With the support of BrightDrop, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Motors Co. in Detroit, and FedEx, BrightDrop Zevo 600 driver Stephen Marlin achieved the Guinness World Records title for greatest distance traveled by an electric van on a single charge, with a journey from New York City to Washington, D.C.
Driving the Zevo 600, formerly known as the BrightDrop EV600, Marlin completed the near 260-mile trip on a single charge, just in time for Earth Day 2022. The Zevo 600 stopped at a couple of iconic destinations along the route, including landmarks in Philadelphia and Baltimore.
“Since the beginning, the Zevo 600 has been a record-setting vehicle. Now we’re seeing firsthand what BrightDrop can do by pairing our zero-operating-emissions technology with FedEx, a leader in the transportation and delivery industry,” says Travis Katz, president and CEO of BrightDrop. “Having a long battery range with reliable power is critical to electrifying delivery fleets everywhere.”
Limited battery ranges for passenger and commercial cars and trucks has narrowed the market for electric vehicles, along with too few charging stations, long charging times, the high cost of batteries, supply chain issues, and a constrained electric grid. The sourcing of battery materials can involve child labor, as well.
BrightDrop delivered its first electric light commercial vehicles to FedEx in December after completing its first production builds of the Zevo 600 in 20 months, making it the fastest vehicle to market in GM’s history.
“FedEx is proud to be a part of this record-setting moment as we work toward our goal of achieving carbon-neutral operations by 2040. Electrifying our entire parcel pickup and delivery fleet is a crucial component of that goal and we’re thrilled BrightDrop is bringing real solutions to the market that can help us get there,” says Mitch Jackson, chief sustainability officer of FedEx.
As part of the journey, the Zevo 600 transported a shipment of Full Circle sustainable cleaning products from its headquarters in New York City to a MOM’s Organic Market location in Washington, D.C., a Mid-Atlantic chain of family-owned and operated organic grocery stores. Full Circle is a brand of sustainable home care products, and a small business customer of FedEx.
Designed with productivity and convenience in mind, the Zevo 600 combines the attributes of a traditional and a step-in van into one vehicle. The Zevo 600 also features such safety features as automatic emergency braking, front and rear park assist, and forward collision alert.
Built on the Ultium Platform, the Zevo 600 offers more than 600 cubic feet of cargo area and an available 2,200 pounds of estimated payload capacity. BrightDrop has secured more than 25,000 EV production reservations, including 2,500 from FedEx, in 12 months. The Zevo 600 is currently in production.
BrightDrop’s portfolio of electric vehicles, smart containers, and software are designed to decarbonize last-mile deliveries and reduce congestion for a smarter, more sustainable future.
For more information, visit www.gobrightdrop.com.
