General Motors announced today that it is working with Shell to provide energy services to eligible owners that will include a fixed-rate home energy plan supplied entirely by renewable energy resources.
The plans will be available to eligible owners of Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac vehicles in Texas this month. Along with the above-mentioned green energy plan, the partners will also offer plans that include free overnight EV charging. The companies will also work to provide its suppliers with renewable energy in order to achieve their own emission reduction goals.
The plans could be an important way to help reduce emissions for EV owners. Although electric vehicles lower local emissions significantly, the electricity generated to power them could (and often is) also creating greenhouse gasses.
Read Also: Polestar Reveals Climate Impact For Its EVs, Calls For Industry Transparency
Finding a way to reduce the emissions generated in powering EVs will be important to reducing EVs’ overall environmental impact. Last year, Polestar revealed that while its EVs consume about 50 tonnes of CO2 over the course of their lives on the current global electricity mix, that number shrinks to just 27 tonnes when the power used is renewable.
“Addressing climate change requires incredible scale,” said Kristen Siemen, chief sustainability officer, General Motors. “At GM, we’re committed to helping bring everybody in on a more sustainable future.”
Free overnight charging, meanwhile, might be an even more attractive option for many owners. A recent study found that American buyers care more about operating costs than whether or not their vehicles are powered by gas or electricity.
GM and Shell plan to expand this pilot program across more U.S. markets in the near future.
