General Motors is fully integrating BrightDrop, its electric commercial vehicle startup, into the wider GM business.
BrightDrop was launched in 2021 as a GM subsidiary with a brief to accelerate electrification in the commercial sector. The brand’s Zevo 600 and Zevo 400 electric delivery vans were developed and brought to market in record time, and adopted by major US fleets including FedEx, Ryder and DHL.
The company will now operate directly under GM Envolve, the company’s global commercial fleet division, giving customers a single point of contact for vehicles, software and aftersales support.
GM says the change will make operations more efficient while keeping BrightDrop’s “startup spirit” alive within the main business. Series production of the Zevo range is expected to restart in spring 2024 at GM’s CAMI plant in Ontario, Canada, supported by a new on-site battery-module line designed to boost output.
Both the Zevo 600 and smaller Zevo 400 will remain part of GM Envolve’s commercial vehicle portfolio, while BrightDrop’s digital fleet management platform, Core, is being folded into GM’s wider software and services division.
GM added that bringing BrightDrop entirely in-house marks “the beginning of a new chapter” as it continues its push toward a fully electric future across passenger and commercial vehicles.
Those plans don’t currently involve the UK.
