BrightDrop introduces new EV410 delivery van
This purpose-built, all-electric commercial vehicle is slightly smaller and more maneuverable than the larger EV600.
On Tuesday, BrightDrop, a General Motors business unit, introduced its second commercial van, the EV410. Smaller and more maneuverable than the EV600, which was unveiled back in January alongside the BrightDrop brand itself and the company's EP1 propulsion-assisted delivery pallet, this all-electric schlepper is set to enter service with Verizon.
The EV410 features a wheelbase that spans a little more than 150 inches and its overall length is less than 20 feet. This makes it more manageable than the lankier EV600 and able to fit in standard-size parking spaces. As its name suggests, this van has around 410 cubic feet of storage space inside, though its gross vehicle weight rating should be less than 10,000 pounds.
Thanks to its smaller footprint, BrightDrop's latest and greatest is ideal for high-frequency tasks, like delivering groceries purchased online or performing telecommunications service. This is why Version is snapping up the EV410. It's the right-size vehicle for the company's field maintenance and service fleet, plus it produces zero tailpipe emissions, among many other benefits.
"[We] are very honored and proud to be working with Verizon," said Travis Katz, BrightDrop president and CEO, while speaking with media. "[We're] not yet at liberty to share the size of the order with Verizon," he noted, but hopefully this information will be released sooner than later. FedEx is getting the first 500 BrightDrop EV600s that roll off the line, perhaps Verizon is acquiring a similar number of the smaller van.
Viewed in profile, you can plainly see just how much shorter the EV410 is than its big brother.
Like its larger brother, the EV410 promises to offer 250 miles of range between charges, though BrightDrop will not comment on whether the vehicle's battery is different. This should give the van more than enough range for nearly every sort of delivery route in practically all weather conditions, from baking summer heat to the depths of winter.
Keeping drivers happy, this van offers plenty of clever features designed to make life just a little easier. A low step-in height saves wear and tear on knees, wide aisles make it easier to move bulky cargo into and out of the vehicle and front sliding pocket doors can help with efficiency. Keeping burglars at bay, a motion-activated security system is also available.
Safety is another cornerstone of BrightDrop's vans. Like the EV600, the new EV410 should come with a host of standard driver aids, everything from front and rear parking sensors to automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning and a high-definition backup camera to automatic high beams. Amenities like rear cross-traffic alert, a high-definition 360-degree camera system, reverse automatic braking and more will also be optional.
BrightDrop didn't release any photos of the EV410's interior, but it should be pretty similar to the EV600's, which means spacious and utilitarian.
Aside from Tuesday's introduction of the new EV410, BrightDrop also announced it completed the first production builds of the EV600, a manufacturing milestone and an important step on the pathway to getting commercial units to FedEx this holiday season. At GM, this is the fastest vehicle program to reach the market in the automaker's history. "Twenty months, just 20 months from first conception to first commercialization," noted Katz. Normally, he said, such a feat takes more like 50 months to complete. This is an impressive achievement, but it's even more incredible because the program still succeeded despite a raging global pandemic, supply chain issues and a semiconductor shortage.
Currently, the EV600 is being built in very low numbers by a supplier company in Michigan, though its final home will be GM's CAMI plant in Ingersoll, Ontario. BrightDrop is ironing out any kinks and getting its processes in order before moving the tooling to Canada. The company's taking this approach to keep quality high and its momentum going. Series production should begin in Ontario late next fall.
No public pricing has been released for either the EV600 or the newly announced EV410, but the former enters production this year, while the latter should start rolling off the assembly line in 2023. Better serving customers' diverse needs Katz said, "We will be offering additional configurations in the future," likely different battery sizes and corresponding ranges, though BrightDrop could develop an even smaller van someday. "But we're seeing a lot of excitement and demand from people [right now]," he added, for the products they're currently working on.
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