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Biden to tour Factory ZERO and examine GM's plan for electric vehicles

General Motors' first electric vehicle to come out of its new "Factory Zero" in Detroit is an electric version of the Hummer.
Jeffrey Sauger for GM
General Motors' first electric vehicle to come out of its new "Factory Zero" in Detroit is an electric version of the Hummer.

President Joe Biden will be in Detroit Wednesday.

The president is coming to the Motor City to see the future of the auto industry. He’s scheduled to tour General Motors’ Factory Zero.

GM renovated the former auto assembly plant to be its first to build its next generation electric vehicles, also known as EVs

Chelsea Zenk is the Quality Director at Factory ZERO. She says the president will get a look at the plant as it prepares to begin production of several EVs.

“We are building pre-production Hummer EVs. They live. They’re here. We can see them out on the line today,” said Zenk, “And we’re moving through our launch cadence.”

Zenk would only say they actual production at Factory Zero will begin “soon”.

Worldwide, GM plans to offer 30 electric vehicle nameplates by the middle of the decade.

The $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill President Biden signed into law on Monday includes a $2.5 billion grant program to organizations and public entities for building up infrastructure surrounding EVs and alternative fuel vehicles.

It also calls for the formation of an electric vehicles working group, to make recommendations regarding the development, adoption, and integration of light-, medium-, and heavy-duty electric vehicles into the transportation and energy systems of the United States."

Steve Carmody has been a reporter for Michigan Radio since 2005. Steve previously worked at public radio and television stations in Florida, Oklahoma and Kentucky, and also has extensive experience in commercial broadcasting.
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