DETROIT — General Motors has temporarily laid off 1,300 workers at its FactoryZero electric vehicle plant in Detroit amid a slowing U.S. electric vehicle market, Reuters reports.
Workers were laid off on March 16 and were scheduled to return on April 13, according to the report.
“Factory ZERO will temporarily adjust production to align EV production with market demand,” spokesperson Kevin Kelly said in a statement.
The plant, which produces the Chevrolet Silverado EV and Hummer EV, has seen slower sales due to weaker demand for electric vehicles.
General Motors has signaled a shift toward producing more heavy-duty gas-powered trucks. The automaker plans to increase production at its Flint Assembly plant to six days a week to produce the trucks, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
The auto giant permanently laid off more than 1,000 workers in January, according to a WARN notice with the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.
Republicans ended a $7,500 tax credit for EV buyers and lessees last September, largely causing the decline in electric vehicle sales across the nation.
Eliminating the tax credit was part of a massive tax and spending cut bill Congress passed last June.
