Clear dropthe General Motors subsidiary that produces battery electric vans, announced today it will soon begin delivering vehicles to DHL Express in Canada. Entering the Canadian market is BrightDrop’s latest effort to address the $250 billion last-mile delivery industry, especially as companies around the world set goals to electrify their fleets and optimize operations. DHL expects to start using the first Zevo vans early next year.
Separately, the company also announced that production of the Zevo 600 electric van has begun at its recently expanded CAMI Assembly plant in Ontario. That plant is now Canada’s first large-scale production facility for electric vehicles.
BrightDrop offers a range of products including the Zevo electric delivery vans, the Trace eCarts and the BrightDrop Core software platform to reduce the carbon emissions of last mile delivery while reducing urban congestion.
The Follow eCart is an electric cart that can carry 200 pounds. It integrates seamlessly with Brightdrop’s delivery vans, eliminating much of the heavy lifting that delivery drivers do as part of their daily rounds. Think of it like a handcart with an electric motor. It was developed to reduce touches, errors, labor costs and physical strain on the workforce. In a first pilot, the Trace eCart enabled couriers to effectively handle 25% more parcels per day. says the company. DHL is already testing Brigthdrop’s eCarts and CORE software platform in Toronto before expanding use to other Canadian cities.
“Bringing BrightDrop to Canada and starting production at CAMI is an important step in bringing EVs to scale while delivering real results for the world’s biggest brands,” said Travis Katz, CEO of BrightDrop. “Our international expansion is proof that we can deliver exactly what our customers need, where they need it. Having DHL Express Canada come on board as a new customer demonstrates the confidence that legacy brands have in our ability to deliver.” Brightdrop says it has received more than 25,000 production reservations and expressions of interest for its electric vans.
“As the world’s most international logistics company, we understand the important role we can play in pioneering climate-friendly operations. That’s why we’re so excited to be BrightDrop’s customer in Canada as they invest in local Canadian communities, create unique job opportunities and drive the growth of sustainable transportation,” said Andrew Williams, CEO of DHL Express Canada.
“DHL is committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, and as we continue to invest in our global electric ground fleet, which now includes 27,000 electric vehicles, relationships such as the one we are launching with BrightDrop in Canada help bring us closer together on our sustainability goals while supporting our customers with their own climate goals.”
The company expects to produce 50,000 Zevo vans per year at the CAMI plant by 2025. Scale production is expected to begin with the Zevo 600 models in January 2023 and the Zevo 400 models in late 2023.
DHL, part of Deutsche Post, is leading the way in electrifying its delivery fleet. He recently ordered 2000 eTransit electric vans from Ford for its European operations. Deutsche Post will invest €7 billion this decade to achieve its goal of becoming a net-zero emissions logistics company. To achieve that, the company is aiming for a 60% share of e-vehicles used for carbon neutral collection and delivery services by 2030. It currently has around 27,000 vehicles in its global fleet.
Delivery vehicles don’t get much attention from people during their daily lives, but many of them are powered by diesel engines that emit a stream of pollutants every second they run. Electric vans have no tailpipe emissions, which means that when one of them pulls up in traffic next to you, you and your family are not inhaling exhaust fumes. Delivery fleets are aggressive switching to electric vehicles because they want to deliver products more efficiently at a lower cost.
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