GM EVs will get the full tax credit and come with free Google Maps navigation

While Tesla warned that its base Model 3 will no longer qualify for federal tax credits after April 17 when the government will publish a list of eligible vehicles, GM bragged that its electric cars will take full advantage of the subsidy. General Motors' investment in American battery factories and mining deals is now paying off as it will comply with the new Treasury guidelines on the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act.

Its electric vehicles built on the Ultium platform, like the current Cadillac Lyriq or the upcoming Chevy Blazer, Equinox, and Silverado, will have subsidy-compliant batteries assembled in the Lordstown or Spring Hill factories with materials from approved sources. Even the lowly Chevy Bolt will get at least the partial subsidy and the only ones that won't comply will be the Hummer SUV and pickup as they exceed the federal price threshold.

According to its spokesperson Matt Ybarra, GM's preparedness is not by accident but actually a "strategy that we have been executing for some time now that’s very well aligned with the goals of the US government’s recently passed policies to accelerate EV production and adoption."

Tesla is now looking to replicate those arrangements by announcing a 100 GWh 4680 battery factory expansion at Giga Nevada, testing the waters for a lithium refinery on the Gulf Coast, and reportedly wanting to build a Texas factory for CATL's LFP cells it uses in the Model 3.

General Motors is preparing big changes for the infotainment section of its upcoming electric vehicles, too, starting with the Chevy Blazer release in June. All of its EVs will start arriving with a full Android Automotive integration. Current electric cars from GM, as well as its gas-powered vehicles, will continue offering Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.

The Android Automotive option supposedly allows for deeper control and better navigation integration with the advanced driver assist systems that GM will offer on its electric vehicles. While waxing poetic how GM wants to do away with the need to use a smartphone in the car, its head of digital implementations Edward Kummer did let the phrase "subscription revenue opportunities" slip during a recent interview.

GM, for example, will offer 8 years of free Google Maps navigation and Assistant virtual butler services with the Android Automotive integration, but it is not clear what will happen after that, or whether there will be other services that will require a subscription model.

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