Although General Motors does produce some high-mileage vehicles – including its range of XFE models – the Detroit automaker still doesn’t have the greenest image on the block. But GM is working hard to erase that dated stigma and is even focusing on the manufacturing side of its operations.
GM announced on Thursday that it will be equipping its Marsh, Maryland transmission plant, which produces six-speed and Two Mode hybrid transmissions for the company’s light-duty trucks, with 8,700 solar panels covering 300,000 square feet – making it the largest such venture on the East Coast, according to Automotive News.
When the project is completed in about a year, the SunEdison-sourced panels will produce 1.4 million kilowatt-hours of power – roughly the same amount of power used by 150 households in a year.
GM also has similar installations on some of its buildings in California, so it appears that solar power could be the new green trend at GM.
