The U.S. will surpass China to lead the charge in electric vehicles, President Joe Biden said Wednesday at the opening of General Motors’ EV plant in Detroit, Factory Zero.
If the U.S. stops investing in the future, “we lose our edge as a nation. China and the rest of the world are catching up,” Biden said. “We’re about to turn that around in a big, big way.”
China has been in the lead, but the infrastructure bill Biden signed this week will put the U.S. ahead, he said.
Factory Zero, formerly called Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly, will launch the first of GM’s EVs powered by its proprietary Ultium batteries. The GMC Hummer EV supertruck, the first vehicle built at the plant, will begin shipping to dealerships by year end.
GM also plans to build an SUV version of the Hummer, an electric Chevrolet Silverado and the Cruise Origin self-driving van at the plant. GM soon will announce another electric truck plant in the U.S., CEO Mary Barra said Wednesday.
