General Motors will be holding the grand opening of Factory ZERO today in in Detroit-Hamtramck at 4:15 pm eastern.
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General Motors is Opening Factory ZERO Today!
Heavily unionized workforce with a very active political scene in Michigan, with lots at stake for the future of EVs and jobs, yeah I think some politicians invited themselves to the event.
I'm just looking forward to learning more.
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GM's mission, and the politicians mission is aligned right now.
GM's mission: get us our trucks!
Yes, it’s nauseating.
I had to turn it off.
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Yea this is more cringeworthy than exciting, and it hasn't been informative at all. Wonder if GM is happy to hear President Biden reference the Hummer being 3x the weight of his Corvette on more than one occasion given the negative attention that weight has gotten (even if the point was to emphasize the speed).
Keeping it on in the background in case anything interesting comes out of it but so far disappointed. Feels like GM is behind the times in terms of marketing but maybe I misunderstood the point of this event.
The point of this event I guess was to not only launch the truck and factory but to also keep the Union on the side of GM and make sure politicians are beside them to roll out more support for EVs.
It's lots of cringe but I see some good, even if we have to sit through this to get even an inkling of new information. I'm going to hopefully assume near the end of the event or tomorrow we will get the full deets on the last remaining questions for the truck.
It's lots of cringe but I see some good, even if we have to sit through this to get even an inkling of new information. I'm going to hopefully assume near the end of the event or tomorrow we will get the full deets on the last remaining questions for the truck.
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Totally agree GM does not know how to market anything... They should have used this opportunity to get all kinds of press for the vehicles. Disappointing GM... Ford is definitely better at generating Buzz....
They should have showed a line of those hummers cranking up and driving outside...
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Agree. Not saying it's all bad - I expected some of the back-patting and handshaking along with some politics. I just thought we would get more than some glimpses at the Hummers in the background. I know this was the Factory Zero grand opening, so maybe it's shame on me for expecting them to focus more on the product than the factory itself, but feels like a major blown marketing opportunity.
I certainly don't think they took any momentum away from Rivian....
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Exactly, nothing about the trucks... F---, GM really is lost when it comes to marketing. I could have put together something better in 5 minutes, drive a few of those HummerEv outside, have 1 do a donut, have one do WTF, and have one drive on a dirt pile, Done....
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Here's the press release from GM about the factory opening for anyone interested.
media.gm.com
DETROIT – Today, General Motors marks a major milestone in its commitment to an all-electric future as President Joe Biden, International UAW and UAW Local 22 leadership, plant employees and other officials join together to celebrate the grand opening of the Factory ZERO EV assembly plant.
Production is now set to begin at the former Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant, less than two years after GM announced the massive $2.2 billion investment to fully renovate the facility to build a variety of all-electric trucks and SUVs.
“GM’s U.S. manufacturing expertise is key to achieving our all-electric future,” said GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra. “This is a monumental day for the entire GM team. We retooled Factory ZERO with the best, most advanced technology in the world to build the highest quality electric vehicles for our customers.”
The name Factory ZERO reflects the significant role the facility plays in advancing GM’s vision of a world with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion. Factory ZERO will be home to the 2022 GMC HUMMER EV Pickup, 2024 GMC HUMMER EV SUV, Chevrolet Silverado EV and the Cruise Origin, an all-electric, self-driving, shared vehicle. When fully operational, Factory ZERO will employ more than 2,200.
The debut of the Ultium Platform at Factory ZERO
All Factory ZERO EVs will be built on GM’s Ultium Platform, the heart of the company’s EV product strategy. The Ultium Platform encompasses a common vehicle architecture and propulsion components like battery cells, modules, packs, drive units, EV motors and integrated power electronics, and is fundamental at plants where EVs are produced.
Through the Ultium Platform, GM will realize a strategic value chain shift across its network of vehicle assembly plants as the company is able to commonize and streamline machinery, tooling and assembly processes. This flexibility enables lower capital investments and greater efficiencies as additional assembly plant transformations occur.
Factory ZERO – a showcase of GM’s competitive advantage
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.
