FedEx deploys BrightDrop electric vans in Canada
FedEx continues on course to a greener fleet by extending its partnership with BrightDrop into Canada. GM’s dedicated electric van brand shall deliver 50 transporters of type Zevo 600. This latest order is part of a much larger deployment, however.
Staying with FedEx Express Canada, the FedEx subsidiary will put the BrightDrop vans on the roads in Toronto, Montreal, and Surrey and has already received the delivery. FedEx also announced plans to implement additional charging infrastructure across Canada; so far, the company has installed 80 charging stations in the three cities.
The Canadian deployment is part of the company’s goal to transform its entire parcel pickup and delivery (PUD) fleet to zero-tailpipe emissions vehicles by 2040. For FedEx Express, the transition will happen even faster as the company targets 50% of its global PUD vehicle purchases to be electric by 2025, rising to 100% of purchases by 2030.
“FedEx Express Canada is proud of the role we’re playing to help our company work toward the goal of carbon-neutral operations globally by 2040,” said Dean Jamieson, vice president of operations at FedEx Express Canada.
Canada has one of the largest e-cargo bike fleets in the FedEx global network, with over 40 e-bikes operating in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. It has also been piloting the BrightDrop Trace Move, an electric cart to assist couriers in Toronto.
“Working with companies like BrightDrop that are helping to build these solutions, right here in our own backyard, shows how Canada is helping to bring more sustainable solutions to life across a variety of industries,” added Jamieson.
BrightDrop commenced production in Canada in late 2022. GM invested nearly one billion Canadian dollars in converting the CAMI Assembly plant in Ontario into the country’s first large-scale EV factory. The first Zevo 600 rolled off the assembly line after seven months of retooling, the fastest plant conversion in GM’s history.
The BrightDroop vans come powered by General Motors’ Ultium Platform, and the company designed the Zevo 600 for last-mile deliveries, with an estimated range of up to 400 kilometres on a full charge.
When GM launched BrightDrop in 2021, FedEx was already named as a client. “FedEx is a key collaborator in our journey to help reduce carbon emissions for deliveries,” said Steve Hornyak, chief commercial officer at BrightDrop. “As our first customer to deploy Zevos in the US and Canada, FedEx is showing the world how adding electric vehicles can help achieve ambitious sustainability goals and improve the communities we live and work in.”
Likewise, FedEx relies heavily on BrightDrop as the services provider reportedly expects to integrate 2,500 electric delivery vans into its North American operations in the coming years. Among them are over 400 electric vehicles already in use in Southern California.
Still, North America is not the only market due for transformation. Also today, FedEx Express announced deploying its first ten electric vehicles in South Africa. The deployment follows EV test runs in 2021. In South Africa, FedEx opted for the Maxus eDeliver 3 vans with a range of 240 kilometres.
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