The drive units will be mainly used for Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC HUMMER EVs, and GMC Sierra EV
General Motors to invest $760m at its Ohio plant to build drive units for Ultium-based battery electric trucks. (Credit: Notorious4life/Wikipedia.org)
General Motors (GM) has announced an investment of $760m at its propulsion manufacturing plant in Toledo, Ohio to prepare it to produce drive units for Ultium-based battery electric trucks.
With the investment, the facility which is dubbed Toledo Propulsion Systems, will become the first propulsion-related manufacturing facility of the company in the US to be transformed for electric vehicle (EV) related production.
The drive units will be used mainly for Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC HUMMER EVs, and GMC Sierra EV.
Following the renovation of the facility, it will produce GM’s family of EV drive units, which transform electric power from the battery pack into mechanical motion at the wheels.
GM said that the renovation work at the facility will start this month.
GM global manufacturing and sustainability executive vice president Gerald Johnson said: “Our Toledo team has a long, proud history of building great products and they have worked hard to earn this investment.
“This investment helps build job security for our Toledo team for years to come and is the next step on our journey to an all-electric future. Our Toledo team will continue to play a key role as we work to strengthen our current truck and SUV dominance, while also playing an important role in our EV growth transition.”
According to the company, the EV drive units are expected to support rear-wheel drive, front-wheel drive, and all-wheel drive propulsion combinations. These include high-performance and off-road capabilities.
The Toledo Propulsion Systems was acquired by GM in 1956. It manufactures the company’s six-speed, eight-speed and 10-speed rear-wheel drive and nine-speed front-wheel drive transmissions that are used in a range of GMC, Buick, Chevrolet, and Cadillac vehicles.
In July 2022, GM joined forces with Pilot and Flying J to build a national DC fast charging network in the US to be installed, operated, and maintained by EVgo via its eXtend offering.