After receiving an initial delivery of five electric vans in December, FedEx Corp. has now deployed 150 BrightDrop EVs for use in California.
BrightDrop, a General Motors (NYSE: GM) subsidiary, will deliver a total of 2,500 EVs to FedEx Express (NYSE: FDX) over the next few years, but the potential remains that initial order could be increased to as many as 20,000, Richard Smith, FedEx’s regional president of the Americas and executive vice president, told the media during a briefing in January.
FedEx has set a goal to operate an all-electric, zero-emission global pickup and delivery (PUD) fleet by 2040. The company plans for 50% of its global PUD vehicle purchases to be electric by 2025, rising to 100% by 2030.
The 150 vans delivered this week are BrightDrop’s Zevo 600 model. Powered by GM’s Ultium Platform, the Zevo 600 is designed for last-mile deliveries, with an estimated range of up to 250 miles on a full charge. It was purpose-built for the delivery of goods and services with more than 600 cubic feet of cargo area.
“At FedEx, we have ambitious sustainability goals, and our phased approach to vehicle electrification is a crucial part of our road map to achieve carbon neutral global operations,” said Mitch Jackson, chief sustainability officer of FedEx. “In just under six months, we’ve taken delivery of 150 BrightDrop Zevo 600s for our parcel pickup and delivery fleet. In today’s climate of chip shortages and supply chain issues, that’s no ordinary feat and a true testament to the collaboration between FedEx and BrightDrop.”
FedEx is building charging infrastructure across its networks, including more than 500 stations already installed in California.
“For FedEx to successfully achieve our sustainability goals, it will require collaboration across the public, nonprofit and corporate sectors,” said Jackson. “Our ongoing collaboration with BrightDrop is a perfect example of what is possible when two organizations come together and work toward achieving similar goals in pursuit of a better world.”
In April, a FedEx branded BrightDrop completed a 260-mile drive from New York City to Washington, setting a Guinness world record for the longest electric van drive on a single charge.
“This shows how BrightDrop is delivering sustainable solutions at scale to customers today, and we couldn’t be happier to be part of FedEx’s sustainability journey,” said Travis Katz, president and CEO of BrightDrop. “Our Zevo 600 has been a record-setting vehicle from the start. From a record-setting time to market, to delivering one of the largest fleets of electric delivery vans on the road today, BrightDrop is showing the world what sustainable delivery looks like.”
In January, BrightDrop secured orders for its vans from several big retailers, including Walmart, which will take delivery of 5,000 model-year 2023 and 2024 vehicles. Merchants Fleet has also announced a vehicle reservation of up to 18,500 BrightDrop vans and Verizon has committed to an unspecified number of the smaller Zevo 400 van.
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