 |
| FedEx receives its first electric truck from BrightDrop |
FedEx was the first customer to get electric trucks from General Motors' new company, BrightDrop, which focuses on electric vehicles.
The logistics giant has announced that it will integrate electric vehicles into its fleet starting in 2022.
BrightDrop, a new GM electric utility vehicle maker, has delivered five extra-large EV600 trucks to FedEx, the first in a planned order of 500 vehicles.
The EV600, which went into production last fall, has 17,000 liters of cargo space. When fully charged, it can travel 400 km. The gross vehicle weight is less than 4500 kg.
The pickup truck has been shipped to FedEx's facility in Englewood, California, where it will be located and serviced. FedEx plans to start using BrightDrop vehicles on the streets of Los Angeles by the first half of 2022. When BrightDrop ships them, more vehicles will be added.
FedEx has a fleet of more than 200,000 vehicles. In 2019, the company had 2,944 electric vehicles in use, including electric and hybrid trucks, forklifts and ground equipment at airports.
The company has pledged to spend $2 billion by 2040 to achieve carbon neutrality.
When General Motors first announced the creation of BrightDrop, it cited FedEx's interest in purchasing the company's electric trucks as a point of review.
However, what you didn't mention is that FedEx has been looking for a reliable electric vehicle supplier for a long time. FedEx has reached an agreement with Chanje, the electric car startup, to purchase 1,000 electric delivery trucks.
But when Chanje broke his promise, the company faced a dilemma. FedEx is now suing Chanje, which officially shut down earlier this year.
FedEx hopes to be carbon neutral by 2040
GM also worked with FedEx last year to test operation of the EP1, an electric pallet that can be used to move packages from delivery trucks to customers' doors.
According to General Motors, FedEx employees can process an additional 25% of packages per day using electric pallets.
At the same time, General Motors decided to start a new logistics business focused on electric vehicles. This is part of a large-scale, $35 billion shift to electric vehicles.
After Tesla and other electric car makers, General Motors raced against time. He is trying to rewrite history and lead an all-electric future.