Electric cars only: GM Detroit-Hamtramck plant's future includes EV trucks and more
General Motors will back the decision to only build EVs at the Michigan facility with a $2.2 billion investment.
Once on the brink of closing down entirely, General Motors ' Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant in Michigan will soon be the epicenter for a major shift inside the automaker. On Monday, the company announced the plant will undergo a transformation to solely build electric vehicles.
Today, "D-Ham" runs on a single shift to build the not-long-for-this-world Cadillac CT6 and Chevrolet Impala . Beginning next month, the plant will go dormant for several months to undergo renovations. On deck for the plant is a previously confirmed electric pickup truck -- quite likely a reborn Hummer model -- followed by production of the Cruise Origin, the automaker said.
GM also clued us into what else it has in store. The electric pickup will be ready in 2021 and it will be the first of many EV trucks coming from the automaker, GM President Mark Reuss said at the announcement.
The radical shift will see GM pour $2.2 billion into the plant to retool for EV-only models. Another $800 million will go to supplier tooling and other projects related to launching the electric trucks. As for the battery cells for these new vehicles, they'll come from a new facility planned outside of Lordstown, Ohio. The automaker previously announced a joint venture with LG Chem to build the battery cells in the state once home to Chevy Cruze production.
The news will also be a boon to employment at the factory. While the workforce stands at around 900 employees, D-Ham will soon employ 2,200 people after everything is operational.
It won't be the first time the plant dabbles in building electrified vehicles, however. The facility was once home to production of the Chevy Volt and its far more expensive cousin, the Cadillac ELR.
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