General Motors, Bechtel Partner On EV Charging Network

Automaker General Motors Company GM plans on introducing thousands of electric vehicle charging stations across the U.S. with the help of construction giant Bechtel, according to CNN.

What Happened

General Motors' new initiative to create a network of charging stations comes ahead of a planned launch of 20 new electric vehicle models by 2023, CNN said.

As part of a partnership with Bechtel, General Motors will offer data and expertise related to where the chargers will be located.

On its end, Bechtel will provide engineer, building and permitting solutions and expertise.

The two companies will also oversee a separate corporation responsible for the charging stations. Other companies will be invited to invest in the new entity; neither GM nor Bechtel have plans to invest money in the project, CNN said. 

Why It's Important

The new charging stations won't be confined to locations near major highways and could be conveniently located near apartment buildings and condominiums, according to CNN.

The new network will likely rival that of Tesla Inc TSLA, which already has the infrastructure in place to not only charge a car in 15 minutes but to support a coast-to-coast journey.

"The way we think about it, we want to put chargers where they're going to have the greatest influence on EV adoption, wherever that may be," Mike Ableson, General Motors' vice president of EV infrastructure and charging, told CNN.

"I believe a lot of those are actually going to be in urban areas."

What's Next

General Motors will leverage data it has already obtained from an anonymized opt-in system to better figure out how to help customers charge their cars in places where they are "already spending time," Ableson also told CNN.

GM shares were down 0.57 percent at $34.92 at the time of publication Tuesday. 

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