ORION TOWNSHIP – On Tuesday, May 21, 2024, Orion Township Supervisor Chris Barnett visited Wally Edgar Chevrolet on Lapeer Rd. to take ownership of one Chevrolet Silverado EV, with this purchase, Orion Township becomes one of the first municipalities in Michigan to add an electric vehicle to its fleet.
This purchase of a Silverado EV was made possible by an energy efficiency grant through the federal government.
This model came from GM’s Factory Zero Hamtramck Assembly Center; however, GM’s Orion Plant is undergoing modifications to be able to mass produce the same type of vehicle.
ONTV’s Joe Johnson spoke to Supervisor Barnett about the purchase and what this means for Orion Township.
“So obviously, the big news came out a year and a half ago, a little over a year ago I guess, when Mary Barra announced that they were going to produce the Chevy EV Silverado right here in Orion Township at Orion Assembly, effectively doubling the size of the four million square foot plant to eight million square feet, bringing thousands of new jobs and we have been on a high ever since,” Barnett said.
ONTV also spoke to Justin Edgar, the pre-owned vehicle manager at Wally Edgar Chevrolet, about the Silverado EV at large and what this means for the future.
“We’re excited to see what comes in, in the next couple of months to the next couple of years,” Edgar said. “There’s going to be a lot more infrastructure coming in the next three, four, five years.”
Supervisor Barnett has made it clear that the future government vehicle fleet for Orion Township will be all electric – an exciting prospect and a bold challenge.
“We will be, a Chevy Silverado EV fleet, as long as I’m here,” Barnett said.
You can visit Wally Edgar Chevrolet at 3805 Lapeer Rd. (M24). For more information about the new Chevrolet Silverado EV, visit chevrolet.com/electric/silverado-ev.