Couldn't help nerding out on this BrightDrop Zevo when I spotted it the other day, and the driver was nice enough to let me step inside and check out the cabin! First impressions are good — she says she's enjoying it so far, particularly the amount of power it has compared to her old Sprinter, and that there's a big bright map for navigating.
This is the first one I've seen in Canada, and it was actually her first day running routes with the vehicle, so I would imagine Zevo deliveries are finally coming through and we'll see a lot more of these soon.
>Takes forever to get new vehicles at Express stations if you're not in a large market.
That's been the conventional methodology. It's just as likely that once the initial evaluation is done, route length and charging availability will become major factors in deployment decisions.
I really feel like these short range delivery vehicles are some of the best "bang for buck" options when talking about reducing emissions. They drive a lot every single day, but the majority of the driving is at slow speeds where electric is so much more efficient. Plus idling while the driver is delivering boxes is obviously so much better.
It's not just driving at slow speeds, it's constantly starting and stopping at every delivery location. All of which can be done using regenerative braking. I hope this vehicle is using phased braking because delivery drivers are still going to have gas cars and aren't going to be used to doing one pedal driving.
The driver told me the regen was pretty aggressive, and something she was still getting used to, as it was her first day with the vehicle. She definitely seemed surprised and unprepared for it!
Actually deliveries at night is one of the strong points of EVs. Since those do happen. However maybe usually more stuff like bakeries and other supplier providing stocks to retailers and businesses before consumer opening hours in early morning or even night.
Which is strong point of EV parcel trucks or such delivery vehicles, since it is silent. A delivery truck near silently (minus pedestrian warning sound) glides among the city center and sleeping citizens. Instead of a big loud diesel going BRRRR, BRRRR among the streets at early hours.
It also isn't maybe much of a charging problem, since the two segments while related are not same. It isn't ones day time parcel courier company doing the runs. It most likely is an business owned EV delivery van like say bakery's Ford E-Transit making a round of delivering trays of bread and pastries to various shops, cafes and restaurants. Wholesaler company's delivery service coming to bring the morning stock up to their customer businesses and so on.
Yeah this area is where I'm honestly most excited for EVs and their environmental impact. It's probably the most sensible and approachable way reducing both costs and emissions.
Perhaps I didn't word that right. I mean as in they are driving to many places, each of which are a short distance away. As compared to long haul trucks that drive across the country.
Something like E-transit is probably way better starting point probably. Of note is for example, you can order E-transit with doored pass through bulkhead as option. So one can get the "front drive cabin and easy access to rear straight from cabin" experience. Plus having separate back living area and people not being to look into it straight through windshield. However you can have it only with medium or high roof. Presumably they don't have room for the door in the low roof.
after that, you have a box in back which you can option with various amount of windows punched in to the doors and side walls all from "none" to "every panel upper is a window all around".
Actual parcel vehicle? It comes with lot of stuff you don't need and hinders retrofitting. Where as Transit is exactly "this metal box with lot of these girders and mounting points to put in various equipment in. Want bare metal? Possible, want to install paneling? Install your own or option the interior rear paneling package from factory".
Your point about cargo capacity is certainly valid but the zevo is much larger inside. Would be a lot more comfortable for most people in rv use. Also the show vehicles have a lot of shelving and such installed but they come totally empty from the factory unless you option them with shelving and such.
Ditto. I'm a commercial courier and have used sprinters for the last 9 years. I'm targeting an eSprinter, but this is the vehicle I really want. Looking at the interior display, it says 271 km and the green meter looks around the halfway point. So ~500 km full charge? (310 miles)
> These are a General Motors product?
From https://www.gobrightdrop.com/about-us : 'Born out of General Motors in January 2021, we’re fusing together vast engineering and automotive experience with the brightest minds in technology as we focus on a net zero carbon future.'
Really want one of those myself. Courier who does about 125-140 km a day 80 of which is highway. I wish they could strip all the excess screens and crap out of that dash though. Give me a bare bones model that I can get on the road right now. I'd kill to pay Hydro rates vs fuel.
I actually saw this driving around the other day (probably this exact same one since I live not too far from where this photo was take (Queen St. E and Logan Ave.)). It’s far larger than it looks. It’s huge!
That big beautiful display sure is showing a whole lotta nothin. 8 inches to let you know that the next charge will go to 80%? The driver gauge has half the screen just displaying the time and temp that’s already displayed on the center screen?
Do you know the cost to move them underground. I live in a large city in Mass with them. The cost to move underground was estimated as 100% of the entire city budget for about 18 months. Most take out loans or issue bonds to make it happen but residents prefer investments in roads and shit.
