After starting production of the BrightDrop Zevo 600 electric delivery vehicle at its CAMI Assembly plant in Ontario, Canada in December, General Motors has announced the delivery of the first Zevo 600 vans outside the United States.
FedEx Express Canada yesterday officially took delivery of its first 50 electric vans at an event in Toronto. The initial fleet of 50 Canadian-made BrightDrop Zevo 600 vans will service Toronto, Montreal, and Surrey.
These 50 EVs are part of a larger agreement between FedEx and BrightDrop that will see FedEx add 2,500 total vehicles across its operations in the coming years, including more than 400 vehicles that are already in operation in Southern California.
The company plans to expand its EV fleet in Canada as it works to implement additional charging infrastructure at its locations across the country. FedEx has installed 80 charging stations so far in Toronto, Montreal, and Surrey.
FedEx said the introduction of BrightDrop's electric vans into its Canadian fleet is an important step in its goal to transform its entire parcel pickup and delivery (PUD) fleet to all-electric, zero-tailpipe emissions vehicles by 2040. To achieve that, the company plans for 50 percent of its global PUD vehicle purchases to be electric by 2025, rising to 100 percent of purchases by 2030.
"FedEx Express Canada is proud of the role we're playing to help our company work toward the goal of carbon neutral operations globally by 2040. Working with companies like BrightDrop that are helping to build these solutions, right here in our own backyard, shows how Canada is helping to bring more sustainable solutions to life across a variety of industries.”
Dean Jamieson, vice president of operations, FedEx Express Canada
FedEx Express is the second commercial customer for the BrightDrop Zevo 600 in Canada after DHL Express Canada, which placed an order for an unspecified number of vans last year.
Powered by General Motors' Ultium Platform, the Zevo 600 is designed for last-mile deliveries, offering an estimated range of up to 248 miles (400 kilometers) on a full charge.
BrightDrop is manufacturing the Zevo 600 electric delivery vans at GM's CAMI Assembly plant in Ontario following an investment of around $800 million (nearly 1 billion Canadian dollars) to convert the facility into Canada’s first large-scale EV factory.
CAMI reopened in December 2022 when the first Zevo 600 rolled off the assembly line after a seven-month retooling – the fastest plant conversion in General Motors' history. The automaker expects the Canadian plant to produce 50,000 Zevo vans annually by 2025, but it has a long way to go as only 500 units were made in the first quarter of this year.
