General Motors Working On New Commercial EVs

• by E4TP Contributor
• August 9, 2021
• 3 min read

General Motors is adding to its ever-growing list of electric vehicles with a new truck and van made with commercial businesses in mind.

General Motors are looking to lockdown the commercial EV market © Credit to General Motors

• Two New Electric Vehicles
• EVs Will Join BrightDrop
• Competition To General Motors

Two New Electric Vehicles

General Motors has shared plans to launch two new electric vehicles in the not-so-distant future — vehicles that could be a massive benefit to select businesses.

The vehicles were confirmed by CEO Mary Barra on a recent analyst call.

One of these vehicles, a full-size battery-electric cargo van, will ride under the Chevrolet name. The other, a medium-duty truck powered by Ultium electric batteries and Hydrotec hydrogen fuel-cell technology.

Depending on who you ask, these vehicles could be considered a replacement to other delivery options coming out of the GM camp.

The outlined battery van “will exceed the expectations of small-business owners, tradespeople, and everyone else who has been well served by the Chevy Express,” said Barra.

“We will have electric solutions for almost any hauling or towing job you can imagine.”

EVs Will Join BrightDrop

The un-named models will join GM’s EV600, an electric delivery van, in its future commercial lineup as part of its BrightDrop business.

This particular van is considered a standard on-road delivery option, complete with a target range of 250 miles per charge, not to mention 600 cubic feet of cargo space for drivers to play with.

BrightDrop was launched earlier this year, seen as a unique alternative to mass delivery for various businesses, big and small.

These newly announced EVs “will complement BrightDrop and keep our commercial fleet market share growing.”

Another vehicle already announced as a part of the BrightDrop name is the EP1. The EP1 is a small electric pallet used to pick up/drop boxes around warehouses — or wherever else the driver sees fit.

The first BrightDrop vehicles will roll out later this year.

Competition To General Motors

GM aren’t the only name in town looking to appeal to businesses with its electric vans/vehicles.

The upcoming 2022 Ford E-Transit, for example, is a front-runner as a potential delivery figurehead as vehicles ditch the combustion engine permanently.

Arrival is another name that comes to mind, the Arrival Van, in particular. The UK startup has already secured orders from the likes of UPS and Amazon for this EV.

That being said, the first 500 units of the EV600 will go to FedEx for real-world testing.

Other automakers will no doubt look to run in parallel with General Motors. Whether they can compete with a BrightDrop is a different question entirely.

General Motors could establish a foothold over the commercial lane with these vehicles if they’re up to snuff. What do you think of its BrightDrop business? Give us your thoughts via social media.

E4TP Contributor

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