The GM announcements keep coming at CES 2021 this year. Today GM CEO Mary Barra announced a new division called BrightDrop that would be building electric delivery vehicles and the technology to go along with it.
Today General Motors announced BrightDrop, a new division and brand, which will offer an “ecosystem of electric first-to-last-mile products” for logistics companies. The first of these products will deliver this year in the form of 500 FedEx delivery vehicles, but we’re told GM has many other partners who have signed letters of intent, and those will be announced later and start rolling out in 2022.
BrightDrop EP1 – BrightDrop’s first product to market, the EP1, will be a propulsion-assisted, electric pallet developed to easily move goods over short distances – for example, from the delivery vehicle to the customer’s front door. Available in early 2021, the EP1 can help reduce package touch points, costs and physical strain on delivery drivers. EP1 features and benefits include:
- Built-in electric hub motor with adjustable speed up to 3 mph depending on operator’s walking pace.
- Maneuverable in tight spaces.
- Carries and secures approximately 23 total cubic feet of cargo.
- Payload capacity of 200 pounds.
- Adjustable shelving organizes contents.
- Lockable cabinet doors allow for secure, remote access to contents.