General Electric (GE) is to purchase 25,000 electric vehicles by 2015 for its own fleet and through its Capital Fleet Services business.
GE will convert at least half its 30,000 global fleet and will partner with fleet customers to deploy a total of 25,000 electric vehicles by 2015.
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The company will initially purchase 12,000 GM vehicles, starting with the Chevrolet Volt in 2011, and will add other vehicles as manufacturers expand their electric vehicle portfolios.
GE owns one of the world’s largest fleets, operates a leading global fleet management business, and offers a portfolio of product solutions including charging stations, circuit protection equipment and transformers.
“Electric vehicle technology is real and ready for deployment and we are embracing the transformation with partners like GM and our fleet customers,” said GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt. “By electrifying our own fleet, we will accelerate the adoption curve, drive scale, and move electric vehicles from anticipation to action.
“We make technology that touches every point of the electric vehicle infrastructure and are leading the transformation to a smarter electrical grid.”
GE businesses including Capital Fleet Services, Energy and Licensing & Trading will benefit from an emerging electric vehicle market that could deliver up to US$500m in GE revenue during the next three years. This includes rapidly developing markets for GE’s charging station, the WattStation.
GE also announced two electric vehicle customer experience and learning centres to provide customers, employees and researchers first-hand access to EVs and developing technologies. One will be located outside of Detroit, in Van Buren Township, Michigan, as part of GE’s Advanced Manufacturing and Software Technology Centre.
The other will be at GE Capital’s Fleet Services business headquarters in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, with several other centres to be announced in 2011.
The centres will monitor and evaluate vehicle performance and charging behaviour, driver experiences, service requirements, and operational efficiencies.
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