How GM's BrightDrop electric van and e-pallet aim to 'decarbonize' delivery

Pras Subramanian

Since its reveal in January 2021, GM's BrightDrop electric delivery system, which aims to "decarbonize" the last mile, has been on a roll.

At the debut, GM (GM) announced FedEx (FDX) as BrightDrop’s launch client, and over the next year the company provided 500 electric light commercial delivery vans, known as the EV600, to the delivery fleet. Verizon (VZ) and Walmart (WMT) have since become clients as well.

The BrightDrop system doesn't just include electric delivery vans. It's essentially an e-commerce delivery ecosystem that includes software, charging stations, and even an electric propulsion–assisted pallet that can be used in the warehouse or on the street for delivery and package pickup.

Early trials of the service by FedEx in New York and Toronto are paying off. According to BrightDrop and FedEx:

  • using the EP1 electric pallet increased FedEx package deliveries by 15% per hour,

  • FedEx was able to remove one vehicle from a delivery route per day due to efficiency gains,

  • FedEx cut delivery vehicle dwell time by half, and

  • Use of the self-propelled EP1 and cutting of dwell time reduced physical strain on FedEx’s couriers.

The BrightDrop ecosystem (credit: BrightDrop)
The BrightDrop ecosystem (credit: BrightDrop) (Brightdrop)

How the system works

In order to showcase how the BrightDrop system works, GM invited a group of journalists to a warehouse in Brooklyn, New York, to witness the EP1 and EV600 in action.

The first part of the demo featured the EP1 pallet. The pallet looks like a big container on wheels, which are powered by electric motors that can move the cart up to 3 miles per hour, a natural walking speed for a human. From controls on the handle, the EP1 can move in both forward and reverse depending on whether it's being pushed or pulled.

The Brightdrop EP1
The Brightdrop EP1 (GM)

The EP1, which is connected to the BrightDrop software ecosystem, will eventually will be able to move autonomously to an appropriate EV600 van, which can then load the EP1 into the vehicle using a robotic lift.

The pallet can not only be used in the warehouse when loading, but also on the street for deliveries and even be left on the street or residential area for package pickup.

The BrightDrop EP1
The BrightDrop EP1 (Pras Subramanian)

The second part of the demo was a walk-around and drive of the electric EV600 delivery van. The EV600 is not a small van, even though it’s considered light duty, with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of under 10,000 lbs.

BrightDrop can tweak features like number of motors and battery size depending on what a customer needs, but the EV600's general specs include:

  • Drivetrain: All-wheel drive with two motors

  • Electric range: 250 miles

  • Battery: 20-module Ultium battery pack (likely a little over 150 kWh of usable capacity)

  • Charging: peak charge rate of up to 160 miles of range via 120 kW DC fast charger

The BrightDrop EV600
The BrightDrop EV600 (Pras Subramanian)

Driving the EV600

Hopping in the driver’s seat, the first thing I notice is the visibility out of the cabin is impressive. Without a hood and gas engine in the front, the massive windshield provides an unobstructed view of the entire street, from the commanding vantage point of the raised driver's seat. The windshield and side windows envelope the cab, and I could see everything on the street in front me, on the side, and even slightly below, as the side windows drop nearly to the driver's waist.

Operating the vehicle is as simple as any other automatic vehicle, with the EV600 using electric one-pedal driving if desired, where if the driver lifts off the gas pedal, the EV600 smoothly comes to halt due to the stopping force from the regenerative braking system. The 24-foot long van is surprisingly nimble on the streets despite its height, due to its all-wheel drive system and low center of gravity from the heavy battery modules sitting at the base of the vehicle.

During my short drive, I had to swerve around double-parked cars, delivery couriers on their e-bikes, and jaywalking pedestrians. It helped that the EV600 has cameras in the front and rear, and ultrasonic sensors all around for object detection, and to aid parking.

The EV600 vans are in low-volume production now, with full production expected at GM’s CAMI facility in Canada beginning at the end of 2022. Deliveries of the EV600 are occurring on an ongoing basis to clients as production scales, GM says.

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Pras Subramanian is the senior autos reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on Twitter and on Instagram.

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