Photo: General Motors/Walmart
BridghtDrop, a company owned by General Motors that was launched a year ago, has announced a new significant deal with an important commercial customer. After already starting deliveries to FedEx, the GM subsidiary announced a deal with Walmart.
This time, the retail conglomerate signed an agreement with BrightDrop to reserve 5,000 units of its EV600 and EV410 electric delivery vans. The former is already in production, while the latter will be available in 2023.
The retail giant wants to expand its last-mile delivery network, and it also has the goal of operating a zero-emission logistics fleet by 2040. With that goal, reserving a significant number of units from a new manufacturer, though owned by a known company, is a step forward in the desired direction.
Delivery vehicles are among the best candidates for an EV replacement, as they have a predetermined operating area, which limits their range necessity. Instead, delivery vehicles do have numerous stops, which can increase wear and tear on a conventional engine since each one involves turning it off and restarting just to move to a nearby location while having no effect on an EV.
The deal with Walmart comes weeks after the first delivery of the EV600 light commercial vehicles to FedEx. At the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show, General Motors announced that it has expanded its collaboration with the parcel delivery giant.
As GM notes, FedEx initially reserved just 500 units from BrightDrop, but the company is currently working on a plan to add up to 20,000 more in the years to follow. The decision is subject to further negotiations between all parties involved. Once those are complete, a definitive purchase agreement will be signed.
FedEx also unboxed plans to expand its testing of the BrightDrop EP1 electrified container, which is set to reach ten markets in 2022. Both the FedEx and the Walmart deals are huge news for BrightDrop, as they are Fortune500 companies with massive fleets. If the EV600 and EV410 convince their fleet managers through the promised reduction in operating costs, more orders could follow.
The retail giant wants to expand its last-mile delivery network, and it also has the goal of operating a zero-emission logistics fleet by 2040. With that goal, reserving a significant number of units from a new manufacturer, though owned by a known company, is a step forward in the desired direction.
Delivery vehicles are among the best candidates for an EV replacement, as they have a predetermined operating area, which limits their range necessity. Instead, delivery vehicles do have numerous stops, which can increase wear and tear on a conventional engine since each one involves turning it off and restarting just to move to a nearby location while having no effect on an EV.
The deal with Walmart comes weeks after the first delivery of the EV600 light commercial vehicles to FedEx. At the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show, General Motors announced that it has expanded its collaboration with the parcel delivery giant.
As GM notes, FedEx initially reserved just 500 units from BrightDrop, but the company is currently working on a plan to add up to 20,000 more in the years to follow. The decision is subject to further negotiations between all parties involved. Once those are complete, a definitive purchase agreement will be signed.
FedEx also unboxed plans to expand its testing of the BrightDrop EP1 electrified container, which is set to reach ten markets in 2022. Both the FedEx and the Walmart deals are huge news for BrightDrop, as they are Fortune500 companies with massive fleets. If the EV600 and EV410 convince their fleet managers through the promised reduction in operating costs, more orders could follow.
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