The rules of vehicle use and ownership are changing rapidly, according to GM’s latest Sustainability Report. Connectivity, car-sharing, alternative propulsion and autonomous vehicles are key elements toward a future of safer, cleaner and more efficient mobility options for customers.
“We see tremendous potential in these technologies and the long-term benefits for our customers and communities around the world,” said GM chairman and chief executive officer Mary Barra. “The GM team is looking to lead this transformation of personal mobility and will continue to deliver on our commitment to responsible manufacturing.”
GM is using its 20 years of OnStar connectivity expertise to enable advanced safety technologies and car-sharing. GM is paving the way for autonomous vehicles and vehicle-to-infrastructure technology. These efforts will help reduce congestion, crashes and pollution. The company is working with stakeholders to create the largest V-to-I enabled corridor in the U.S. on 120 miles of Metro Detroit freeways. It also will bring SuperCruise, the industry’s first semi-autonomous driver-assist technology, to market next year on the Cadillac CT6.
Earlier this year, GM launched its Maven car-sharing brand and invested $500 million in a strategic alliance with rideshare provider Lyft. Chevrolet also is building the affordable, all-electric Bolt EV, which will offer a more than GM-estimated 200 miles per charge.
GM is addressing climate change, in part, by continuing to provide customers with fuel efficient models across each vehicle segment given that 77 percent of the company’s carbon footprint comes from driving. Nine models get an EPA-estimated 40 mpg on the highway or better, up from six last year. GM’s electrified vehicles on the road increased 9 percent to 196,861 vehicles.
GM is also aggressively pursuing ways to use more renewable energy. Two wind deals in Mexico and Texas will add 64 megawatts to its 106 megawatt global portfolio, enabling GM to achieve its renewable energy target four years early.
GM’s progress provides topline growth through new revenue streams such as $1 billion from recycling and reuse in recent years, to bottom-line savings through greater efficiencies, such as $237 million in energy savings since 2010. GM was the only automaker to appear on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index in North America in 2015, and it earned perfect scores on climate change disclosure from CDP, a group serving more than 800 investors.
GM is on track to meet all of its 2020 global manufacturing commitments. Since 2010, the baseline year, GM has accomplished the following:
•Achieved 131 landfill-free facilities toward a goal of 150.
•Reduced total waste by 22 percent toward a goal of 40 percent.
•Reduced water intensity by 10 percent toward a goal of 15 percent.
•Reduced energy and carbon intensity by 14 percent and 15 percent, respectively, toward a goal of 20
percent.
Published in the July 2016 Edition of American Recycler News