Basic Motors mentioned on Wednesday it might rent greater than 8,000 new technical workers this yr, because the U.S. automaker accelerates its improvement of electrical automobiles and software-driven companies.

The automaker employed about 3,000 tech folks in 2021.

GM mentioned it’s increasing groups that electrify vehicles, develop automobile software program and autonomous know-how and engineer gasoline cells.

GM’s announcement comes only a day after the corporate unveiled a $7 billion funding plan in Michigan, primarily towards making full-size electrical pickups, intensifying a battle with rival Ford Motor Co. for EV supremacy in North America.

The automaker, which was dethroned because the U.S. gross sales chief in 2021 by Japanese rival Toyota Motor Corp., plans to spice up its North America EV manufacturing capability to greater than one million items by late 2025.

It should additionally need to deal with present EV chief Tesla, which is able to quickly open a second U.S. plant in Austin, Texas, and is on tempo to promote greater than 1 million electrical automobiles globally in 2022.

GM is additional trying to increase its digital commerce footprint by launching an on-line used automobile market known as CarBravo.