GM and BrightDrop Work Together to Create EV Delivery

BrightDrop is a subsidiary of GM that builds a pair of electric vehicles to deliver products to people and businesses wherever they are.

These two vehicles are the EP1 and the EV 600, both of which have different purposes. BrightDrop is using the Ultium battery platform developed for the variety of GM electric models coming out over the next few years. This new subsidiary is ideal for delivering packages the same way we expect them to arrive via UPS or FedEx right now. In fact, these new vehicles might be used by those two major delivery companies in the future.

What is the BrightDrop EV600

When you think of the size and capabilities of the delivery vehicles that bring packages to your door, you can picture the size and build of the EV600. This delivery van is made with a 600 cubic foot capacity to give companies plenty of room for packages that need to be delivered around your local area. The rear door of this van is automated and the two front doors slide open, giving the driver an easy way to handle the deliveries without opening a door into traffic.

Plenty of Electronics for this Delivery Van

This new delivery van has a 13.4-inch infotainment system that sits on the dash to be the communication center of this vehicle. There’s a full suite of active safety features including front and rear parking sensors and automatic emergency braking. Along with these systems, this van has a cargo area security system with motion sensors. This can be the ideal van for fleet operators to add to the mix. They can easily track the progress of the driver and the vehicle while also seeing what’s going on, which can help keep the driver safer on the road.

The First BrightDrop EV600 Vans are On the Road

The first company to sign on to drive these new electric delivery vans is FedEx. These new BrightDrop EV600 models come equipped with EV fleet management software to track the vehicle, receive data to create more efficient routes, and remote diagnostics to tell fleet managers when the vehicle needs to be serviced. FedEx Express has these vans out on the roads in many areas. Each one of these vans comes with an estimated driving range of 250 miles from a single full charge. The battery pack supports a 170-mile charge rate per hour using a 120-kW DC fast-charging station.

What is the EP1

Part of the electric venture that brings GM to the electric delivery world via BrightDrop is the development of the EP1. This item is called Electric Pallet 1 and it is a small, mobilized cart remotely controlled by a courier to carry up to 200 pounds. No more stressing or multiple trips to the truck for these drives. This car has modular shelves and locking cabinet doors to keep items secure inside. The small size and maneuverability of this cart allow it to be much easier to move around in tight spaces to reduce the strain on drivers.

Reaching a Goal of Saving Backs

Many delivery drivers complain of sore backs, knees, and other joints after years of delivering packages around the country. The EP1 can eliminate much of that pain and stress. Because of the maneuverability of this cart, drivers can save their bodies and cut down on the number of package touch points which is the number of times a package is handled by a driver from the time they take possession of it until it’s delivered to its final destination.

More Boxes Delivered Via EP1

Using the EP1 the electric propulsion system and strength of the pallet courier partners like FedEx Express can deliver 25 percent more packages via EP1 than when using traditional delivery trucks. This is a huge improvement for the delivery service and a much easier way to get things done for the drives. Added efficiency makes sense in this arena. More people than every order items using online shopping platforms which then use delivery services such as FedEx to deliver these items to the customers. With a more efficient system, these items will arrive more quickly and without straining the driver.

What’s Next for GM and BrightDrop?

The next step in the process of delivering items via the GM BrightDrop program is to create a medium-distance electric vehicle that transports several EP1s and a rapid-load vehicle concept. This could create an even more efficient and effective system of delivering packages to customers around the world and GM can be at the forefront of making that happen.

Recent Growth in the Number of Orders

While FedEx was the first company to sign up to use the GM BrightDrop delivery system, Wal-Mart has placed a large order to help them move toward the future. The retail giant ordered 5,000 of the EV600 models to help push their delivery fleet forward to a zero-emissions program by 2040. With this order, placed in January, Wal-Mart looks to receive a combination of the EV600 models and a new and smaller EV410 version, which will arrive late in 2023. These vehicles will add to the InHome delivery service which is expanding from 6 million homes to more than 30 million homes by the end of this year.

Verizon Signs on for the Smaller EV410 Models

The EV410 is smaller than the EV600, giving delivery fleets a van that has 400 cubic feet of cargo room to bring smaller loads to customers around city areas. Recently, Verizon signed on to take delivery of a number of these smaller vans to bring their products to customers in the cities they serve. This is an impressive next step for the GM BrightDrop vehicles that are meant to make the final miles of a delivery using nothing but electricity to power the vehicles bringing items to their destination.

You might see some of these new BrightDrop vans bringing items to your door in the near future. If you live in large cities, they are already on the road delivering items via FedEx Express delivery services. This is the future of courier services which should eventually move to larger, over-the-road delivery systems.