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It’s not always just about the money. One of the most effective ways to ensure that a long-term project stays alive at a big company as people come and go is to create an external tie-up or partnership.

How much do you think a robotaxi costs to manufacture?

I think it's a lowball estimate, but for argument sake, let's say they're each worth $150k. At that price $2.25 billion will get you 15,000 robotaxis, and that's far from the only expense.

Waymo has announced a plan to deploy 20,000 vehicles in 2020, and that is what GM is up against.

You just can't have enough money in the bank if you're comitted to a scaled commercial robotaxi deployment and are planning for world domination.

Since being bailed out, GM's debts have exploded once again, rapidly hitting the $100B mark with an average interest around 5%. A $2.5B cash infusion, and the added confidence, is very much something they would need.