GM Promising EV Vans Before Tesla – Winning Strategy or Diversion?
[June 11, 2020]
Reports have popped up within the last few weeks claiming GM is going to mount a major offensive in the light commercial vehicle space with a new line of EV vans. At GM’s no-camera preview of its new Ultium modular platform, the company promised multiple variants of the platform, some of which weren’t shown or announced at the preview.
It appears The General must be tired of Tesla hogging all the EV headlines, and is determined to beat the EV brand to the punch with electric vans. Tesla has not announced any intentions to build an EV van, at least in the traditional sense, although there has been discussion that Tesla is looking to build a 12-passenger vehicle for use in its Hyperloop routes.
But the big question is whether GM will beat Rivian to the punch with an electric van, which Amazon has committed to buying 100,000 of. The Rivian “Prime” van is clearly packaged and designed for cargo. GM has traditionally catered to tradesmen such as electricians, plumbers, carpenters, and others with a basic formula that hasn’t fundamentally changed in three decades. There have been evolutionary changes to GM’s full-size vans, the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana, but the models currently on sale have their roots in 1995, and received a mild cosmetic refresh in 2003. Powertrains have been updated over the years, with the most recent updates being the addition of the LV1 direct-injected 4.3L V-6, the 2.8L Duramax I-4 diesel, and the announcement of the 401 hp 6.6L L8T fifth-generation V-8 for the 2021 model.
GM’s full-size vans, like the GMC Savana, have gone largely unchanged for over a decade. Could The General’s next big-van overhaul result in a line of EVs?
As the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter entered the market in the early 2000s, Ford later followed suit with the high-roof Euro-style Transit, and Nissan offered high-roof versions of its NV full-size vans, GM steadfastly resisted the trend toward high-roof vans, sticking to the tried-and-true. With its rumored EV vans, will GM stick with its conservative, proven packaging, or use the modularity of the Ultium skateboard platform to offer it in a variety of wheelbase, roof height, output, and drive (2WD/AWD) configurations? Will it completely replace the Express and Savana, or will it be a complementary model? Certainly, there are more questions than answers right now.
GM certainly has been talking a big game as of late in regard to its near-future EV offerings. While not quite a “white space” segment with the imminent arrival of the Rivian cargo van, as well as Ford promising an electric variant of the Transit, it could be a significant entry. Is the traditionally conservative van segment ready for a fully electric model?
(Images courtesy General Motors)
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