General Motors, also called GM, is an American firm that, for a sizeable portion of the 20th and early 21st century, was the largest maker of automobiles.

The business runs production, assembly, and distribution facilities across many nations, including the US and Canada. In addition to making cars and trucks, GM makes engines and automotive parts and provides financial services.

Detroit serves as the company’s headquarters.

General Motors (GM) is actively vying for a stake in Vale’s base metals division, which may provide the carmaker access to the Brazilian mining giant’s supplies of copper and nickel, which are necessary for producing the batteries for electric vehicles (EVs).

In addition, GM has lately made several key investments in manufacturing EVs, including its $650 million interest in Lithium Americas and its $69 million investment in Queensland Pacific metals.

According to CEO Mary Barra, these steps will provide GM a competitive advantage as it commits to selling entirely plug-in vehicles by the middle of the 2020s.

General Motors Credit: Bloomberg

The industry’s volatile nature makes it difficult to secure a consistent supply of battery materials.

In addition, Amnesty International has expressed worry about the connection between mining and environmental problems, and human rights.

As a result, GM has invested in firms like Controlled Thermal Resources and Lithion that are attempting to use renewable energy and recycle EV batteries to lessen the environmental impact of mining to mitigate these concerns.

Despite its efforts, GM still has a ways to go in the EV industry; last year, it sold slightly less than 40,000 EVs, far behind Ford and Tesla.

However, Barra is upbeat and claims that GM is only getting started and that the debut of cheap models like the Equinox and Blazer this year will give a major potential to sell many more cars.