GM recently launched its new BrightDrop electric van to electrify delivery vehicles, and now the automaker has announced that it is investing $ 800 million to produce new electric vans in Canada.
GM BrightDrop Electric vans
Last week, General Motors announced BrightDrop, a new division and brand, which will offer an “ecosystem of electrical products from the first to the last mile” to logistics companies.
The flagship of the new brand is the BrightDrop EV600 electric van.
GM lists the features of the EV600 electric van:
- Powered by the Ultium battery system, the EV600 is designed to have an estimated range of up to 250 miles on a full charge 1.
- Peak charge rate of up to 170 miles of EV range per hour through 120 kW DC fast charging.
- Over 600 cubic feet of cargo area.
- Available in a GVWR of less than 10,000 pounds.
- Key segment security features
- Standard safety features2 include: Front and rear parking assistance, automatic emergency braking, frontal collision alert, tracking distance indicator, front pedestrian braking, assistance to maintain the lane with lane departure warning, automatic high beam headlights IntelliBeam and rear HD camera.
- Additional safety and driver assistance features available include: Rear Cross Braking, Blind Zone Driving Assistance, Automatic Reverse Braking, HD Surround Vision, Rear Pedestrian Alert, Advanced Automatic Emergency Braking, among others.
- Cargo area security system with motion sensors to help keep cargo safe.
- A 13.4-inch diagonal colored infotainment screen.
- Front sliding doors, wide cab walkways and a large automatic opening bulkhead door help to optimize driver efficiency.
GM invests in electric vehicle production in Canada
Today, GM announced that it is investing $ 1 billion CAD (~ $ 800 million dollars) to convert its CAMI plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, to produce electric vehicles for its new BrightDrop division.
The company announced in a press release:
“The nearly $ 800 million (1 billion Canadian dollars) investment will support GM’s timeline for delivering the BrightDrop EV600 in late 2021. The investment will allow GM to convert CAMI into the first large-scale electric delivery vehicle plant from Canada.
GM currently uses the factory to produce the Chevrolet Equinox SUV.
She plans to act quickly to start producing the new electric van by the end of the year and to start deliveries to BrightDrop’s first customer, FedEx.
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