The California-based BrightDrop subsidiary of General Motors Co. in Detroit has shipped the first of 50 BrightDrop Zevo 600 electric delivery trucks to FedEx Express Canada.
The introduction of BrightDrop’s electric vans into the FedEx fleet in Canada is the next step in FedEx’s goal to transform its entire parcel pickup and delivery (PUD) fleet to all-electric, zero-tailpipe emissions vehicles by 2040.
This initial fleet of 50 electric vehicles (EVs) will service the Canadian communities of Toronto, Montreal, and Surrey. FedEx Express Canada plans to expand its EV fleet footprint as additional charging infrastructure is implemented at FedEx locations across the country.
Powered by GM’s Ultium platform, the Zevo 600 is designed for last-mile deliveries, with an estimated range of up to 250 miles (400 kilometres) on a full charge. These 50 EVs are part of a larger agreement between FedEx and BrightDrop that will see FedEx incorporate 2,500 total vehicles across FedEx operations in the coming years, including more than 400 vehicles that are already in operation in southern California.
To support the new vehicle technology, FedEx is installing charging infrastructure across its Canadian facilities, including the 80 charging stations the company has already installed in these three EV launch markets.
“FedEx Express Canada is proud of the role we’re playing to help our company work toward the goal of carbon neutral operations globally by 2040,” says Dean Jamieson, vice president of operations at FedEx Express Canada. “Working with companies like BrightDrop that are helping to build these solutions, right here in our own backyard, shows how Canada is helping to bring more sustainable solutions to life across a variety of industries.”
Assembled in Canada, the light commercial vehicles help to advance FedEx Express — a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. — on its journey toward an all-electric delivery fleet. The company plans for 50 percent of its global PUD vehicle purchases to be electric by 2025, rising to 100 percent of purchases by 2030.
BrightDrop manufactures the Zevo 600s at GM’s CAMI Assembly plant in Ontario. GM invested nearly $1 billion (Canadian) to convert CAMI into Canada’s first large-scale EV factory. CAMI reopened in December of 2022 with the first Zevo 600 rolling off the assembly line after a seven-month retooling, the fastest plant conversion in GM’s history.
“FedEx is a key collaborator in our journey to help reduce carbon emissions for deliveries,” says Steve Hornyak, chief commercial officer at BrightDrop. “As our first customer to deploy Zevos in the U.S. and Canada, FedEx is showing the world how the addition of electric vehicles can help achieve ambitious sustainability goals and improve the communities we live and work in.”
BrightDrop’s portfolio of electric delivery vehicles, smart eCarts, and software solutions are designed to create a smarter, safer, more sustainable future.
