General Motors will increase production of its Chevrolet Bolt EV this year at its Orion Assembly Plant in Oakland County, Mich., as part of the company's "path to an all-electric future," chief executive Mary Barra told attendees at an energy conference.

Barra made the announcement during a March 7 speech at CERAWeek, a Houston energy conference. General Motors has set a goal to reach zero emissions by boosting sales of electrified vehicles, she said.

The automaker plans to introduce 20 new battery-electric vehicles by 2023. In 2017, all automakers sold 1.2 million battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles globally.

"In December 2012, the Chevrolet Volt was GM's flagship electrified vehicle and its owners hit a milestone 100 million all-electric miles just two years after it went on sale," Barra said. "By December 2017, drivers of five electrified models, including the Bolt EV, racked up more than 2.6 billion EV miles."

Company leadership is "encouraged by this momentum," she said.

In 2017, the company sold 26,000 Bolt EVs globally. In February, the company sold 1,424 units.

General Motors has also been testing Bolt EVs with autonomous driving technology through its Cruise Automation unit.