General Motors is pushing the production timeline ahead for the BrightDrop EV600 electric delivery van due to high anticipated demand.
In a statement released Tuesday, GM said it has introduced an “accelerated timeline for plant conversion and production of the BrightDrop electric EV600 light commercial vehicle at CAMI Assembly in Ingersoll, ON.” This production pull-ahead, the automaker says, will allow it to push the EV600 launch schedule forward and “double the number of units built during the first year of production to keep pace with anticipated demand.”
“We are ramping up our support for BrightDrop production at CAMI to serve the growing market for electric delivery solutions,” Scott Bell, GM Canada president and managing director, said in a prepared statement. “CAMI will play a key role in GM’s vision for a zero emissions future.”
The CAMI plant in southern Ontario currently produced the Chevy Equinox crossover. The Equinox will remain in production at CAMI until April 2022, at which point the BrightDrop equipment will be moved into the Ingersoll-based facility. Previous reports indicated the BrightDrop EV600 would at first be built in an unused section of the plant before moving to the central production line the following spring.
BrightDrop EV600 production will operator on one shift at first, but is anticipated to ramp up to two shifts in 2023 and to three shifts of production by as soon as 2024, so long as demand is sufficient.
The BrightDrop EV600 is a fully electric delivery van that is powered by GM’s new Ultium Drive electric motors and Ultium lithium-ion batteries. The van has over 600 cubic feet of cargo area and an estimated range of 250 miles.The first 500 examples of the EV600 will be delivered to FedEx, while MerchantsFleet has also placed a large order for more than 12,000 EV600s.
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Comments
This EV 600 is going to be a hugely successful program for GM, for years to come… Nice growth engine in a new segment for GM…
they should employ autonomous driving in this vehicle to lighten the work load of delivery people. that makes a lot more sense than using autonomous driving it to transport people.
I do wonder what is next from Brightdrop.
It seems like the obvious answer is an electric successor to the Express/Savana twins consolidated under one brand.
Bingo, that is exactly what I expect. I think there will be an EV van announcement this year.
As I have stated from Day one, GM hit a Grand slam with Bright Drop.
Barra and the team deserve high praise fo this Program. I hope it grows into a major position within the GM Portfolio.
Agreed… Mary Barra deserves a lot of credit for GM’s resurgence, she has guided the company in the right direction for now and the future.
For the metric conversion, the 250 miles is 400 kilometers. That’s a decent distance for local driving and there will still be enough charge left after a day’s work, that it can fully recharge in about 6 hours. A fast charge system will cut that in half or close to it. Not good enough for 2 shifts unless each driver is only going about 100 miles per shift and the batteries get a partial boost when the night shift driver is getting his freight loaded on the the truck. It won’t go that far during the Washington state temps over the past few days when it’s over 100 F, as a battery ability isn’t as good at those temps, especially with the driver using the AC at the max level. If GM was smart, they would install a small 150 CC LPG propane gas engine to keep the battery charged during stops. That might give another 50 to 75 miles of range and will remove the problem of being totally flat.
Clearly you are not familiar with fleets like Fed EX and UPS, that use these truck, most of which travel well under 120 miles a day, and work single shifts, but have many starts and stops. BEV takes advantage of all the starts and stops, where as ICE struggles with this. The current trucks they use do not have A/C, so not sure where you feel they will lose efficiency in the hot weather? Bright drop will have A/C seats and touch surfaces, it’s a more efficient way of cooling the driver only not the air inside the truck . BTW, Batteries love to be 100 degrees F, that is when they work at their peak, batteries have more struggle with cold temps. AZ summers might present more problems for the batteries, but they have active cooling, so no biggie, just lose a little of the range in 120 degree temps.
These trucks also park in a depot every night so level 2 charging is plenty for them, and the companies that own them want more efficiency, not more range. Fed Ex says each of these trucks will save them over $7000 a year in fuel and maintenance. You must be a real knucklehead if you think fast charging takes 3 hours… I have 2 EV’s, try 28 minutes 10-90% in an Audi E-Tron.