BrightDrop opens its first dealership near Los Angeles
GM's light electric commercial vehicle arm is on the brink of selling its first models to customers.
BrightDrop, aka GM's electric light commercial vehicle arm, just opened its very first dealership, according to an announcement made by the company on Tuesday. The dealership is located in Fontana, California, which lies around 50 miles to the east of Los Angeles and is probably best known for its automotive racing venue, Auto Club Speedway.
The dealership is being operated by Mike Caposio, a dealer principal who owns the largest Chevrolet dealership in California (Rotolo Chevrolet) as well as Caposio Buick GMC . The official name for the BrightDrop dealership is BrightDrop Greater Los Angeles (just a bit of a stretch, considering that Fontana isn't even in Los Angeles County) and will serve the -- you guessed it -- greater Los Angeles area.
"BrightDrop aims to be a one-stop shop for our customers," said Travis Katz, BrightDrop president and CEO, in a statement. "End to end, we are providing solutions for nearly every aspect of the delivery journey and establishing our first dealership is a major piece of that puzzle. BrightDrop dealers will support fleet operators in their electrification journey, providing electric vehicle expertise and service."
BrightDrop's first commercially available vehicle will be the EV600, so named because it's an electric vehicle with 600 cubic feet of cargo space. It is a clean-sheet design, designed from the start as an electric vehicle rather than a conventional van converted to electric power. This means that it should not only be more efficient from a space layout standpoint, it will also likely get better range and be easier for drivers to live with.
In addition to the EV600, BrightDrop has also introduced a motorized pallet called the EP1. This is kind of like a cross between an IKEA cabinet, a hand truck and an electric scooter. It's pretty cool and should make life a lot easier and safer for delivery drivers -- something that's been proven by a pilot program with FedEx.
BrightDrop Greater Los Angeles plans to start offering vehicles to commercial customers before the end of the year.
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