BrightDrop a wholly owned subsidiary of General Motors Co. in Detroit, has started shipping the first of more than 500 BrightDrop Zevo 600s built in the first quarter at CAMI Assembly, the company’s large-scale manufacturing facility in Ontario, Canada, that opened three months ago.
GM reports demand for the commercial EV is at an all-time high, with its model year 2023 Zevo 600 already sold out. Adding to the momentum, Ryder, a transportation leasing company, plans to add 4,000 BrightDrop EVs to its rental and lease fleet through 2025.
Over two years, BrightDrop has secured more than 30 commercial customers across industries like retail, rental, parcel delivery, and service-based utilities, including new customers like American Tire Distributors, WasteNot Compost, and Rexel USA, in addition to FedEx, Walmart, Hertz, DHL Express, and Purolator.
BrightDrop states it’s on the way to accelerating production of its electric delivery vans and reaching 50,000-unit annual volume capacity by 2025.
The company states the vehicle offers segment-leading safety features and provides quality and reliability. Operating as a startup allowed BrightDrop to focus on innovation and agility, while also tapping into the platform assets, scale, and the manufacturing might of GM.
BrightDrop is taking reservations for model year 2024 vehicles today, with deliveries expected to begin by mid-year 2023.
“Our customers have ambitious sustainability goals and they’re under extreme pressure to deliver on them,” says Steve Hornyak, chief commercial officer of BrightDrop.
For more information, visit gobrightdrop.com.
