Electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers BrightDrop and Volta Trucks have both hit key milestones this month as they accelerate the roll out of electric delivery vehicles in the logistics sector.
BrightDrop revealed that its 2023 Zevo 600s are now sold out while Volta announcing that series production has begun, marking the most significant achievement for the firm yet.
General Motors’ (GM) commercial EV brand BrightDrop also revealed that it has started shipping the first 500+ Zevo 600s, build in Q1 at its CAMI assembly plant in Ontario, Canada – a facility that opened just three months ago.
“Demand for our commercial EVs is at an all-tome high, with our model year 2023 Zevo 600 already sold out,” the firm noted.
Commercial customers
BrightDrop also revealed that logistics and transportation firm Ryder System plans to introduce 4,000 BrightDrop Zevo 600 and Zevo 400 electric vans to its lease and rental fleet through 2025, with the first 200 to be ordered this year.
The Zevo 600 and Zevo 400 electric vans boast a range of up to 250 miles on a full charge, and can support a payload of about 2,000 to 3,400 lbs. With Zevo 600’s cargo capacity of over 600 cubic feet and Zevo 400’s cargo capacity of over 400 cubic feet, BrightDrop’s electric vans offer the benefits of an electric powertrain with ample cargo space.
Since BrightDrop’s official launch in 2021, the firm has secured more than 30 commercial customers, including FedEx, Walmart, DHL Express and Purolator. After a record-setting commercialization and the fastest-ever plant conversion for GM, BrightDrop is well on its way to accelerating production of its electric delivery vans and reaching its 50,000-unit annual volume capacity by 2025.
“Our customers have ambitious sustainability goals and they’re under extreme pressure to deliver on them. The quicker we can electrify commercial fleets, the quicker we'll help combat climate change. We’re laser-focused on scaling production to deliver for our customers, and the planet,” said Steve Hornyak, Chief Commercial Officer, BrightDrop.
BrightDrop is now taking reservations for model year 2024 vehicles with deliveries expected to begin by mid-year 2023. In late 2022, BrightDrop reported that it was on course to reach US$1 billion in revenue by 2023 and up to US$10 billion in revenue by the end of the decade.
Series production at Volta
Meanwhile, Swedish all-electric commercial vehicle manufacturer and services provider Volta Trucks has confirmed the start of production of the 16-tonne all-electric Volta Zero at Steyr Automotive, the company’s partner in contract manufacturing, in Steyr, Austria.
Following the design verification and production validation prototypes started in 2022, the first series production customer-specification vehicles have now entered the production line. The initial batch of vehicles will be used for the Volta Zero Driving Experience Programme. This test drive programme, where customers will be loaned a truck for an extended period, will allow fleet operators to understand how the production-specification all-electric medium-duty truck will integrate into their operations.
Following the start of production, the trucks produced will undergo rigorous and extensive quality assurance and testing, with the first trucks ordered by customers expected to be dispatched in Q3 2023.
Volta Zero
The Volta Zero is a purpose-built all-electric 16-tonne vehicle designed for urban logistics, reducing the environmental impact of freight deliveries in city centres. The Volta Zero is designed from the ground up with an operating pure-electric range of 150-200 kms (95-125 miles).
Steyr Automotive has reserved a capacity of up to 14,000 vehicles per year for Volta Trucks from its total available production. Volta Trucks will ramp up production volumes over the coming years to maximise this opportunity and during this time, manufacturing the Volta Zero will potentially create over 700 jobs and a further estimated 2,000 positions within the supply chain.
Co-Founder and Chief Manufacturing and Logistics Officer of Volta Trucks, Kjell Walöen, said: “The first full production Volta Zero going into the production line here at Steyr is the most substantial milestone the company has achieved to date.
“In just 2.5 years, less than half the time existing truck manufacturers take, we have moved from launching a concept, through the engineering, development and quality phases and now the start of production of the final specification models that will be driven by customers, making our urban environments safer and more sustainable,” Walöen added.
