A Peak at GM’s Future is Here — And It’s Electric

As GM Looks to the Future, Dependence on Oil Diminishes as Electric Power Becomes King

It’s a strange time we live in today. SUVs of all shapes and sizes are flying off of dealer lots, in the place of smaller, more practical sedan/wagon options. Americans like big vehicles, and we are not afraid to sacrifice a small amount of efficiency in the name of driving something we like. And, while we sit here in the comfort of low gas prices and marginal improvements to SUV fuel efficiency, everything seems to be just dandy.

All that said, EVs seem to be the way of the future. Hybrid electric systems are becoming more efficient, and full-on electric vehicles are better and cheaper than they ever have been. GM recognizes this fact, and in many ways is betting on it to carry the it to the future.

Recently, A Forbes writer, Brook Crothers, visited two Chevrolet dealers — one on either side of the country. In L.A., he found that the dealer was selling a considerable amount of Bolts, Chevy’s new EV, capable of over 230 miles of range, with a  price tag of less than $40K. Additionally, the Los Angeles dealer also had a large stock of Volts, another electric/hybrid vehicle in the Chevrolet lineup.

Oppositely, Crothers also visited a Chevy dealer on the East Coast in suburban Philadelphia. There, he discovered that the dealer only had one Volt on the lot. Period. In that moment, Crothers made an astute observation: The L.A. dealer was exemplary of GM’s future and the Philadelphia dealer was dragging its heals to catch up with the times. The future is here –a nd it is most definitely one packed with electric technology, improving the way we get around and how efficiently we do it.