GM is having quite the CES. Chairman and CEO Mary Barra (@mtbarra) was on stage this morning for GM’s virtual press conference at CES 2021. During the event she spoke further to their commitment to transitioning the company to a zero-emissions future using their Ultium platform.
There were plenty of 3D animations, showing how diverse their platform is, in accommodating the various vehicles they have planned. This platform was confirmed for use in new all-electric delivery vans, which their first customer will be FedEx. These not only look great, but will have over 250 miles of range or around 400km in our language.
There was also some concepts of Vertical Take off and Landing drones that would fly you to your next meeting, at some point well into the future. VTOL is an interesting concept to think of, but that’s obviously many, many years away.
What shouldn’t be many years away is GMs vision to achieve a future where there are zero crashes. This stems from their autonomous efforts and an increase in vehicles ability to recognise the world around it and respond accordingly to keep passengers safe.
The Ultium platform looks set for some other innovative uses, including in manufacturing, with an announcement of BrightDrop. This is a smart trolley system that works inside a warehouse to move goods, but then can be loaded into trucks and deliver products to businesses and even homes.
After seeing the launch of the Hummer, I wasn’t sure about GMs commitment to electrify their products, but after seeing their vision for the future at CES, I’m a lot more positive they’re making the right investments in technology and people to make it happen.