Along with the capital advantages, GM’s commitment to renovating its existing network of manufacturing facilities during the EV transition also saves time. An accelerated launch and production start allow the company to get new, innovative EVs to customers sooner. Pre-production of the 2022 GMC HUMMER EV pickups began at Factory ZERO this fall and the first GMC HUMMER EVs are on track to be delivered to customers by the end of the year.
“To meet our ambitious EV transition, GM’s North American EV vehicle assembly capacity will reach 20 percent by 2025, and then 50 percent by 2030,” said Gerald Johnson, GM’s executive vice president of Global Manufacturing and Sustainability. “Factory ZERO serves as a model for transitions that will take place at other factories around the world in the coming years.”
Using virtual tools and working in parallel with production engineering teams, GM cut the manufacturing launch time in half – from two years to less than one – creating a competitive advantage. By comparison, greenfield assembly plant planning and construction could take up to four years, from site selection to vehicle production.
GM estimates that 80 percent of the assembly process for an EV is the same as that for conventional vehicles. This is another driver of speed for GM. The company has refined and perfected its own standardized manufacturing processes over many decades, and will launch its expanding portfolio of EVs faster, with superior quality and a lower cost.
Factory ZERO’s greatest asset is its people
GM’s Factory ZERO team is backed by more than 90,000 industrial problem solvers on GM’s global manufacturing team, who have 1.4 million years of collective experience. They are managing an average of 11 major launches each year, both internal combustion engine and EV. As a result, GM can produce an EV in the same number of working hours it takes to build an ICE vehicle.
“Our people are GM’s true competitive advantage — an advantage you simply can’t buy or quickly build,” said Johnson. “At Factory ZERO, we are building on that experience with the training that will deliver EV and AV launch success with safety, quality and speed while continuing to drive down cost per unit.”
Factory ZERO – a commitment to sustainability
As an EV assembly plant, Factory ZERO plays a direct role in GM’s commitment to eliminate tailpipe emissions from new light-duty vehicles by 2035 and become carbon neutral in its global products and operations by 2040. The company has already committed to invest $35 billion in electric and autonomous vehicles and plans to introduce more than 30 EV models by 2025. Factory ZERO serves as a real-world proof point for GM’s commitment to running its business in a sustainable manner.
Factory ZERO highlights include:
GM to Celebrate Grand Opening of Factory ZERO – an American EV Factory
Today, General Motors marks a major milestone in its commitment to an all-electric future as President Joe Biden, International UAW and UAW Local 22 leadership, plant employees and other officials join together to celebrate the grand opening of the Factory ZERO EV assembly plant.
media.gm.com
DETROIT – Today, General Motors marks a major milestone in its commitment to an all-electric future as President Joe Biden, International UAW and UAW Local 22 leadership, plant employees and other officials join together to celebrate the grand opening of the Factory ZERO EV assembly plant.
Production is now set to begin at the former Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant, less than two years after GM announced the massive $2.2 billion investment to fully renovate the facility to build a variety of all-electric trucks and SUVs.
“GM’s U.S. manufacturing expertise is key to achieving our all-electric future,” said GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra. “This is a monumental day for the entire GM team. We retooled Factory ZERO with the best, most advanced technology in the world to build the highest quality electric vehicles for our customers.”
The name Factory ZERO reflects the significant role the facility plays in advancing GM’s vision of a world with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion. Factory ZERO will be home to the 2022 GMC HUMMER EV Pickup, 2024 GMC HUMMER EV SUV, Chevrolet Silverado EV and the Cruise Origin, an all-electric, self-driving, shared vehicle. When fully operational, Factory ZERO will employ more than 2,200.
The debut of the Ultium Platform at Factory ZERO
All Factory ZERO EVs will be built on GM’s Ultium Platform, the heart of the company’s EV product strategy. The Ultium Platform encompasses a common vehicle architecture and propulsion components like battery cells, modules, packs, drive units, EV motors and integrated power electronics, and is fundamental at plants where EVs are produced.
Through the Ultium Platform, GM will realize a strategic value chain shift across its network of vehicle assembly plants as the company is able to commonize and streamline machinery, tooling and assembly processes. This flexibility enables lower capital investments and greater efficiencies as additional assembly plant transformations occur.
Factory ZERO – a showcase of GM’s competitive advantage
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.
