DETROIT — BrightDrop, General Motors’ electric delivery van brand, will launch its second vehicle in 2023, with Verizon as the first customer.
The EV410, a midsize delivery van designed for small, frequent trips, will join the larger EV600 van at GM’s CAMI Assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ontario. Like the EV600, it will have a GM-estimated 250 miles of range on a full charge.
BrightDrop will complete the first EV600 production builds for FedEx Express this year, the company said in a statement Tuesday. The build timeline was the fastest vehicle program in GM’s history, BrightDrop said.
“This is a strong statement to the market of how our unique operations setup, which marries the cutting-edge innovation, agility and focus of a technology startup with the scale and manufacturing might of a major automaker, can deliver real value to both customers and the planet,” Travis Katz, BrightDrop CEO, said in the statement.
The EV410 has 410 cubic feet of cargo area; a shorter wheelbase than the EV600, at about 150 inches; and a length of about 20 feet.
The midsize van can fit into a standard parking space, which is key for reducing congestion in urban areas, BrightDrop said.
The van was designed for faster, smaller payloads, such as grocery deliveries, or as a service vehicle for companies such as Verizon, which has set a goal for net-zero operational emissions by 2035.
“Mainstream EV adoption by businesses will require the largest fleet operators to work together with innovators like BrightDrop in the development of vehicles that meet the particular needs of our business,” Ken Jack, vice president of Fleet Operations for Verizon, said in the statement.
BrightDrop would not disclose the size of Verizon’s order.
