The 2026 Chevy BrightDrop line of electric delivery vans is on its way for its second model year under the Chevy brand. Currently available with a Standard Range or Max Range battery pack, GM Authority has learned that the 2026 model will introduce a third Extended Range pack in between.
The Standard Range battery (RPO ETC) is a 14-module battery pack, the Max Range (RPO ETJ) is a 20-module pack, and we expect the new Extended Range unit (RPO EWU) to be a 16-module pack. GM says the mid-range battery pack provides a combined driving range of up to 204 miles on a full charge.
That makes it a nice middle ground between the base battery with its 176-mile range and the Max Range battery with 286 miles of range. If less than 200 miles isn’t enough, but the Max Range battery is too expensive, the Extended Range battery should be just right.
This will be a nice option for businesses that want an electric delivery van with front-wheel drive and a 200+-mile range since the Max Range battery pack is only available with all-wheel-drive configurations of the BrightDrop. Now, businesses that don’t need or want AWD will be able to get a 2026 Chevy BrightDrop van with FWD and over 200 miles of range.
As for performance specs, the BrightDrop 400 and longer 600 with FWD have a single-motor setup with 233 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque, while the AWD units have a dual-motor setup with 300 horsepower and 390 pound-feet.
No other major changes are expected for the 2026 Chevy BrightDrop. Like other GM EVs, we are hoping for a native North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector rather than the Combined Charging System (CCS) port that GM EVs currently use. GM previously said the NACS port would be introduced during the 2025 calendar year before specifying that the connector type would arrive for select 2026 model-year vehicles.
2025 models would have a NACS port, but the automaker pushed that timeline to 2026.
As we recently reported, 300 U.S. Chevy dealers have signed up to sell BrightDrop vans in 2025, a sharp increase from just seven dealers that sold them in 2024. BrightDrop customers have largely been big companies like Merchants Fleet, FedEx, and Walmart ordering by the thousands, but with the number of U.S. Chevy dealers offering BrightDrop vans increasing from seven to 300, the electric vans will be more widely available for small businesses.
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