Photo: General Motors Company
Although General Motors still has only one fully electric vehicle – the Chevrolet Bolt EV – to show for itself on the streets, it’s currently working hard to cover all the bases in the near future. Thus, things should be looking a lot more interesting around 2022.
Before that happens, though, there’s the question of backing all the promises, from the mind-blowing GMC Hummer EV to the new Chevrolet Bolt EUV or the upcoming BET truck, with production locations. And, if the automaker wants to be successful everywhere, even the commercial business side needs a lot of cash.
General Motors is looking to cover that area, as well. Its autonomous unit, Cruise, has proposed the Origin for passenger rides, while the recently revealed BrightDrop EV600 should cover electric delivery van needs. And the company just pledged almost $800 million (one billion Canadian dollars) to make the latter a real contender in the logistics and parcel delivery sectors.
After it reaches a final agreement with Unifor and the pledged support from the authorities gets confirmed, GM is going to source the BrightDrop EV600 from the company’s CAMI manufacturing facility in Ingersoll, Ontario. The investment will be used to create Canada’s “first large-scale electric delivery vehicles manufacturing plant,” as it plans to deliver the first units of the BrightDrop EV600 sometime before the end of the year.
Of course, in order to adhere to the proposed timing, work on the transformation needs to kick off “immediately,” and while that’s great news for the local workforce, it also means that over the next two years the unit should wind down the current production of the third-generation Chevy Equinox compact crossover SUV.
Most likely, the Equinox won’t survive the CAMI transformation, but the model is probably safe – thanks to continued manufacturing in China, Mexico, and Argentina. Meanwhile, Canada has been the target of a sustained round of GM investments, supporting both product manufacturing, renewable energy generation, and the expansion of its Canadian Technology Center.
General Motors is looking to cover that area, as well. Its autonomous unit, Cruise, has proposed the Origin for passenger rides, while the recently revealed BrightDrop EV600 should cover electric delivery van needs. And the company just pledged almost $800 million (one billion Canadian dollars) to make the latter a real contender in the logistics and parcel delivery sectors.
After it reaches a final agreement with Unifor and the pledged support from the authorities gets confirmed, GM is going to source the BrightDrop EV600 from the company’s CAMI manufacturing facility in Ingersoll, Ontario. The investment will be used to create Canada’s “first large-scale electric delivery vehicles manufacturing plant,” as it plans to deliver the first units of the BrightDrop EV600 sometime before the end of the year.
Of course, in order to adhere to the proposed timing, work on the transformation needs to kick off “immediately,” and while that’s great news for the local workforce, it also means that over the next two years the unit should wind down the current production of the third-generation Chevy Equinox compact crossover SUV.
Most likely, the Equinox won’t survive the CAMI transformation, but the model is probably safe – thanks to continued manufacturing in China, Mexico, and Argentina. Meanwhile, Canada has been the target of a sustained round of GM investments, supporting both product manufacturing, renewable energy generation, and the expansion of its Canadian Technology Center.
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