Along with the capital advantages, GM’s commitment to renovating its existing network of manufacturing facilities during the EV transition also saves time. An accelerated launch and production start allow the company to get new, innovative EVs to customers sooner. Pre-production of the 2022 GMC HUMMER EV pickups began at Factory ZERO this fall and the first GMC HUMMER EVs are on track to be delivered to customers by the end of the year.
“To meet our ambitious EV transition, GM’s North American EV vehicle assembly capacity will reach 20 percent by 2025, and then 50 percent by 2030,” said Gerald Johnson, GM’s executive vice president of Global Manufacturing and Sustainability. “Factory ZERO serves as a model for transitions that will take place at other factories around the world in the coming years.”
Using virtual tools and working in parallel with production engineering teams, GM cut the manufacturing launch time in half – from two years to less than one – creating a competitive advantage. By comparison, greenfield assembly plant planning and construction could take up to four years, from site selection to vehicle production.
GM estimates that 80 percent of the assembly process for an EV is the same as that for conventional vehicles. This is another driver of speed for GM. The company has refined and perfected its own standardized manufacturing processes over many decades, and will launch its expanding portfolio of EVs faster, with superior quality and a lower cost.
Factory ZERO’s greatest asset is its people
GM’s Factory ZERO team is backed by more than 90,000 industrial problem solvers on GM’s global manufacturing team, who have 1.4 million years of collective experience. They are managing an average of 11 major launches each year, both internal combustion engine and EV. As a result, GM can produce an EV in the same number of working hours it takes to build an ICE vehicle.
“Our people are GM’s true competitive advantage — an advantage you simply can’t buy or quickly build,” said Johnson. “At Factory ZERO, we are building on that experience with the training that will deliver EV and AV launch success with safety, quality and speed while continuing to drive down cost per unit.”
Factory ZERO – a commitment to sustainability
As an EV assembly plant, Factory ZERO plays a direct role in GM’s commitment to eliminate tailpipe emissions from new light-duty vehicles by 2035 and become carbon neutral in its global products and operations by 2040. The company has already committed to invest $35 billion in electric and autonomous vehicles and plans to introduce more than 30 EV models by 2025. Factory ZERO serves as a real-world proof point for GM’s commitment to running its business in a sustainable manner.
Factory ZERO highlights include:
- GM reused or recycled almost every material that came out of the facility during conversion, including crushed concrete from the old plant floor, which was repurposed for temporary roads around the facility.
- Storm water will be recycled to reduce discharge costs and offset the cost of potable water.
- Treated storm water will be used in cooling towers and the plant’s fire suppression system.
- The site features a 30-kilowatt solar carport and 516-kW ground-mounted photovoltaic solar array from DTE Energy.
- Factory ZERO’s site has a 16.5-acre wildlife habitat that is home to monarchs, foxes and turkeys.
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Agreed they really needed to get to the point and let all the following press releases and interviews deal with the nitty gritty about the factory.
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This was just a political stunt for the union, nothing for investors or enthusiasts.
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This may be somewhat off topic, but I have to admit Rivian has caught my attention more and more lately while I feel GM has allowed the Hummer to get stale with lack of information/communication. It may seem small, but the simple fact that Rivian has a configurator on its website already (which I've played with numerous times) while GM has nothing more than a pamphlet of options reminiscent of an Eastbay circular seems like a bit of a fail on GM's part considering they are in a similar place production-wise. I hoped today's event would be a big step forward but I once again find myself disappointed and second guessing myself. Maybe GM will surprise me one of these days.
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I like Rivian too, but R1T is too small... I will buy an R1S though (paid for by Rivian stock gains). GM is really doing a terrible job of public relations, and someone needs a shake up.
Rivian's communications with reservation holders is not great either, lots of complaints on the forums, Tesla sucks at this too,
Rivian is trying to get the word out with their "First Mile Events" which I think is super impressive.
If you think Rivian is good at communications, well go check out those forums, you will hear exactly the opposite. Apparently they already have some quality issues that may be holding up the R1T deliveries, the powered tonneau covers are disabled on the test drive vehicles and have issues with shrinking and stretching. They have also had a few suspension failures.
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