General Motors has indefinitely suspended plans to refresh its full-size electric truck and SUV lineup, putting the future of the Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC Sierra EV, Hummer EV, and Cadillac Escalade IQ in limbo beyond the current generation. The move marks yet another retreat from GM’s once-ambitious electric vehicle strategy, as the automaker doubles down on gas-powered trucks instead. GM shelves 2028 electric truck refresh According to a report from Crain’s Detroit Business, GM was planning to update its full-size electric lineup in 2028, including introducing lower-cost variants of several models to expand market share. Those plans have now been delayed indefinitely. When asked about the decision, GM declined to elaborate, stating only that it has “not disclosed any potential plans or timing for any next-generation battery electric trucks” and that it would not “engage in speculation.” Advertisement - scroll for more content The news comes on the heels of a brutal stretch for GM’s EV division. The automaker recorded $7.6 billion in EV-related charges during 2025, including a $6 billion writedown tied to scrapping EV production plans and canceling battery supply contracts. GM’s Q4 2025 EV sales plunged 43% to just 25,219 units after the Trump administration killed the $7,500 federal tax credit on September 30. The current-generation trucks are barely selling. In Q1 2026, GM moved roughly 1,400 Silverado EVs, 1,300 Sierra EVs, 1,600 Hummer EVs, and 2,000 Escalade IQs. Meanwhile, GM is adding a sixth production day at its Flint Assembly plant to meet demand for gas-powered Silverado and Sierra heavy-duty pickups. Factory Zero: a $2.2 billion ghost town The indefinite refresh delay adds to the mounting problems at Factory Zero, GM’s $2.2 billion EV-dedicated plant in Detroit-Hamtramck. As we reported last month, GM idled the plant for the second time in three months, laying off 1,300 workers. The plant had already been cut from two shifts to one in October 2025, when 1,200 workers were permanently let go. Factory Zero was supposed to be the crown jewel of GM’s electric future. Instead, it has become a symbol of the company’s rapid EV retreat, producing expensive, low-volume vehicles that few people are buying while GM pours resources into gas truck production. GM is not alone in abandoning the electric truck segment. Ford killed the F-150 Lightning in December 2025, pivoting to an extended-range hybrid strategy instead. The Lightning had actually outsold the Tesla Cybertruck in 2025, but Ford deemed it not profitable enough to continue. Electrek’s Take This is a ridiculous decision that GM will deeply regret. The entire world is moving to battery-electric vehicles at lightning speed. China, the world’s largest auto market, already has new energy vehicles accounting for over 50% of new car sales, and that figure is projected to hit 55-60% this year. At this pace, China will be at near 100% electric by the end of the decade. Global EV sales hit 4 million in Q1 2026 alone — the transition is accelerating everywhere except the United States. The US is the only major auto market that is actively moving backward, and the reason is entirely political. The Trump administration killed the federal EV tax credit, and automakers like GM and Ford are chasing the ever-changing winds of US politics instead of preparing for a global market that has already made its decision. They are optimizing for the next quarterly earnings call rather than the next decade of automotive competition. When the rest of the world is fully electric — and it will be — GM won’t be able to compete on the global stage because it couldn’t see beyond its local market. Chinese automakers are already shipping over half a million EVs overseas per quarter. BYD, CATL, and others are building the technology, the supply chains, and the manufacturing expertise that will define the next era of the auto industry. Every quarter that GM spends retreating from EVs is a quarter that its Chinese competitors spend advancing. GM invested $2.2 billion in Factory Zero and took $7.6 billion in EV charges, and the takeaway is to abandon the future? That’s not strategic, it’s surrender. And when the political winds shift again, as they always do, GM will find itself years behind with nothing to show for the retreat but a pile of write-downs and a fleet of gas trucks that the world no longer wants. Stay up to date with the latest content by subscribing to Electrek on Google News. You’re reading Electrek— experts who break news about Tesla, electric vehicles, and green energy, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow Electrek on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our YouTube channel for the latest reviews.
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