Driving report: Brightdrop EV 600: tour through the city

Delivery services are becoming increasingly important. Not only the cities in Europe are pushing private traffic back out of the inner city areas and the delivery services are making it ever easier to get the goods you want. More and more parcel suppliers are converting their fleet to electric vehicles, which not only produce zero local emissions, but can also transport the parcels perfectly. In the past, it was mostly the big commercial vehicle brands that served the business worldwide, but the electric vans are often manufactured by new, innovative start-ups. One such company is Brightdrop; a young US company from the powerful General Motors group that wants to lead the commercial delivery and logistics industry into an electric future.

Brightdrop’s portfolio not only consists of various electric delivery vans, but also intelligent containers and special software for decarbonizing the last mile. In a record time of 20 months, with GM support, Brightdrop developed the EV 600 as an electric city delivery van that runs on the new Ultium platform, which is also home to vehicles such as the GMC Hummer and a Cadillac Lyriq, among others. Even the big Brightdrop can be driven with a normal driver’s license because it stays under the magic 10,000 pound mark in the USA. Its payload: an impressive 1,000 kilograms. Parcels of all sizes are accommodated in a lavishly dimensioned luggage compartment, which is separated from the airy passenger cell by a sliding door. The interior light is switched on by a motion sensor. The patented shelves can be folded away or moved – depending on the size of the luggage. It should be as easy as possible for the driver, because efficiency is everything and not just when calculating routes or studying the ideal technique for getting in and out of the car. This happens 80 to 120 times on a day tour. The Brightdrop is equipped with numerous driver assistance systems so that there are no accidents with other road users in the city.

As is usually the case with a delivery van, access to the EV 600 is via a large sliding door – either on the left or right-hand side. This is practical, low-maintenance and makes it easier to get in and out of the car in narrow streets or in flowing city traffic. A bit surprising: there are cameras all around, but there are no digital cameras on the front flanks of the city truck, but real exterior mirrors. Inside, on the other hand, the driver sees two large displays – one for speed, battery status and driving programs. The other 13.4-inch screen not only shows the delivery route, but also all information about loading or unloading, day shift, maintenance or battery and charging management. In addition, there are powerful shelves for handhelds, smartphones and all kinds of stuff in the interior, which has a fold-out seat on the passenger side for a possible double occupancy of the vehicle at peak times. Close the door, buckle up, switch to the driving program and hit the road with a steering wheel you know from the electric Hummer. The 7.36 meter long van trundles along happily – quietly. Its high structure and wheelbase ensure that it creaks and crackles powerfully. The electric motor on the front axle, on the other hand, can hardly be heard more than a soft whirring. In the basic configuration, it delivers 150 kW / 204 hp and 264 Nm. That’s always enough for parcel delivery in the city, even if the EV 600 has over 100 parcels in its loading belly.

The large 600 brightdrop is also available as an all-wheel drive version with 300 kW / 408 hp and 520 Nm – useful if you are going outside of the cities with a heavy load or if the region is struggling with snowfall. The so-called one-pedal driving is particularly important, so that the transporter can be driven particularly efficiently by the courier alone with the accelerator pedal. This works very well with the unloaded Bright Drop EV 600. The brake pedal is almost unemployed. Striking: the smooth steering with a manageable turning circle, so that the package driver only has a hard time unloading the packages in the gigantic loading space. The battery pack with its 20 modules is installed flat in the underbody and is sufficient for around 400 kilometers in everyday use. The digital display behind the big wheel shows 184 miles – the equivalent of almost 300 kilometers. It can be refueled with 120 kilowatts at a quick charging station. In an hour, the American gains strength for another 250 kilometers. However, it should be recharged slowly at night.

The high structure not only creaks when driving, the Brightdrop wobbles noticeably back and forth as it gets more winding and, in particular, faster. The digital speedometer shows 70 miles per hour – a good 110 km/h – and there is still room for improvement in the pedal. It’s hard to believe that the Brightdrop should one day be faster in its everyday work. The noise level from the driving wind is lush, because the body with the powerful luggage compartment is anything but massive for weight reasons – that affects the driving experience. The automatic climate control is mostly unemployed because the drivers cover most distances with the sliding doors open anyway. Pleasant – so a lot of fresh air comes into the driver’s cab. For its length of over seven meters, the long-wheelbase 600 version is surprisingly manoeuvrable because the front wheels can be turned strongly. That helps, as do the cameras all around and the sensors for maneuvering in the city.

The GM subsidiary has now delivered the first of 500 electric panel vans to the US delivery service Fedex. The electric delivery vans should do their part to make Fedex carbon neutral by 2040. Compared to a current diesel van, the cost savings per vehicle are said to be US$ 7,000. “As e-commerce continues to grow, Brightdrop is thrilled to partner with Fedex to dramatically reduce delivery vehicle emissions and create a brighter future for all of us,” said Travis Katz, Brightdrop CEO, “Fedex has ambitious sustainability goals, and the speed with which we brought the first Brightdrop electric vehicles to market shows how the private sector can innovate and provide solutions to some of our biggest climate and emissions challenges.”

In addition to the powerful Bright Drop EV 600, the little brother EV 400 ranks with many features of the big brother. With a length of six meters and a wheelbase of 3.81 meters, it has a cargo space of more than 11,000 liters. This electric city delivery van, which also has a range of around 400 kilometers, is to be used in crowded US inner cities in service areas such as groceries, telecommunications or as a maintenance vehicle. In addition to the two electric transporters EV 600 and EV 400 / 410, Brightdrop will be offering an electric smart container system from next year that will travel in offices and on company premises. Parcel supplier Fedex is by no means the only one who has supplied Brightdrop with a large order. Merchants Fleet, one of the major US fleet operators, has just increased its order volume for the two electric transporters EV 600 and EV 400 / 410 to 18,000 vehicles. As a large supermarket chain, Walmart has also jumped on the electric bandwagon and has ordered the first 5,000 vehicles – in bright blue.