We have seen them every day for decades without really caring about their existence. And yet. Like Ford’s vans, the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana have played a key role in the growth of many SMEs by transporting their goods or even by becoming veritable small mobile workshops. General Motors now wants them to take the electric turn to ensure competition with Ford, which recently launched its Transit without a combustion engine.
Posted at 11:45 a.m.
The American magazine Car & Driver reports that the venerable minivan duo will likely retire in 2025 to make way for an all-electric option for the 2026 model year. This will mark the end of an unusually long life for these commercial vehicles, which have been offered since 1996. while being careful not to evolve too much to keep the formula simple and adaptable. This is probably the biggest weakness of its offer, which is currently struggling to compete with the more modern Transit, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Ram ProMaster.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY BRIGHTDROP
The first 150 examples of the BrightDrop Zevo 600 electric van have been sent to FedEx.
always according to Car & Driver, this new electric van will essentially be a variation of the Zevo 600, this vehicle produced by the BrightDrop division for companies. It was also announced at the end of June that the first 150 copies of the truck had been sent to FedEx. Many technical elements are interesting here. Due to its fundamentally electric architecture, the Zevo 600 emphasizes extraordinary habitability. Admittedly, it is more than a meter longer than a long-wheelbase Savana, but its cargo space reaches 17,000 L (!), nearly double the latter.
Its Ultium electric architecture provides twice the range of the electric Ford Transit, i.e. 402 km, while benefiting from all-wheel drive. These vans will also be assembled at the plant in Ingersoll, Ontario. If companies make the switch sustainably, thousands of fuel-guzzling vehicles will be taken off the road in Canada.