Aiming to redefine commercial delivery, General Motors has introduced Brightdrop EV600 which might beat its rival Rivian for its new logistic-focused business unit. In January of 2021, the company announced the EV600 and claimed to provide benefits such as 250 miles of range and fast recharge time which is said to be better than its rivals. Mary Barra, the CEO of General Motors introduced this vehicle into the Detroit market at the all-electric CES in 2021. A new zero-emission, the battery-powered commercial van has promised many deliveries and has already been ordered by FedEx in a huge amount.
Design of Brightdrop EV600
The concept sketches of the Brightdrop EV600 highlight neat design details. The pictures are shown on Instagram show designs that were made initially. Thiago Afonso, the designer of this van has done a great effort to provide a highly functional cabin for Brightdrop EV600. Afonso gives much attention to the storage capacity of the vehicle for efficient organization of the deliveries.
There is a large bin on the right side of the dashboard allowing the driver to store things they might need easy access to. Also comes with roof-mounted shelves and also has space on the doors for more storage. Afonso has also integrated amenities befitting the comforts of the driver. These include a glass sunroof to allow natural light to enter and vents to allow better ventilation to take place. Also, it has a rearview camera for better visibility.
Exterior of Brightdrop EV600
From the front of the van, the Brightdrop EV600 has blocked-off facia for improved aerodynamics. In addition to this is the thin horizontal lighting that stretches across the nose between the lower black cladding and a tall-upright windshield. Ahead of the door are the large side-view mirrors mounted and there is a simple wheel design seen in the corner.
Looking from the rear side of the van, an abundance of cargo space can be seen. As the name suggests, Brightdrop EV600 is said to have 600 cubic feet of cargo room. From the looks of the van, the finishing of it is done with crisp white paint with black paint detailing for the door and the lower part of the body.
Interior of Brightdrop EV600
One of the attractive assets of this electric delivery van is the low-step height. The van sits quite low to the ground and also has a large step with a 3-foot wide sliding curbside door. This will help the couriers to deliver heavy stuff without tripping or stumbling. It also has a keyless entry and is quick and easy to get back into the cabin.
Speaking of the cabin, the dashboard features a colossal bin to allow the drivers to store things like letter and postal service boxes and can have quick access to it. This prevents the loss of time in going to the back of the van to get this stuff.
The Brightdrop EV600’s bulkhead doors, which are the dividers between the cabin and the cargo area, are also great and wide. This too provides easy access to the back of the van without stepping out of the car. The cargo area is also assisted with motion-activated LED lights which turn on the moment the driver gets into the cargo space. The roof of the van can either be solid or transparent.
The transparency allows natural light to enter and also makes the inside of the car very much visible. The height of the van which is 6-feet and 4-inches is enough to allow the driver to move in freely without banging their heads on anything.
The Brightdrop EV600 also comes with 5 airbags which is quite a safety upgrade as compared to vehicles that are on the road but have none. The van also comes with a 13.4-inch full-color screen which is very large and easy to reach. It also has many drive aids, some of which are standard and others are optional. These include automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, a high-definition backup camera, parking assist, and more.
Fleet management features are also of great assistance as it helps the operator to be able to remotely lock, unlock or start their vehicles; monitor the battery’s state of charge; record any safety incidents, and track the whereabouts of the vehicle.
The battery in Brightdrop EV600
The Brightdrop EV600 consists of a 20-module Ultium battery system. On a full charge, it gives the van an estimated range of 250 miles. The charging rate for this battery is 170 miles per hour. The charging is done with the help of a 1200kW DC fast charger.
Advance technology in Brightdrop EV600
When it comes to technology Brightdrop EV600 has much to offer. It has many motion sensors to aid in security. It comes with many standard fronts and rear parking sensors, automatic emergency brakes, forward collision alert, following distance indicator, front pedestrian alert, HD rear vision camera, lane-keeping assist with lane departure warning, and automatic high beam.
There are also some optional features which include rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot steering assist, reverse automatic brake, rear pedestrian alert, and HD surround vision
Upon the dashboard is the 13.4 infotainment screen which is wide enough and is situated in a place where it is easy for the driver to reach. It also has motion-activated lights that light up when it detects motion and illuminates the van very bright.
Pricing of Brightdrop EV600
The Brightdrop EV600 van was said to go on sale in 2021. The first 500 of these vans were given to FedEx. Although there is another company called Merchant Fleet which intends to buy about 12,600 of these vehicles. Not much of the pricing of the van is available but it was said Brightdrop EV600 would be $45000 for a cutaway and $4000 more for a fully enclosed van.
Conclusion
It is said that other companies will be able to purchase this Brightdrop EV600 electric delivery van from an independent source of Brightdrop. Furthermore, the company is working on other medium-distance transport solutions. That will include vehicles that can load multiple EP1 units at once.
