This summer, General Motors has relocated its electric van company, BrightDrop, under the Chevrolet brand to boost sales and better compete with Ford, Rivian, and other players in the electric van market. General Motors has forged a fresh partnership between its Chevrolet division and retail giant Walmart, bolstering the appeal of the Chevy-branded vans.
Following a successful pilot of 400 BrightDrop vans for customer delivery purposes, Walmart has officially added the electric vehicles to its fleet. In 2022, BrightDrop partnered with Walmart to purchase approximately 5,000 electric vans, including the larger EV600 models, designed for long-haul and medium-duty applications. footage of cargo house). Walmart has opted for the smaller 400-series variants of electric vans, without disclosing the exact number of vehicles to be deployed in the current year.
To put the magnitude of this partnership into perspective, Walmart recently announced that its in-home delivery service is expanding to reach a staggering 62 million households nationwide. This electric delivery fleet expansion will launch Chevrolet’s BrightDrop vans in seven markets – Austin, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, northwest Arkansas, Orlando, and the San Francisco Bay Area – by year-end.
The all-electric vans leverage General Motors’ (GM) Ultium battery technology, featuring the latest iterations of the 600 and 400 models that can cover 272 miles of combined city and highway driving on a single charge, according to GM.
As a people-centric organization with a passion for innovative technology, we continuously strive to enhance our affiliate capabilities and deliver exceptional value to our customers through tailored solutions. “We’re thrilled to announce that our InHome supply fleet will soon be bolstered by the introduction of the BrightDrop 400,” said Walmart Vice Chairman of Devoted Supply, Warren Moore, in a press statement. Through a comprehensive pilot program, we actively solicited input from our InHome associates, whose insightful recommendations have been instrumental in refining our fleet’s performance in actual operational scenarios.
BrightDrop, a standalone venture, debuted in January 2021 with a focus on commercial electric vehicles for the industrial sector. In 2022, the company was integrated into GM’s Fleet division, Evolve, partnering with prominent companies like FedEx, Ryder, and DHL, which were already part of its extensive client roster.
Despite initial projections of $1 billion in revenue for 2022, BrightDrop’s actual sales have lagged behind expectations, prompting a leadership change with CEO Travis Katz departing following General Motors’ restructuring efforts. Below Chevrolet’s flagship product, the company gains direct access to its extensive network of vendors, fostering a platform for promoting both the iconic vehicle and its “Core” software suite. In 2023, BrightDrop acquired approximately 500 vans in response to a report by CNBC, followed by General Motors’ announcement that it had sold around 746 vans within the first half of 2024.
