GM: BrightDrop Van EV600 arrives sooner
The CEP and last-mile business could also be electrified faster in the USA than initially thought: That is why GM is now retrofitting its factory in the Canadian province of Ontario faster than planned. According to GM, the production of the currently manufactured Chevrolet Equinox is scheduled to end as early as April 2022 to double the capacity for the BrightDrop EV600 electric delivery van to meet the expected demand in the first year of production. The conversion of the plant is expected to take four months, so pilot production can begin after the plant holidays. The mass production of the EV600 is scheduled to start in Ingersoll in November 2022. In 2023, BrightDrop production will then increase to two shifts and, if necessary, expand to three-shift production in 2024.
Originally, the conversion of the "Cami" plant was estimated to take two years. Scott Bell, President and Managing Director of GM Canada, explains:
“We are increasing our support for BrightDrop production at CAMI to meet the growing market for electric delivery solutions.”
This is because the GM Canada plant is intended to help reduce CO2 levels more quickly. Bell explains:
“Cami will play a key role in GM's vision for a zero-emission future.”
In January 2021, GM stated that the conversion would cost 800 million US dollars. Currently, there is no more information on this. Nevertheless, the pace GM is suddenly setting is astonishing: BrightDrop’s logistics subsidiary was only presented at the virtual CES in January 2021. By the end of 2021, the first customer, FedEx Express, is expected to receive the first EV600s for practical tests.
Meanwhile, the US fleet management company Merchants Fleet also wants to procure 12,600 BrightDrop Vans to incorporate them with customers starting in early 2023. A return to Europe with the van seems unlikely: The US parcel van is entirely tailored to the needs and standards of local CEP specialists in its overall design.
What does this mean?
GM has demonstrated an unprecedented speed with the Brightdrop project. This is not about adapting existing vehicles, but the development of an entire industry-specific CEP and last-mile branch, including warehouse logistics equipment and digital services.
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