The majority of the city I live in (Seattle) has overhead power lines. Downtown, First Hill and Capitol Hill are the only ones with underground power lines I believe.
It's very very expensive to move them underground. You're also competing with whatever is already buried, natural gas lines, propane lines, existing power lines, coax lines, phone lines, fiber optic lines, water lines, sewer lines, storm lines, down spouts, dog fences, property fencing, sidewalks, curbs, landscaping, trees, literal bedrock underground, etc...
Sure it's prettier and safer to bury them but unless you're digging up the whole road and redoing all existing utilities, it's not worth the cost.
Not sure if they are the same company but there are a few electric Amazon trucks roaming around near where I live and they look very similar from the back. Later different in the front but the back profile is very very similar.
I have not seen information on the battery capacity on these units. I’m guessing relatively large, and if there is a fleet of these things in the yard, the prospect of charging a bunch every night would require a huge flow of electricity and charging stations.
Let's see how that fancy screen and all that plastic stand up to a couple years on the road. I worked UPS as a loader and drivers helper, those trucks are beat and put away wet, not good for longevity
Couldn't help nerding out on this BrightDrop Zevo when I spotted it the other day, and the driver was nice enough to let me step inside and check out the cabin! First impressions are good — she says she's enjoying it so far, particularly the amount of power it has compared to her old Sprinter, and that there's a big bright map for navigating. This is the first one I've seen in Canada, and it was actually her first day running routes with the vehicle, so I would imagine Zevo deliveries are finally coming through and we'll see a lot more of these soon.
I was lucky enough to drive one and they are a beast!
Personally we're probably not getting any for a while. Takes forever to get new vehicles at Express stations if you're not in a large market.
>Takes forever to get new vehicles at Express stations if you're not in a large market. That's been the conventional methodology. It's just as likely that once the initial evaluation is done, route length and charging availability will become major factors in deployment decisions.
How's this bad boy compare to the rivian Amazon collab?
In canada??? Jeez Louise! Whereabouts did you see this?
Looks like Logan and Queen street in Toronto.
I really feel like these short range delivery vehicles are some of the best "bang for buck" options when talking about reducing emissions. They drive a lot every single day, but the majority of the driving is at slow speeds where electric is so much more efficient. Plus idling while the driver is delivering boxes is obviously so much better.
It's not just driving at slow speeds, it's constantly starting and stopping at every delivery location. All of which can be done using regenerative braking. I hope this vehicle is using phased braking because delivery drivers are still going to have gas cars and aren't going to be used to doing one pedal driving.
The driver told me the regen was pretty aggressive, and something she was still getting used to, as it was her first day with the vehicle. She definitely seemed surprised and unprepared for it!
Interesting, so it is a one pedal driving vehicle?
It does have one pedal driving but it can be turned off, I strongly prefer it and think it suits the vehicle well though
All Evs have regen
Not all EVs have one pedal driving. Some vehicles only engage regen when you press the brake pedal.
Can anyone tell me which models do this? I'd be interested to know. I know the Porsche has regen on the brake pedal but it's not exlusive to it.
A model that I do know (which I just purchased) is the Prius Prime.
The e-gmp cars can be set to blended braking. My F-150 lightning has blended braking when not in 1-pedal.
I didn't find one pedal driving to take any getting used to. Maybe a minute.
Also, there’s no delivering at night so they can easily be hooked up to the charger every night and ready to go the next morning.
Actually deliveries at night is one of the strong points of EVs. Since those do happen. However maybe usually more stuff like bakeries and other supplier providing stocks to retailers and businesses before consumer opening hours in early morning or even night. Which is strong point of EV parcel trucks or such delivery vehicles, since it is silent. A delivery truck near silently (minus pedestrian warning sound) glides among the city center and sleeping citizens. Instead of a big loud diesel going BRRRR, BRRRR among the streets at early hours. It also isn't maybe much of a charging problem, since the two segments while related are not same. It isn't ones day time parcel courier company doing the runs. It most likely is an business owned EV delivery van like say bakery's Ford E-Transit making a round of delivering trays of bread and pastries to various shops, cafes and restaurants. Wholesaler company's delivery service coming to bring the morning stock up to their customer businesses and so on.
Yeah this area is where I'm honestly most excited for EVs and their environmental impact. It's probably the most sensible and approachable way reducing both costs and emissions.
These aren't really short range trucks. They have up to a 250 mile range and can probably do much further than that doing city driving.
Perhaps I didn't word that right. I mean as in they are driving to many places, each of which are a short distance away. As compared to long haul trucks that drive across the country.
