G. David Felt

GM has brought much excitement in the last couple of weeks as we enter the holidays and these updates are exciting to read about. Cadillac LYRIQ Luxury EV crosses crucial development milestone As Cadillac enters the final stage to full production of the LYRIQ, engineers completed the crucial 80% validation drive for the 2023 Cadillac LYRIQ EV. Cadillac's first luxury EV will mark the start of transition for the brand to pure electric vehicles. As such engineering is leaving no stone unturned in fine tuning the LYRIQ prior to production to ensure the best LUXURY EV in the world. Cadillac has curated routes that will ensure the best experience on freeway, urban and rural driving. To quote the press release: The Ultium Platform is the central structural element of LYRIQ’s chassis, delivering a low center of gravity, exceptional chassis stiffness, and nearly 50/50 front-to-rear weight balance. These factors give engineers unprecedented chassis-tuning flexibility that ushers in the next chapter of Cadillac’s ride and handling philosophy: Isolated Precision. “LYRIQ has exceptional torsional stiffness,” said Todd Bruder, lead development engineer. “As a result, we were able to dial in exceptional responsiveness in the steering and suspension systems while simultaneously elevating the brand’s signature feeling of comfort to an entirely new plateau.” Technologies such as a five-link front and rear suspension and frequency-dependent dampers help optimize LYRIQ’s ride quality and responsiveness. The five-link front suspension allowed engineers to tune the suspension bushings independently, enhancing ride quality while improving handling. The frequency-dependent dampers, standard on LYRIQ at launch, differentiate between smaller impacts and larger swells on the road surface. This gives drivers more precise control in variable road conditions and provides greater comfort on smoother surfaces. GM Celebrates Grand Opening of Factory ZERO - An AMERICAN EV Factory In less than two years, GM went from a massive $2.2 billion investment to fully renovate a facility to build a variety of all-electric trucks and SUVs to holding a grand opening ceremony. President Biden attended the grand opening. Factory Grand Zero Grand Opening Video To quote the press release: GM retooled Factory ZERO for EV production for two-thirds the capital required to build a greenfield plant, making the facility a model for future GM facility renovations. As the company continues its transition for an all-electric future, GM will avoid up to $15 billion in capital costs by 2030 through the renovation of existing manufacturing facilities versus ground-up construction. The figure grows to $20 billion to $30 billion at 100 percent transition of GM’s manufacturing facilities to support EV production. That capital can be redeployed more strategically for additional customer-facing products, services and technologies. GM New Ultifi Platform Reimagines What it Means to Own a Vehicle GM is proud to anounce Ultifi, it's end to end software platform designed to unlock new vehicle experiences and connect the customers digital lives. Ultifi will help enable the frequent and seamless delivery of software-defined features, apps and services to customers over the air. This offers the potential for more cloud-based services, faster software development and new opportunities to increase customer loyalty. To quote the press release: customers can expect regular updates and will be able to choose from a suite of over-the-air upgrades, personalization options and new and exciting apps1. This customization will reimagine the ownership experience as enabled vehicles will have access to the latest software and capabilities. Some of these upgrades and settings can be saved to authenticated accounts2, so they can be transferred between similarly equipped GM vehicles. GM Acquires 25% Stake in Pure Watercraft to Accelerate All-Electric Boating GM has announced they have acquired a 25 percent ownership stake in Pure Watercraft, a Seattle based company that specializes in creating all-electric boating solutions. This is part of GM's focus to be the EV leader in North America and eventually to offer the technology globally. To quote the press release: The collaboration will leverage Pure Watercraft’s innovative marine propulsion technology and experience in the commercial marine industry with GM’s engineering, supply chain and manufacturing capabilities. The two companies will develop and commercialize battery electric watercraft, integrating GM technology into a variety of applications, helping to accelerate the industry’s transition to electric mobility. Electric Outboard Motors | Pure Watercraft To quote Pure Watercraft: We started this company in 2011 with a belief that boating could be made more enjoyable, accessible, and environmentally friendly than ever before. We truly want to lead a transformation of boating for the next generations to hit the water. A kind of revolutionary watercraft experience, designed and optimized for the way we live and boat now. This novel, modern approach to motoring sets a new standard for quality and reliability, and our partnerships with hull manufacturers help ensure horsepower on our outboards is used and distributed efficiently to maximize performance. With a smooth ride and nearly noiseless energy transfer process, you can get peace and quiet on the water even when whipping around at high speed. Plus, the added benefit of a zero emissions boating experience helps protect the waters for generations to come. Merchants Fleet Expands BrightDrop EV order to 18,000 with Addition of the EV410s BrightDrop a technology startup by GM to help decarbonize last-mile deliveries, announces that Merchant Fleet, North America's fastest growing fleet management company has expanded their orders for electric delivery vehicles to 18,000 BrightDrop vans with the addition of 5,400 EV410s, the mid-size electric light commercial vehicle (eLCV). These estimated 250 mile range on a full charge is well suited for the last-mile deliver service as the EV410s gross weight is less than 10,000 pounds reducing the need for additional operator licenses. These EV410s will join the Merchants fleet of EV600s. The EV410s and EV600s will enter the North America Merchant fleet duty use starting in 2023.

  Today GM announced their excitement to have President Biden attend the Grand Opening of Factory Zero Wednesday November 17th 2021. In the heart of Detroit and Hamtramck Michigan, GM's first all-electric assembly plant, the culmination of GM's multibillion-dollar U.S. investment in people, products and modernized processes. These electric trucks, SUVs and autonomous vehicles built at Factory ZERO will transform GM and the auto industry as the move is on to emission free auto's. GM has looked for ways to move forward using their existing assembly plants and retraining their workforce and with that the local people of Hamtramck, Michigan has seen this modern evolution from a century old company. Officially the start of full production with the Hummer Truck by GMC will happen on November 17th 2021, but there has been plenty of mule production runs to work out the assembly kinks. With this official grand open GM is on track to deliver Hummer Trucks to customers by the end of the year if not sooner. Look for the newest Hummer in your neighborhood soon.   GM Prepares to Welcome President Biden to Factory ZERO Grand Opening