GM had announced earlier this year that it would go green by 2035 for the vehicles it makes and 2030 for how it produces them. The company now says it is five years ahead of schedule in the "how" portion, using 100% renewable energy to power its US operations by 2025, five years earlier than the original plan.
GM stated that it will increase energy efficiency and find renewable energy to achieve this goal. It plans to develop technology that can store and deploy renewable energy in the medium and long-term, and to "create microgrids to help deploy renewable energy."
Kristen Siemen, GM Chief Sustainability Officer, stated that climate action is a top priority. Every company must work harder to reduce carbon emissions. We are doing this by aiming for 100 percent renewable energy in the US five years earlier than we did in the US.
The company PJM Interconnection, which tracks energy consumption based on the grid's carbon output, was also mentioned. The company stated that GM can make informed decisions regarding whether to tap into renewable energy or decrease the amount of power consumed when the power supply is dominated by fossil fuels.
GM still plans to eliminate tailpipe emissions from new light-duty vehicles by 2035. Although it is possible that this could also include hydrogen-powered vehicles, GM seems to be concentrating on EVs.
However, GM's plans for reducing pollution have been tossed aside by the political winds. It was among many automakers to support the Trump administration's plan for California and other states to not set their own pollution and zero emission requirements. This would have allowed manufacturers increase fuel efficiency by 1.5 percent per annum, which is well below the five percent required under the previous administration. GM resigned from the litigation soon after Joe Biden was elected President.
