GM’s EV Sales Skyrocket And Soon We’ll Drive Mushroom Cars

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As a new year begins, General Motors is mighty pleased with last year’s EV sales record, and well it should be. Along with Ford and other EV stakeholders, GM has put to rest all the doom-and-gloom headlines that dominated the news cycle in 2024. The only question now is whether or not GM will reintroduce the popular Bolt EV, and if so, will it feature parts made from mushrooms?

GM Reports That 2024 Was A Very Good Year For EV Sales In The US

Coming into 2024, GM is proud to bill itself as the #2 seller of electric vehicles in the US, second only to Tesla. The sales gap between GM and Tesla is still rather wide. However, signs of a flip have appeared. GM’s EV sales went up significantly last year compared to 2023, while Tesla suffered a slight drop in sales. If the trend continues, the distance between #1 and #2 will continue to shrink.

“Electric vehicle sales jumped 50% for the year and 125% for the quarter, roughly doubling our market share over the course of the year,” GM reported on January 3.

“In EVs, sales accelerated throughout the year, with Q4 sales of 42,000 units, up 10,000 from the third quarter level, and nearly twice the second quarter total,” GM elaborated.

As recently noted by Motor Trend, GM does not make plug-in hybrid electric vehicles for sale in the US (yet), so those sales figures represent 100% battery-powered vehicles.

Among the highlights was the Equinox EV, which GM describes as a “major driver” of EV sales with an increase of 85% in Q4 compared to Q3. The Equinox EV is also a finalist for 2024 CleanTechnica Car of the Year. GM also stated that its LYRIQ model is “now the best-selling electric mid-size luxury SUV,” which is the same thing GM said about the car in a recap of Q1–Q3 2024 sales in a press release issued on November 19.

Cadillac has been leading all legacy automakers in the percentage of its sales coming from EVs.

So, What About Bolt EV Sales?

Somewhat ironically or even sadly, the popular but ill-fated Bolt EV contributed to GM’s 2024 sales activity as dealers continued to move the inventory remaining after production halted in December of 2023. GM CEO Mary Barra has reportedly indicated that the Bolt is coming back someway, somehow, but in the meantime, GM is focusing attention on the winning upscale EV sales formula of the Cadillac LYRIQ.

“From January through September 2024, more than 20,000 new LYRIQs were sold in the U.S.,” GM reported in November, with more than 25% of sales occurring in just two states, Florida and Texas.

“EV buyers value three key elements: Range, design, and price. LYRIQ delivers on all three, and the sales success across America proves it,” GM enthused.

With that mind, it’s no surprise that GM has tapped Cadillac to lead the way on EV sales in the year to come. Late last year Cadillac launched two new EVs, the ESCALADE IQ and the OPTIQ SUV, to be followed by the new VISTIQ three-row SUV in 2025.

Tailpipe Emissions Are Zero, Now Let’s Do The Supply Chain

The EV sales picture is also pretty elsewhere in the US automotive world. Last week, CleanTechnica editor Zachary Shahan ran the numbers under this headline: “US Gas Car Sales Down 1% While Electric Car Sales Up 8%,” further reporting huge increases for Ford, Nissan, and Kia this week, too.

So much for the idea that America’s love affair with EVs is over before it began. It’s also important to look at the factors pushing sales of internal combustion vehicles down. Some of them apply to all sorts of vehicles, zero emission or not.

New cars are expensive, upkeep is expensive, rising urban congestion makes car ownership less convenient, people are holding onto older cars longer, and other alternatives are emerging, including carsharing and two-wheeled conveyances. Also, here in the US, most people prefer to buy used cars. Against that backdrop, the continued rise in EV sales is all the more impressive.

EV Sales And The Rise Of The Mushroom Car

On the other hand, sustainably speaking, a long-term global falloff in individual car ownership would not be such a bad thing. It’s all well and good to zero out tailpipe emissions, but electric cars are still cars, and car parts drag a long tail of air pollution and resource consumption behind them.

Some automakers have been focusing more attention on supply chain sustainability as part and parcel of their EV sales pitch. The appeal to sustainability doesn’t go far when people are pinching pennies and looking for a set of affordable wheels, but GM’s focus on the Cadillac brand indicates that the company still sees a lot of potential in the luxury EV market.

That helps explain why GM Ventures launched a collaboration with the mushroom-based materials startup MycoWorks back in 2022. “The investment from GM Ventures secured joint R&D in an industrial partnership seeking to develop a Fine Mycelium™ that best suits the replacement of animal leather interiors in GM cars,” MycoWorks explained, with mycelium being the part of the mushroom that grows underground.

In a 2024 update, General Motors described the first proof-of-concept, a mycelium-based card holder for Cadillac. “The first demonstration includes materials showcased in an iridescent finish in a soft hue color palette, complementing the brand’s bold and sophisticated design aesthetic,” GM enthused.

That’s just a baby step, but last summer GM indicated that mycelium will play a role in its future EV sales plans, as illustrated by its recently unveiled SOLLEI Cadillac convertible concept car.

“Used in the charging mats on the console and the door map pockets, Fine Mycelium™ by MycoWorks is ushering in a new era of luxury materials grown from mycelium (the renewable root structure of mushrooms). The material reflects Cadillac’s mission to pioneer renewable automotive resources,” GM explained.

What About The Rest Of Us?

That’s not much help for the average bargain-hunting EV buyer, so here’s hoping that the revival of the Bolt comes sooner rather than later.

With that in mind, let’s take a quick look at one as-yet-untapped factor that can help accelerate the pace of EV sales. Most EV drivers prefer to charge at home, but that option is not available to the millions of potential EV drivers who live in rental housing.

Solutions are beginning to emerge in the form of EV charging-as-a-service business models, along with new modular charging stations that eliminate the expense of trenching. Keep an eye on developments like these to stimulate future waves of EV adoption.

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Image (cropped): GM is among the automakers celebrating a great year for EV sales, setting the stage for the Cadillac SOLLEI luxury concept EV featuring parts made with mushroom fiber (courtesy of GM).