BrightDrop, a spin-off of electric commercial vehicles from General Motors (GM), announced that it has reached an agreement to supply 5,000 of its electric vans to US retail giant Walmart.
Walmart said it would integrate electric vehicles into its entire fleet in the coming years.
Walmart Senior Vice President, Tom Ward said that in addition to saving time and costs for customers, the company is also focused on creating a last-mile delivery fleet that is more sustainable and emission-free.
“BrightDrop’s proven ability to bring sustainable electric vans to market makes them a great partner to support our growing InHome delivery service, and we look forward to continuing to drive our goal of operating a 100 percent zero-emissions logistics fleet by 2040,” he said. .
BrightDrop will sell both electric commercial vehicles to Walmart with the EV600 and EV410.
The EV600, which went into production last fall, has 600 cubic feet of cargo space, can travel up to 250 miles on a full battery, and has a gross vehicle weight of less than 10,000 pounds. The smaller EV410 has 400 cubic feet of cargo space and can cover 250 miles on a single charge.
Previously, BrightDrop had received an order for 500 units of the EV600 electric van from FedEx, its first customer. However, FedEx reports that the company will increase its orders to 2,000 to 20,000 units over the next few years.
FedEx said the company is moving forward in taking sustainability steps for its delivery fleet, which is a critical component of the company’s ambitious goal of achieving carbon-neutral operations globally by 2040.
“With collaboration and innovative technology from companies like GM and BrightDrop, we will continue to meet the world’s growing transportation needs in a more environmentally friendly way for our customers, shareholders and communities,” said Richard Smith, President of FedEx in the United States.
Meanwhile, BrightDrop President and CEO, Travis Katz said that BrightDrop’s mission is to decarbonize the world’s shipping. The company has harnessed the best of the innovation, agility and focus of technology startups with the engineering and manufacturing strengths of General Motors.
“This combination, coupled with BrightDrop’s holistic solution suite, gives us a strong advantage that uniquely positions us to support the world’s largest shipping companies, such as Walmart and FedEx, with their strong sustainability goals. Today’s commitment demonstrates our ability to support the electrification journey of some of the world’s largest companies.”
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