuing internal combustion engines,critics noted. The company did not rule out using carbon offsets or credits “if absolutely necessary” to reach its goal of eliminating tailpipe emissions. That means GM could invest in programs that remove carbon dioxide from the air,such as tree-planting,and still sell some petrol-powered vehicles.

And GM said its plans for “decarbonising and transitioning to 100 per cent EVs” would take place “as supported by our commitment to setting science-based targets.”

Dan Becker,director of the Safe Climate Transport Campaign at the Centre for Biological Diversity,said “given GM’s polluting track record,their promise to arrange some offsets for pollution” meant that the company’s plan was “just blue smoke and mirrors.“

The Washington Post

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