General Motors has paused development of the BrightDrop Trace and Trace Grocery e-carts, the company’s electrically assisted delivery palettes. The move follows the direct integration of BrightDrop with GM, announced late last year. Previously, BrightDrop served under GM as a wholly owned subsidiary.
Following the announcement last November that the delivery startup would be directly integrated within GM operations, BrightDrop’s dedicated website effectively disappeared from the web. Now, it redirects to the GM Envolve website instead. GM Envolve serves as the automaker’s commercial sales division.
While the GM Envolve website includes details regarding the Zevo 400 and Zevo 600, BrightDrop’s all-electric delivery vans, the website does not include any mention of the Trace and Trace Grocery e-carts. As such, GM Authority reached out to General Motors for clarification.
“When we integrated BrightDrop into GM Envolve (Nov. 2023), we paused development on the Trace carts to focus on Zevo-adjacent opportunities that create immediate value for our customers,” a GM spokesperson told GM Authority. “The team is focused on the upcoming re-start of CAMI (early April) and getting orders out to customers.”
As GM Authority covered previously, General Motors paused production of the Zevo 400 and Zevo 600 delivery vans at the GM CAMI plant in Canada this September due to a shortage of Ultium battery modules. Production of the all-electric delivery vans is expected to resume next month.
GM launched BrightDrop in 2021, framing the company as a last-mile electric delivery solutions business offering all-electric vehicles and logistics services. The delivery startup was made a fully integrated part of General Motors in November of 2023, with GM announcing the integration alongside the departure of company CEO Travis Katz.
A handful of Zevo delivery vans are already in service. The Zevo 600 provides over 600 cubic-feet of cargo space, while the Zevo 400 provides over 400 cubic-feet of cargo space. Both vans equip GM Ultium batteries and GM Ultium Drive motors.
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Comments
There has got to be more than handful of Zero vans out there, as I am seeing them almost daily around Southern CA. Every driver I talk too really likes it and has no desire to go back tot he old trucks.
Agreed. DHL, Fed ex and more are using them daily. Internally, during training on other systems, the FSE posted the map with Brightdrops moving around. One interesting dot on the map was on the ocean. It was one of the pods on a ship.
The delivery vans are cool, these carts are a silly idea
Think again. The pods serve to keep packages organized and secure from shifting.
They can be loaded with significant weight directly from warehouse transport systems with minimal human intervention. That reduces back and body injuries.
They are self-powered and can be easily moved up and down ramps at locations, along significant distances in warehouses.
This all serves to improve reduced ergonomic related injuries and general safety for the person moving the loads.
The pods also locate securely in the vehicle and communicate their location.
Martin, this is great feedback, what do you reckon their excuse is for stopping development?
Seems like standard GM thinking — nothing that would make sense long term is tolerated, just large products with the most short term profit. When the profits start to drop off, then hire some contract designers to start trying to catch up with the market and roll out the next short-term product.
@Bob
Totally agree. GM leadership just simply does not allow for future thinking.
This is the main reason why Mary and the team were asleep at the wheel concerning Tesla. She went as far as calling Elon a Silicon Valley guy playing with Laptop batteries.
I hate to finally agree with those that have been calling for her job for many years now but it is becoming very clear currently that she is clueless how to react and right the ship to take GM well into the Future.
I do not like saying someone needs to lose their job but it is becoming extremely evident this new shift is way above her current skill set.
Bit of your logic is wrong here – the investors / share holders are the one’s pushing for short term returns. Mary has to retain her job to be able to influence any changes – unlike Elon who just has to chat with a few other billionaires lol
This is true.
Why, for example, they do not have a Wrangler equivalent on the market, or an effective investment in a European distribution organization to support overcapacity in North America is mind-boggling.
But the answer lies in their DEI board of directors.