General Motors GM, -0.20% says it will invest in electric-car-charging infrastructure by installing as many as 40,000 Level 2 chargers across the U.S. and Canada.
The GM announcement is unique because the automaker is targeting “underserved, rural, and urban areas” for its investment. Public EV charging stations tend to stand in dense, urban areas and suburban shopping center parking lots. Smaller towns and inner cities are so devoid of charging infrastructure GM called them “charging deserts.”The automaker says it will work with its dealership network to identify locations for the Ultium-branded public chargers.
Dealers will receive up to 10 chargers, and the automaker says it will work with them to have them installed and available for the public. The chargers are among the first of GM’s new Ultium lineup, initially consisting of three levels of chargers for residential or commercial use. Owners can use the chargers with a GM smartphone app, and they support over-the-air software updates.GM’s battery technology and EV platform developed for future electric cars share the Ultium name with the new chargers.