The Chevy Express commercial van may be in for an electric makeover

If it's not clear by now General Motors is all in on electric vehicles, the nuggets of EV news keep coming from the largest US automaker. On Wednesday, GM CEO Mary Barra said during the automaker's second-quarter earning's call it has another electric commercial van coming for Chevrolet. Could it be a replacement for the long-running Chevy Express?

Maybe, but it could be an electric compliment to the Express, which hasn't undergone a serious redesign in a very long time. Reporting on her remarks, Automotive News said the van will be a full-size model, so it should mirror the market the Express currently serves. No word on if we'll see an electric GMC Savana, however. Chevy did not immediately return a request for comment or more information.

"We will have electric solutions for almost any hauling or towing job you can imagine," Barra said on the call. To this point, the CEO mentioned a second commercial vehicle. This one will be a medium-duty pickup truck (think the Chevy Silverado 4500HD) and run a combination of GM's Ultium battery tech and Hydrotec fuel-cell systems. We already know Chevy has an electric pickup truck coming, and GMC does, too, aside from the Hummer EV pickup. A medium-duty pickup could set GM up for success when it comes to electrifying ambulances, garbage trucks and other vehicle types that often ride on medium-duty pickup bones.

Both of these commercial vehicles will support GM's new BrightDrop subsidiary, which will offer the EV600 commercial vehicle. Although GM will outsource production of the vehicle to start, GM said it's pulling forward a plan to transition its CAMI plant in Ingersoll, Canada. The plant currently builds the Chevrolet Equinox, but with an $800 million investment, it will be home to the EV600 come November 2022, the automaker said.

GM revealed its new BrightDrop business unit at CES 2021

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