GM’s Prized EV Truck Factory Goes Dark Again

• General Motors has idled its billion-dollar Factory Zero EV plant in Detroit again.
• The move comes amid slowing demand for most electric vehicles in the U.S.
• This is not the first time GM has turned off the lights at Factory Zero; mass layoffs have also been made in the past.

General Motors’ Factory Zero plant in Detroit, Michigan, is going dark yet again due to the slowing demand for electric vehicles in the United States, Automotive News reported.

The facility, which was hailed as the factory of the future after a $2.2 billion investment back in 2021, manufactures the GMC Hummer EV and Sierra EV, the Chevrolet Silverado EV, and the Cadillac Escalade IQ electric SUV. 

GMC Hummer EV pickup production at Factory ZERO

The latest temporary layoff affects the remaining 1,300 workers, who were told to stay home starting March 16 and are expected to return to work on April 13, according to the United Auto Workers union. In October of last year, GM cut one of two shifts at the factory, effectively halving output, and permanently laid off 1,200 workers. 

The plant was also temporarily idled between October 27 and November 24, 2025. An additional 1,550 battery factory workers were temporarily laid off in Tennessee and Ohio, and 550 people were laid off indefinitely.

“Factory Zero will temporarily adjust production to align EV production with market demand,” a GM spokesperson told Crain’s Detroit Business. “Impacted employees will be placed on a temporary layoff and may be eligible for subpay and benefits in accordance with the GM-UAW national contract.”

Meanwhile, just 30 miles north, GM is going full steam ahead with the retooling of the Orion Assembly plant, where gas-powered pickup trucks and Escalade SUVs will soon start rolling off the assembly line. It’s a stark contrast to the company’s stance from five years ago, when it billed the modernized Detroit-Hamtramck plant as the car factory of the future, with the futuristic Cruise Origin autonomous pod slated to be one of the vehicles assembled here.

“I just hope we can bounce back, especially when gas prices are rising,” said James Cotton, UAW Local 22 President. “I think EVs are the future.”

Back in 2020, GM had committed to invest a whopping $35 billion in electric and autonomous vehicles, with plans to launch over 30 new battery-powered cars globally by 2025. Since then, the company’s robotaxi dreams have fallen apart, and sales figures for the big and expensive electric trucks built at Factory Zero have fallen short of expectations. 

Despite this, GM is now America’s second-best-selling EV brand, behind Tesla, thanks to the popular Chevy Equinox EV and Cadillac Lyriq. However, the Trump Administration’s decision to cancel the $7,500 federal tax credit for new EVs while simultaneously rolling back tailpipe emissions rules has prompted the automaker to tone down its electrification ambitions, reporting $7.6 billion in writedowns associated with its EV programs.