BrightDrop, a subsidiary of General Motors that specializes in electric delivery vans, has successfully completed its first delivery outside of the U.S. On Wednesday, the company delivered 50 BrightDrop Zevo 600 electric vans to FedEx Express Canada as part of a larger order of 2,500 Zevo EVs.
The introduction of BrightDrop’s vans aligns with FedEx’s goal of transitioning its entire fleet to electric vehicles by 2040. The Zevo 600 model from BrightDrop is specifically designed for last-mile deliveries and boasts an estimated range of 250 miles. FedEx already has around 400 Zevos in operation in Southern California.
FedEx Canada’s initial fleet of BrightDrop vehicles will be visible on the streets of Toronto, Montreal, and Surrey, as they deliver packages. FedEx has also announced plans to install charging infrastructure across its Canadian facilities.
The assembly of these vehicles took place at GM’s CAMI Assembly plant in Ontario, which began production in December 2022. GM invested approximately $750 million ($1 billion CAD) into the plant, with expectations of producing 50,000 Zevo vans annually by 2025. In addition to the Zevo 600, GM is also manufacturing a smaller version known as the Zevo 400.+
FedEx is just one of several major commercial partners for BrightDrop. The company has received over 30,000 reservations and letters of intent from customers including Walmart, Hertz, Verizon, and most recently Ryder.
Rivian, a competitor in the e-delivery van market, began deploying its vans in the summer of 2022, with around 3,000 units already delivered to Amazon according to the e-commerce giant’s blog. Amazon has plans to have 100,000 Rivian vans on the road by 2030. In their first-quarter earnings report, Rivian reaffirmed their goal of producing 50,000 units this year, including their R1S pickup truck and R1T SUV.
