GM PLANS TO EXPAND ELECTRIC PRODUCTION

General Motors (GM) plans to expand its range of electric vehicles considerably and spend significantly more money on them than previously planned, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported.

By the end of 2025, 40 per cent of the company's cars from the US will be battery-powered, Group CEO Mary Barra said. GM plans to offer 30 fully electric models worldwide by then. Investments in battery-powered and autonomous vehicles are to be increased by about a third to $27 billion.

"Climate change is real, and we want to be part of the solution," Barra explained. So far, however, GM has had a difficult time with electric vehicles and is seen as old-fashioned, especially when compared to the great success of Tesla.

Recently, there were also problems with the Chevrolet Bolt EV, which required a major recall due to the risk of dangerous battery fires.