GM to Integrate Engineering Teams for EV Push
GM is transferring 3,000 engineers to its Technical Center in Warren, Michigan
Hoping to expedite its work on electric vehicles, General Motors is transferring around 3,000 engineers to the GM Technical Center in Warren, Michigan.
The engineers are moving over from GM’s Global Propulsion Systems facility in Pontiac, about 20 miles away. GM says the move will be finished sometime next year.
With this transfer, GM’s goal is to devote more resources toward electric and zero-emissions vehicle development efforts by integrating its vehicle engineering and propulsion engineering efforts. Propulsion engineers specialize in building engines, motors, and transmissions.
GM’s Flagship EV: The 2019 Chevrolet Bolt
GM has vowed to introduce 20 all-electric vehicles around the world by 2023. It’s also pushing for a federal standard that would require a certain percentage of each automaker’s sales to be zero-emissions vehicles.
While the Pontiac facility will be losing about 75% of its workforce, GM doesn’t plan on shutting it down anytime soon. The remaining 1,000 employees will continue to work at the performance and racing center there, run advanced technical test systems, and develop fuel cell technology.
The announcement comes just a few weeks after GM suspended renovations at both facilities, citing cost concerns. At the Warren facility, GM is holding off on the final parts of a $1 billion slate of projects. A project to refresh the aging Pontiac facility is also on hold.
GM is also offering buyouts to 18,000 of its workers, a process that was wrapping up this week. The automaker’s goal is to proactively cut costs in anticipation of an industry downturn and high development expenses for electric vehicles and other new technology.
Also Electrified: The 2019 Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid
News Sources: Detroit Free Press, The Detroit News, The Oakland Press
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