GM’s BrightDrop makes first commercial EVs delivery outside US

BrightDrop, the electric delivery van subsidiary of General Motors, has made its first delivery outside of the U.S. The company delivered 50 BrightDrop Zevo 600 electric vans to FedEx Express Canada on Wednesday, part of a larger order of 2,500 Zevo EVs.

The introduction of BrightDrop’s vans is in line with FedEx’s goal to shift its entire fleet to all-electric vehicles by 2040. BrightDrop’s Zevo 600 model is designed for last-mile deliveries and has an estimated range of 250 miles. FedEx has already received about 400 Zevos, which are currently in operation in Southern California.

FedEx Canada’s first fleet of BrightDrop vehicles will be seen delivering parcels on the streets of Toronto, Montreal and Surrey, according to FedEx. The company said it is working to install charging infrastructure across its Canadian facilities.

The vehicles were assembled at GM’s CAMI Assembly plant in Ontario, which began production in December 2022. GM invested around $750 million ($1 billion CAD) into the plant, which is expected to produce 50,000 Zevo vans annually by 2025. Aside from the Zevo 600, GM is also building a smaller version, called the Zevo 400.

FedEx is one of a handful of BrightDrop’s big commercial partners. The company has received around 30,000 reservations and letters of intent from customers including  Walmart, Hertz, Verizon and most recently Ryder.

Rivian, one of BrightDrop’s e-delivery van competitors, started rolling out its vans in summer 2022 and has delivered around 3,000 units to Amazon, according to the e-commerce giant’s blog. Amazon hopes to have 100,000 Rivian vans on the roads by 2030. In its first-quarter earnings report, Rivian reaffirmed its goal to produce 50,000 units this year, which includes the R1S pickup truck and R1T SUV.