BrightDrop, the General Motors Co. startup focused on offering electric delivery options, delivered 50 of its Zevo 600 electric delivery vans to FedEx Express Canada, the companies said Wednesday at an event in Toronto.
FedEx, which has a goal to transition its entire fleet to all-electric, zero-tailpipe emissions vehicles by 2040, said the initial fleet of 50 EVs will service Toronto, Montreal and Surrey. FedEx Express Canada is planning to expand its EV fleet footprint as additional charging infrastructure is installed across the country.
FedEx has signed on to purchase 2,500 BrightDrop vehicles to place across its operations in thecoming years, including more than 400 vehicles that are already in operation in SouthernCalifornia.
“FedEx Express Canada is proud of the role we’re playing to help our company work toward thegoal of carbon neutral operations globally by 2040,” said Dean Jamieson, vice president ofoperations at FedEx Express Canada, in a statement. “Working with companies like BrightDrop that are helpingto build these solutions, right here in our own backyard, shows how Canada is helping to bringmore sustainable solutions to life across a variety of industries.”
The BrightDrop vans are assembled in Ontario at GM’s CAMI Assembly Plant.
“FedEx is a key collaborator in our journey to help reduce carbon emissions for deliveries,” saidSteve Hornyak, chief commercial officer at BrightDrop, in a statement. “As our first customer to deploy Zevos in the U.S. and Canada, FedEx is showing the world how the addition of electric vehicles can helpachieve ambitious sustainability goals and improve the communities we live and work in.”
khall@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @bykaleahall