GM BrightDrop Expands to Canada with Ingersoll EV Plant

Click for more Information.

General Motors and BrightDrop today along with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford in Ingersoll, Ontario announced the opening of Canada’s first full-scale electric-vehicle manufacturing plant.

With taxpayer-financed support from both Canadian governments, GM has retooled the CAMI Assembly plant become the new global manufacturing home of BrightDrop’s fully electric delivery vans starting with the BrightDrop Zevo 600 electric delivery van.

CAMI expects to produce 50,000 Zevo vans annually by 2025. Scaled production is expected to begin with Zevo 600 models in January 2023 and Zevo 400 models in late 2023. In the US, BrightDrop completed delivery of the first Zevo 600s to FedEx last year.

“When we invested in GM’s project to build Canada’s first full-scale electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Ingersoll, we knew it would deliver results,” said Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada. “Today, as the first BrightDrop van rolls off the line, that’s exactly what we’re seeing. This plant has secured good jobs for workers, it’s positioning Canada as a leader on EVs, and it will help cut pollution. Good jobs, clean air, and a strong economy – together, that’s the future we can build.”

In a simultaneous release out of Palo Alto California, BrightDrop also announced the beginning of commercial operations in Canada, with DHL scheduled to be the company’s first Canadian customer. DHL Express Canada will add BrightDrop Zevo 600 electric delivery vans to its fleet early in 2023. BrightDrop’s Trace eCarts and software platform are currently being tested in Toronto, with additional regions to follow. Adding BrightDrop’s commercial solutions to its operations is part of DHL’s €7 billion commitment to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

Entering the Canadian market BrightDrop said is its “latest effort to address the $250 billion last-mile delivery industry, particularly as companies around the world set goals to electrify their fleets and optimize operations.” In the US, BrightDrop has more than 30 customers including Walmart, Hertz and Verizon. These companies and others have made more than 25,000 production reservations and expressions of interest for BrightDrop electric delivery vans.