General Motors plans to launch a new all-electric van called the EV600 by the end of this year. The first 500 vehicles will be sold to FedEx.
GM
General Motors said on Tuesday that it plans to launch a fully electric van called the EV600 this year.
The van – part of GM’s plan to invest $ 27 billion in electric and autonomous vehicles by 2025 – will be the first vehicle of a new GM commercial unit called BrightDrop. The EV600 will be capable of up to 250 miles per load, according to Pam Fletcher, vice president of global innovation, who will oversee the new division.
“The game changer about BrightDrop is that it’s a unique ecosystem,” Fletcher said. “End-to-end, BrightDrop could help deliver the fleets they need.”
Fletcher declined to discuss prices and other details, but said BrightDrop products would be sold through a new independent sales and service network. She said GM has a full portfolio of electrical products, not just vehicles, planned for BrightDrop.
The first 500 trucks will go to FedEx starting this year, Fletcher said. Wider truck availability is expected in early 2022. The EV600 is the first commercial vehicle with GM’s new generation Ultium battery system, on which the automaker has spent billions as a basis for future electric vehicles.
GM’s first BrightDrop product will be the EP1, a powered electric pallet developed to easily move goods over short distances – for example, from the delivery vehicle to the customer’s front door.
GM
The commercial market is expected to be a major growth area for electric vehicles. Other start-up car manufacturers, such as Amazon-backed Rivian, as well as older vehicle manufacturers such as Ford Motor and Daimler, have announced plans to enter the segment. GM estimates that the combined market opportunity for parcels, food delivery and reverse logistics in the US will be more than $ 850 billion by 2025.
The EV600 will be the second product under the new BrightDrop brand. The first will be a powered electric pallet called the EP1, Fletcher said. It was developed to easily move goods over short distances – for example, from the delivery vehicle to the customer’s front door. It is expected to go on sale earlier this year, Fletcher said.
“The interest in these products has been tremendous,” Fletcher said. A pallet pilot program with FedEx last year found that drivers were able to deliver 25 percent more packages a day, she said. The pallets, like all the company’s products, will be electric and will have connectivity and tracking features for logistical purposes.
BrightDrop CEO Travis Katz, who joined carmaker Redpoint Ventures this month, said the company’s mission is to develop a new line of “smart, connected, connected products and services” to assist commercial companies to improve employee efficiency and safety.
GM’s first BrightDrop vehicle will be the EV600 – a light commercial electric vehicle built specifically for the delivery of goods and services with a range of up to 250 miles per load.
GM