GM is ramping up its electric vehicle efforts, including commercial EVs like the BrightDrop Zevo 400. Now, BrightDrop Chief Commercial Officer Steve Hornyak has revealed when production of the Zevo 400 will officially get underway.
In a recent interview with Automotive News, Hornyak stated that production of the BrightDrop Zevo 400 will begin in the fourth quarter of the 2023 calendar year at the GM CAMI plant in Canada. The facility is already producing the larger BrightDrop Zevo 600 all-electric delivery van, which began rolling off the line earlier this month.
Both BrightDrop Zevo vehicles feature GM Ultium batteries and GM Ultium drive motors, with the Zevo 600 offering upwards of 600 cubic-feet of cargo room, and Zevo 400 offering upwards 400 cubic-feet of cargo room. While the Zevo 600 can cover as much as 250 miles on a full battery charge and is suited for long-distance deliveries, the Zevo 400 is intended for more frequent, shorter-distance deliveries, such as for groceries.
BrightDrop Zevo 600
BrightDrop has already collected over 25,000 reservations and letters of intent for its new all-electric delivery vans. Noteworthy customers include Verizon, Walmart, and Hertz. FedEx has already taken deliveries of the first Zevo 600 units, which are now in operation in California. Additionally, BrightDrop recently expanded its business to Canada, adding DHL to its customer list.
GM hopes to produce as many as 50,000 units of the new BrightDrop Zevo vans annually at the CAMI facility by the 2025 calendar year. According to GM, BrightDrop is on track to generate upwards of $1 billion in revenue next year, and $10 billion in revenue on 20 percent profit margins by the end of the decade.
BrightDrop Zevo 600
BrightDrop’s plans hinge on a steady supply of GM Ultium batteries. As such, The General is ramping up its battery production operations under a joint effort with LG Energy dubbed Ultium Cells LLC. Ultium Cells is now operating a new battery facility in Ohio following a grand opening in September, with two additional battery facilities in the U.S. under construction, and a fourth on the horizon.
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Comments
When (if ever) will Zevo units be available for van builders?
GM Authority has posted a couple of months ago the possibility of the Next Generation Express and Savana Vans to built on a similar EV Architecture as the EV600’s, overall those vans are way overdue for a makeover regardless of their sustainability in the market with a 20 year old design.
Oh …..that’s great news ! NOT ! What about us single unit buyers who are STILL WAITING for the gas operated express and savana vans that were ordered over a YEAR AGO !!!!!! UUUUUGGGGGHHHH ! I ordered a Chevy Express extended cargo van APRIL 30 2021 !!!!!! Ill do the math for you …… that’s 20 MONTHS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WTF ? I’m just regular Joe Slap who is self employed like so many of us out there. We make up 23% of the market of self employed construction workers ! That translates to an enormous need for this type of vehicle. HELP US OUT ! We are the backbone of the construction industry ! GM customer service has NO answers. 800-462-8782, 800-462-8782, 800222-1020 .Anyone have a different number I can call? Dealer has no answers and seems to be stymied as well. I called the local TV station after waiting 15 months. They came out and did a short spot on the situation for the evening news. It did get the attention of the dealer who made a modest concession. HELP ! I need this vehicle NOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cancel your Express order and get a superior Ford Transit.
They are not taking orders. I looked into that.
I’ve ordered 5 over the last 2 years. Same boat. We won’t get them. Time to go ford or dodge, or even better Mercedes.
GM can make all the announcements they want but the recent announcement that BrightDrop production is going to be restrained due to a shortage of Ultium battery packs tells a very different story. Why? Because they are being diverted to more profitable vehicles. So until Ultium production catches up with demand, don’t hold your breath waiting for your BrightDrop
Which is why the US recently made a deal with Africa to round up more Cobalt to sustain Battery production for the EV’s.
It has nothing to do with the raw materials. It just takes time to ramp up a battery plant and GM is in the process of building 2 more in Tennessee and Michigan. The ramp up in Ohio is going slower than expected.
GM, how about an AWD Ultium based minivan with 350-400 miles range?