General Motors exec gives exclusive inside look at legacy automaker's impressive EV lineup: 'It really opens the market to many more families'

General Motors, which owns legacy car brands Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac, recently announced record sales for its electric vehicles, boosting the automaker into the No. 2 spot for EV sales, behind only Tesla.  

The over 100-year-old company also expects its EV sales to be profitable against costs for things like materials and labor by the end of 2024.

So why the big uptick in GM's EV sales, especially as other automakers are pulling back their EV rollout or emphasizing hybrids? Well for one thing, GM now has a massive lineup of electric vehicles — from affordable, family-friendly options like the Chevy Equinox to luxury cars like the Cadillac Lyriq all the way to the rugged Hummer EV and Chevy Silverado. 

🗣️ If you were going to purchase an EV, which of these factors would be most important to you?

🔘 Cost 💰

🔘 Battery range 🔋

🔘 Power and speed 💪

🔘 The way it looks 😎

🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind

"If you look at the EV portfolio that we're launching, it is incredibly exciting and incredibly beautiful products. What's most exciting about it is it's across every segment — and affordable options as well," Kristen Siemen, vice president and chief sustainability officer at GM, told The Cool Down's Sue Callaway during a recent interview at Climate Week NYC.

"It's an absolutely exciting time to really see all of these options available to our customers," she said.

In an exclusive interview, Siemen walked us through what makes GM's lineup so unique — and why EVs are so fun to drive.

❓⛽ The secret bonuses from owning an EV

Sure, EVs are cool to look at, but "once you drive an EV, you really don't want to go back," Siemen told us. "They are incredibly fun to drive. Instant acceleration."

Not to mention … "there's a huge benefit of never having to go to the gas station." Instead, most EV drivers charge at home and almost never need to charge on the go, though an increasing number of stores offer EV charging stations in their parking lots so you can juice up while you shop. Either way, say goodbye to sticky gas pumps and high fuel costs.

🚗🚙 Here's the stacked starting lineup

Right now, GM has nine different EV models for customers to choose from, including one of the most affordable fully electric SUVs out there: The Chevy Equinox. When you factor in tax incentives, the cost for a 2024 model is under $30,000.

"It really opens the market to many more families to be able to participate in the whole electric future," Siemen said.
There's also the Chevy Silverado pickup, with a range of over 450 miles per charge. 

Plus, Siemen told us she's currently driving the Hummer EV truck, which along with massive horsepower, has the ability to "crab walk" around tight off-road trails (or tricky parking spots) by literally moving diagonally.

🪫🔋 Who's got a case of range anxiety?

Battery range is the biggest factor for TCD readers when considering buying an EV,but as battery tech develops, range anxiety is becoming less and less of an issue. Case in point: All the EVs in GM's lineup have over 300 miles of range.

Not to mention, earlier this year GM introduced bidirectional EV chargers for some models, so that you can charge your car at home or — in the case of a power outage, for example — your car can actually power your home just like a generator. 

And especially after seeing millions without power for days after Hurricanes Helene and Milton in recent weeks, it's easy to imagine how valuable that ability would be in an outage. The Chevrolet Silverado, for example, can reportedly power a home for weeks.  

👀🔮 What GM's future looks like

Let's break it down to three things: "Zero crashes, zero emissions, zero congestion," Siemen said. "When we think about everything that we do at GM, it is around that vision." That includes GM's goal to be carbon neutral by 2040. 

As for the cars themselves, Siemen noted GM's goal is to get to 100% EVs by 2035 "in light-duty vehicles in the U.S., and I think that transition is going to continue to happen," she noted.  

The company also announced that next year every GM facility in the U.S. will be powered by renewable energy. "As much as it's about our products and this transition to an EV, it's also how we show up in the community," Siemen told Callaway. "We want to be a good neighbor and we're proud of what our assembly plants and our partners do to be able to get these products out to our customers."

🧐💚 Unique skill sets make for better cars:

Before becoming chief sustainability officer at GM, Siemen was an electrical engineer. "I've spent 27 years at GM in product development, doing everything from electrical controls and systems to working on interiors and thermal and powertrain cooling development," she said.

"What's really unique is … engineers are trained to solve problems, and there's no bigger problem we have than climate change and addressing that," Siemen said.

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.