FedEx has published a video to its YouTube channel celebrating the delivery of the first of its BrightDrop EV600 electric delivery vans to one of its facilities in California.
The logistics company purchased 500 examples of the BrightDrop EV600 following its unveiling at CES 2021 and received the first five vehicles last week. The video published to its YouTube channel shows the company unloading the BrightDrop EV600 vans off of a flatbed and plugging them into a DC fast charger for the first time. FedEx says it will begin making deliveries with the zero-emissions vans in the near future.
Mitch Jackson, chief sustainability officer at FedEx, said last week that the delivery of the BrightDrop EV600 vans is an important step in the company’s goal to make its business fully carbon neutral by 2040.
“The delivery of the first BrightDrop EV600s is a historic moment, born out of a spirit of collaboration between two leading American companies,” Jackson said. “At FedEx, transforming our pickup and delivery fleet to electric vehicles is integral to achieving our ambitious sustainability goals announced earlier this year. This collaborative effort shows how businesses can take action to help usher in a lower-emissions future for all.”
The first BrightDrop EV600 models are being produced by a German supplier called Kuka AG. Full-scale production will eventually take place at the GM CAMI Assembly plant in southern Ontario, which is currently undergoing renovations in order to accommodate this change. The GM CAMI plant currently produces the Chevy Equinox and will not transition to BrightDrop EV600 production until November of next year.
The BrightDrop EV600 rides on a dedicated EV architecture and taps GM’s Ultium model battery design and Ultium drive motor technology. The dual-motor, all-wheel-drive van has an estimated range of around 250 miles and boasts 600 cubic feet of cargo space at a GVWR of less than 10,000 pounds. It will eventually also launch in a single motor front-wheel-drive configuration.
In addition to FedEx, Merchants Fleet also announced a major BrightDrop purchase this year, placing an order for 12,600 examples of the EV600 and 5,400 examples of the smaller EV410.
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Comments
Can’t wait to see one roll in my driveway with a package!
Love this rig, it’ll save the world!
Covid 19 saving the world from stupidity. 1 unvaccinated idiot at a time.
My aunt died and she was fully vaccinated and had the booster. I have also had numerous friends that have died from covid who also have been vaccinated does it help? Absolutely that’s why I’m fully vaccinated but it’s not only the unvaxxed whoever told you that it’s not true.
This is just what Brandon ordered!
Guest
Donald Trump was one of the 1st to get vaccinated, and he just got boosted. How did all these people you know get in line for a booster before Trump?
trump told a crowd of his supporters that he got the booster shot and they BOOED him. hilarious!!!
Of course Trump got booed. Months ago he said he wasn’t going to get the booster, but it seems his word is as worthless as his wedding vows.
Lol that is funny I almost like that as much as the fjb chant that has been going around. But the funniest is all the deaths on joes watch more covid deaths then 2020 how sad. The president said once you get vaccinated you can’t get covid anymore he lied.
I don’t remember ever hearing him say that if you got vaccinated, you wouldn’t die. Think that your hate has blurred the lines between reality and wishful thinking
I’d say trump is doing pretty good if he gets booed for getting the booster. I mean pretty terrible to be joe right now and having everything spin out of control. His own party is divided to think to be an 80 something year old man and be embarrassed at sporting events around the country north south east and west all chanting derogatory words at you nonstop I would take getting booed for a booster any day over that.
The booster has been available in my state for over a month and a half. Read again I said my aunt got the booster the others were fully vaccinated which by cdc standards is still two shots so….
Peter G
You must be writing this from your parents basement as you self fornicate, hopefully covid takes you out with the rest of the trash.
Vick
No I’m writing this from your mom’s bedroom. Be a good little boy and get me something drink.
No you are definitely self fornicating in your parents basement looking at your trump poster. Be a good little boy and put your little Smokey up before your mom comes downstairs to tell you bedtime.
Vick
You’re so brainwashed that you think I actually own a Trump poster. In these fantasies of yours, where I’m blowing my load on your face, picture me as a 350lb. McDonald’s eating lardass who hasn’t showered in a week.
Peter you just troll on here that’s all everyone knows what you really are. You say things to get a rouse out of people that’s all. Deep down you are a trump supporter you just like to run your mouth is all. You say things that get your comments put on moderation then you disappear for a while show back up and make some comment about trump and the whole process starts over again.
