BrightDrop, the commercial electric vehicle (EV) division of American automobile giant General Motors (GM), has commenced the delivery of its inaugural Zevo 600 electric vans to American transportation & logistic services provider Ryder System Inc.

Ryder intends to deploy BrightDrop's electric vans at four of its locations in California, Texas and New York. To be more specific, the battery-powered commercial vehicles have been deployed at Ryder locations at Santa Fe Springs in Southern California, Hayward in Northern California, Dallas-Fort Worth, Saginaw in Texas, and Long Island City in New York.

Unfortunately, the specific number of Zevo 600 vans delivered by the American manufacturer’s EV division were not disclosed by any of the two parties. However, the company revealed that Ryder has initiated its electric fleet expansion with an initial order of 200 units of the BrightDrop Zevo vans this year, and plans are there to integrate an additional 4,000 units into its fleet by the end of 2025.

Ryder integrated the new battery-powered commercial EVs into its fleet through customer-oriented "Ride & Drive" events, which featured BrightDrop vans and ChargePoint EV chargers, enabling customers to have first-hand experience of the vehicles and gain an insight into the company’s EV investments.

Tom Havens, President of Fleet Management Solutions for Ryder, “Working with companies such as BrightDrop keeps Ryder at the forefront of identifying and testing advanced and emerging vehicle technology, and we're excited to incorporate these new EVs into our fleet.”

BrightDrop's Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), Steve Hornyak, emphasized on the importance of electrifying commercial fleets in reducing operating emissions without making any compromise on essential factors, such as range, safety and performance. He went on to add that by incorporating BrightDrop's EVs into its fleet, Ryder is playing a crucial role in making electrification a viable option for companies of all sizes, making a big contribution to a more sustainable and environment-friendly future for the commercial transportation industry.

Designed for efficient urban delivery operations and powered by a robust electric drivetrain, the BrightDrop Zevo 600 electric van boasts a 250-mile range on a single charge, in addition to a generous capacity of 615 cubic feet that offers a substantial payload capacity ranging from 1,460 to 2,450 pounds. The commercial EV exhibits a surprisingly contemporary appearance in its category, thanks to notable features like slender headlights, curved contours, and vertically-oriented taillights.