GM’s Bright Idea? Drop BrightDrop Name, Fold EV Van Business Into Chevrolet

GM’s BrightDrop electric commercial vehicle experiment is over—sort of. The vans themselves aren’t going anywhere for now, but the BrightDrop name itself appears to have been … dropped. Instead, the EV commercial vans will be folded into the Chevrolet brand, which has a substantial fleet sales operation.

BrightDrop currently sells two vehicles: the 600 long-wheelbase van and the 400 short-wheelbase van, in front- and all-wheel-drive configurations. Max combined range for all configurations is 164 miles (estimated), and the 600 uses a 165-kWh battery pack with Level 3 fast-charging capabilities of up to 120 kW. We’ve driven one (briefly, and with reduced power output) and found the 600 to be remarkably car-like and comfortable compared to a typical (and typically ancient) step van. The optional Ultium Max Range pack will offer an estimated 272 miles of total combined range, GM says.

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Instead of being called BrightDrop Zero 600 and 400, it seems the vans will be called the Chevrolet BrightDrop 600 and 400, so (at least for now) it seems that the BrightDrop name isn’t being completely retired. Instead of a little stylized “d” nested inside a “b,” the Chevy BrightDrops will wear a traditional gold bow-tie. Otherwise, they look identical at a glance.

The move follows BrightDrop’s change from, essentially, a standalone operation to it being fully integrated into the GM Envolve fleet business pantheon in 2023. GM says the move will “expand its reach and accessibility,” and we agree. BrightDrop has sold only a few hundred vans as of GM’s last financial statement, with 746 units delivered from January to June 2024—compare this to nearly 17,000 Express vans in the same time period (both consumer and commercial sales combined). Oh, yeah, in case you forgot, GM still sells the decades-old Express vans and chassis cabs. In 2024.

The move opens up the ability for any Chevrolet dealer to sell BrightDrop vans—provided they become “certified” to do so. We presume this means that they must build out the facilities to charge and service the large vans (including stuff as mundane as, possibly, larger garage doors and service entrances), and acquire any special training or tools needed to work on them. The outlay to become certified is as of yet unknown. And it’ll allow dealers to leverage a familiar brand name when promoting the BrightDrop vans. Whether the move will be a success is anyone’s guess, but it’s clear that BrightDrop didn’t become a successful marque and operation in its own right as GM originally intended.

It’s not clear when the changeover from BrightDrop to Chevrolet branding will occur (or has occurred), but otherwise nothing much will change. The vans will still be produced in the CAMI plant in Ontario, and no major hardware or spec changes have been announced.