From fully vaccinated/booster’d people, all I hear is talk of they or their friends getting covid anyway. From unvaccinated people, all I hear is talk about governments and businesses trying to force them to get vaccinated.
Why is it that the unvaccinated are talking about their rights and personal freedom being taken away, and the vaccinated/booster’d are talking about they or their friends still getting covid?
5 down and 20,000 more to go!!!
On another GMA article about this same subject a few days ago, there was a lot of really good and interesting discussion about this. I’m certainly for this as long as we are using renewable sources for getting the power. However, according to this article, these vans will initially be assembled by a German company (in Germany??) and it’s not clear to me where that will be done. In about a year, the assembly will then go to Ontario, Canada. This brings up the very good point that Ci2Eye made in that other article about the shipping of “things” (vehicles and everything else) by these highly polluting ships. I certainly don’t have the answer, but this doesn’t seem like the “green” way to go. We must get back to producing things locally for those places while using renewable sources.
On another note: When talking about stuff such as this, we really need to take into account the fact that big trucks and delivery trucks/vans not only use a lot of fuel, but they hold one heck of a lot of oil. Just think of the positive environmental impact when all these trucks/vans won’t be using gallons of motor oil and the huge oil filters.
They are being hand built by KUKA at a warehouse in Michigan until the CAMI plant is ready. They will be shipped by truck and modified train cars when CAMI is up and running.
Diving deeper, Kuka (and Comau which is Fiat) builds most of GM’s body shop equipment for trucks and SUV’s, and in this case, they are using the equipment that will eventually be shipped to CAMI to build the initial van bodies, they are hand painted, and nearly all vehicles use manual final assembly.
Thanks Steve. I didn’t see that info in the article. Did I miss it or did you get that from another source?
It has been touched on before in a previous GMA article so you missed it.
That’s because “green” is just a selling point for politicians and fools that believe it. It makes people feel good about themselves like they are making a difference.
gm is doing everything it can to convince everyone that it is a green company, hell bent on going all EV. Yet here is a super visible vehicle – on the road all the time, and they don’t put the Chevy bow tie on it?
Does this make sense to anyone? It stumps me.
If someone can enlighten me I would be much obliged.
GM does not want to sell BrightDrop through Chevrolet dealers and old franchise agreements, BrightDrop has new franchise agreements and dealers have to sell and service at a much higher level than a typical Chevrolet dealer. BrightDrop vans have to be serviced immediately if there are problems, no telling the customers they have to wait for this or wait for that. Commercial customers cannot wait.
GM must have some special arrangement with FedEX to test these trucks, as these are basically Beta+ models, Its good GM is working with Fedex, can dial these trucks right into FedEx requirements.
Thanks for the explanation, but it still does nothing for the brand. Seems like “Chevrolet Commercial Vehicles” offered to dealers that make the investment would work. This would still keep the tremendous value to the brand. All Chevy dealers do not sell all Chevy products as all GMC dealers do not sell Hummer. They must meet certain investment and criteria. Honda car dealers do not sell Honda side by sides. There are lots of examples in the business world. If gm leadership had wanted it, I am sure their hundreds of lawyers could have figured it out.
I hate GM undervalues Chevrolet all the time. The first electric truck of GM should wear a golden bowtie. The first electric van too. Every thing Ford puts on the road wears a blue oval first.
GM has nothing against he Chevy brand, but wants a different selling and service experience for BrightDrop. Chevy dealers can apply for a BrightDrop franchise, but it’s a different animal.
The Google translation translates what you said to gm doesn’t want it to seem cheap with the Chevy name attached to it.
Not Exactly, it’s more about Control, GM wants more control of BrightDrop, and Chevy dealer franchise agreements do not allow that, so new brand, new franchise agreements. GM will earn the big sales, the dealership just handles retail sales, deliveries and service. Most of the big customers have their own service and parts network.
Even the GM fanboys are starting to sound like clueless bureaucrats.
Delivering both the Hummer EV and BrightDrop the same day is huge. This can’t be matched by both FORD and Chrysler (can still call it Chrysler?).
You can call it whatever you want but one thing you can’t call them is bankrupt and shouldn’t exist.
Various different articles. I also work at CAMI
Wow they delivered a whole 5 units!!! Wonder how many of those that didn’t catch fire still run.
Daniel… The Brighdrop, Hummer, Silverado EV and all new EV’S are not realted to Bolt and use different batteries and architecture… That was actually tested and retested to make sure no fires happen! Know what your talking about don’t troll!