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GM’s BrightDrop unveils new electric van for Verizon

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A rendering of GM’s BrightDrop EV410, an electric midsize commercial van that’s planned for 2023.

GM

DETROIT – General Motors’ commercial electric vehicle business BrightDrop plans to add a second van to its lineup in 2023, with Verizon Communications scheduled to be the first customer.

The automaker on Tuesday said the EV410, a midsize work van, is expected to cater to customers like Verizon that don’t need a large delivery van like its EV600, which was unveiled in January.

A BrightDrop spokeswoman declined to comment on the deal with Verizon. Unable to immediately be reached for comment, a spokesperson from the telecom giant was not available.

BrightDrop announced the EV410 when it confirmed that the first production builds for the EV600 had been completed. They will be arriving at FedEx, its first customer, by the end of this year, as scheduled, BrightDrop CEO Travis Katz, told CNBC.

Katz, who was hired by GM last year to work as a GM employee, stated the new vehicle will open up new markets.

Anshul Shah of General Motors attaches trim to BrightDrop EV600. It is the company’s first all electric light commercial vehicle. The vehicle was designed for delivery in Livonia on Sept. 24, 2021.

Photo by Steve Fecht for General Motors

“It helps strengthen this overall ecosystem that we’re doing,” he said during an interview.

The EV410 is essentially a smaller version the EV600. The EV410 shares similar looks, and will provide a GM-estimated range to drive 250 miles per full charge.

Katz stated that the EV600 is the most efficient vehicle from concept to production in GM’s history, taking just 20 months. That’s better than the upcoming GMC Hummer EV pickup at 26 months, he said.

The world is changing. Katz explained that there is a shift in the auto industry. We must be able iterate faster. Many of our efforts are focused on speeding up the time it takes to bring new vehicles onto market.

GM is working with German auto supplier Kuka to help produce the initial EV600s for FedEx. The Canadian automaker is currently retooling a plant in Ontario to produce the large van and the EV410.

According to Katz, GM anticipates that the Canadian plant will begin production of the EV600 next November.

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