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General Motors Charges to the Aid of Dealers Installing EV Charging Stations in their CommunitiesGeneral Motors Charges to the Aid of Dealers Installing EV Charging Stations in their Communities

GM will give dealers as many as ten EV charging stations to help boost charging opportunities in “charging deserts.”

Dan Carney, Senior Editor

November 23, 2021

2 Min Read
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GM's Ultium home EV charger.General Motors Co.

A key obstacle to electric vehicle adoption is the unfriendly infrastructure of the places where EVs otherwise make the most sense: in dense urban environments.

The problem is how apartment and row house-dwelling urbanites can charge EVs when they don’t park in their own garage every day.

General Motors is taking on this challenge with a community charging program to install as many as 40,000 Level 2 chargers across the U.S. and Canada.

The aim is to expand access to charging in local communities including in underserved areas where EV charging access is often limited.

The program, which will roll out in 2022, is part of GM's commitment to invest nearly $750 million to expand home, workplace, and public charging infrastructure. One way to proliferate chargers is through GM’s dealers’ retail locations.

This will work by GM giving each of its EV dealers as many as ten Level 2 charging stations and helping them to deploy these at key locations throughout their local communities. GM will also assist dealers in applying for incentives and other funding and access to programs that can aid the deployment of local EV charging.The company’s Dealer Community Charging Program aims to deploy Level 2 charging stations at workplaces, apartment/condo buildings, sports and entertainment venues, and on college campuses. Importantly, these charging stations will be available to all EV customers, not just those who purchase a GM EV.

Related:Great Scott! 1.21 Gigawatts of Charging Power for Porsche Taycan Drivers

For EV drivers who are in a position to buy and install a home charger, GM also announced a new line of three Ultium-branded Level 2 smart charging stations. The product line, developed in partnership with charger specialist CTEK, includes a pair of 11.5 kilowatt/48-amp home chargers (one basic, one with premium features) and a 19.2 kW/80-amp high-power charger for vehicles with extra-large battery packs like the forthcoming GMC Hummer EV.

"These two initiatives are part of our plan to put everyone in an EV, making access to charging even more seamless than before," said GM President Mark Reuss. "We want to give customers the right tools and access to charging where and when they need it, while working with our dealer network to accelerate the expansion of accessible charging throughout the U.S. and Canada, including in underserved, rural and urban areas."

All three Ultium chargers are Energy Star Certified, with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Each charger features dynamic load balancing and can be upgraded over time through over-the-air updates with automatic download capabilities. The two premium models include a customizable touchscreen and an embedded camera. Customers can set their charging schedule, view statistics on their charging habits and historical charging sessions and receive readouts of charger status through the GM brand mobile apps.

Related:80-Amp Ford Charge Station Pro Cuts Lightning Recharge Time by 40 Percent

About the Author

Dan Carney

Senior Editor, Design News

Dan’s coverage of the auto industry over three decades has taken him to the racetracks, automotive engineering centers, vehicle simulators, wind tunnels, and crash-test labs of the world.

A member of the North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year jury, Dan also contributes car reviews to Popular Science magazine, serves on the International Engine of the Year jury, and has judged the collegiate Formula SAE competition.

Dan is a winner of the International Motor Press Association's Ken Purdy Award for automotive writing, as well as the National Motorsports Press Association's award for magazine writing and the Washington Automotive Press Association's Golden Quill award.

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He has held a Sports Car Club of America racing license since 1991, is an SCCA National race winner, two-time SCCA Runoffs competitor in Formula F, and an Old Dominion Region Driver of the Year award winner. Co-drove a Ford Focus 1.0-liter EcoBoost to 16 Federation Internationale de l’Automobile-accredited world speed records over distances from just under 1km to over 4,104km at the CERAM test circuit in Mortefontaine, France.

He was also a longtime contributor to the Society of Automotive Engineers' Automotive Engineering International magazine.

He specializes in analyzing technical developments, particularly in the areas of motorsports, efficiency, and safety.

He has been published in The New York Times, NBC News, Motor Trend, Popular Mechanics, The Washington Post, Hagerty, AutoTrader.com, Maxim, RaceCar Engineering, AutoWeek, Virginia Living, and others.

Dan has authored books on the Honda S2000 and Dodge Viper sports cars and contributed automotive content to the consumer finance book, Fight For Your Money.

He is a member and past president of the Washington Automotive Press Association and is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers

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