- Amazon has been quietly testing the Chevrolet BrightDrop electric van.
- The American e-commerce giant is looking for different ways to reach its goal of having 100,000 electric delivery vehicles by 2030.
- Rivian is a big part of that plan, with the EV startup delivering over 24,000 electric vans to Amazon so far.
The troubled Chevrolet BrightDrop electric delivery van could join Rivian’s battery-powered delivery vehicle in Amazon’s growing fleet of zero-emissions vans. The American e-commerce giant has been quietly testing General Motors’ electric vehicle in a bid to fast-track its goal of having 100,000 electric delivery vehicles on the road by 2030.
“We’re committed to having 100,000 electric delivery vehicles on the road by 2030, and we regularly test various vehicle options–including a small number of Chevrolet BrightDrops in our fleet,” said Steve Kelly, an Amazon spokesperson, in a statement for Bloomberg.
Photo by: General Motors
Currently, the e-commerce company has roughly 12 BrightDrop vehicles in its fleet as part of a pilot, with a GM spokesperson saying that the American automaker sold a small batch of vans to Amazon in 2023. That’s before the electric van business was folded into the Chevrolet brand.
Rivian is Amazon’s biggest supplier of electric vans, with the two companies having inked a deal for 100,000 EVs by 2030, but other models from Mercedes-Benz, Ford and Stellantis have also made their way into the delivery fleet. So far, Rivian has delivered over 24,000 battery-powered commercial vehicles and is on its way to reach its goal by the end of the decade.
That said, GM could stand to benefit from Amazon’s sprawling delivery business–if things go the right way. The Chevrolet BrightDrop has had limited success, with just under 1,600 units sold in the first half of the year, and multiple production pauses at the CAMI production facility in Canada. The factory originally opened in 1989 and was upgraded in 2022 to become Canada’s first full-scale EV manufacturing plant.
Two BrightDrop models are available. The 400 has a wheelbase of 153.1 inches and a maximum payload of 3,710 pounds, while the 600 model has a longer 183.5-inch wheelbase but a lower 3,130-pound payload. Both models can be had with either front- or all-wheel drive, with three battery options on the table. The Standard Range version offers up to 178 miles of range combined, followed by the 204-mile Extended Range and the 296-mile Max Range version.
