General Motors is looking to refocus its strategy for producing electric vehicles by incorporating hybrid vehicles into its plans, reports Reuters.
GM CEO Mary Barra said in a quarterly earnings call last week that the automaker would be re-evaluating its planned products to include more plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) options. The company looks to offer hybrid versions of certain existing vehicle models.
The automaker has not offered a hybrid vehicle in North America since 2019 when the Chevrolet Volt was discontinued and the company said it would be diverting its efforts to fully electric vehicles. A recent slump in EV sales has prompted GM to reconsider the move.
During last week’s call, however, Barra clarified that the company is still pursuing the elimination of tailpipe emissions from its vehicles by 2035, but that hybrids are a viable option for reducing emissions until charging infrastructure expands more.
"In the interim, deploying plug-in technology in strategic segments will deliver some of the environment or environmental benefits of EVs as the nation continues to build this charging infrastructure," stated Barra.