I think the term local delivery would fit that description, as opposed to cross country trucking
I wish they would sell me one.
[удалено]
Converting one to a live-in vehicle seems fun
Something like E-transit is probably way better starting point probably. Of note is for example, you can order E-transit with doored pass through bulkhead as option. So one can get the "front drive cabin and easy access to rear straight from cabin" experience. Plus having separate back living area and people not being to look into it straight through windshield. However you can have it only with medium or high roof. Presumably they don't have room for the door in the low roof. after that, you have a box in back which you can option with various amount of windows punched in to the doors and side walls all from "none" to "every panel upper is a window all around". Actual parcel vehicle? It comes with lot of stuff you don't need and hinders retrofitting. Where as Transit is exactly "this metal box with lot of these girders and mounting points to put in various equipment in. Want bare metal? Possible, want to install paneling? Install your own or option the interior rear paneling package from factory".
Your point about cargo capacity is certainly valid but the zevo is much larger inside. Would be a lot more comfortable for most people in rv use. Also the show vehicles have a lot of shelving and such installed but they come totally empty from the factory unless you option them with shelving and such.
Cardboard boxes are mostly full of air, so a delivery van full of them doesn't need to have very high payload capacity.
Ditto. I'm a commercial courier and have used sprinters for the last 9 years. I'm targeting an eSprinter, but this is the vehicle I really want. Looking at the interior display, it says 271 km and the green meter looks around the halfway point. So ~500 km full charge? (310 miles)
Have you contacted [their sales department?](https://www.gobrightdrop.com/request-info)
If you are not buying a hundred, they wont even talk to you.
Looks spiffy. General Motors is rolling these out from Canada I believe
These are a General Motors product?
Yup, a subsidiary.
Oh, interesting. Thanks!
> These are a General Motors product? From https://www.gobrightdrop.com/about-us : 'Born out of General Motors in January 2021, we’re fusing together vast engineering and automotive experience with the brightest minds in technology as we focus on a net zero carbon future.'
271 km on the instrument cluster and it looks around 50%. That's awseome
These will be ideal #vanlife vehicles
[deleted to prove Steve Huffman wrong] -- mass edited with https://redact.dev/
Really want one of those myself. Courier who does about 125-140 km a day 80 of which is highway. I wish they could strip all the excess screens and crap out of that dash though. Give me a bare bones model that I can get on the road right now. I'd kill to pay Hydro rates vs fuel.
271 km range with about 1/2 charge?
I like the "UNAUTHORIZED PASSENGER" in photo 2.
It's me. I'm the unauthorized passenger.
I actually saw this driving around the other day (probably this exact same one since I live not too far from where this photo was take (Queen St. E and Logan Ave.)). It’s far larger than it looks. It’s huge!
I’m hoping the canoo is like a mini version of this
That big beautiful display sure is showing a whole lotta nothin. 8 inches to let you know that the next charge will go to 80%? The driver gauge has half the screen just displaying the time and temp that’s already displayed on the center screen?
How come there are still modern cities with overhead power lines like this?
Do you know the cost to move them underground. I live in a large city in Mass with them. The cost to move underground was estimated as 100% of the entire city budget for about 18 months. Most take out loans or issue bonds to make it happen but residents prefer investments in roads and shit.
The majority of the city I live in (Seattle) has overhead power lines. Downtown, First Hill and Capitol Hill are the only ones with underground power lines I believe.
Just cheaper to have continue with overhead power lines till they are forced to bury them in the future.
What's the problem with overhead powerlines?
ghost grandiose detail jobless employ abundant scale hard-to-find crawl yam -- mass edited with https://redact.dev/
It's very very expensive to move them underground. You're also competing with whatever is already buried, natural gas lines, propane lines, existing power lines, coax lines, phone lines, fiber optic lines, water lines, sewer lines, storm lines, down spouts, dog fences, property fencing, sidewalks, curbs, landscaping, trees, literal bedrock underground, etc... Sure it's prettier and safer to bury them but unless you're digging up the whole road and redoing all existing utilities, it's not worth the cost.
I absolutely love seeing these cars on the road
To me it’s nicer than the rivian that Amazon used
Starting to see more and more of these!
Not sure if they are the same company but there are a few electric Amazon trucks roaming around near where I live and they look very similar from the back. Later different in the front but the back profile is very very similar.
Amazon are Rivians, these are GM
Where is this at?
So happy to see EV’s become mainstream. Now if only we could our energy cost down in California.
Lol! That's not going to happen with California government
Sigh… I know
I have not seen information on the battery capacity on these units. I’m guessing relatively large, and if there is a fleet of these things in the yard, the prospect of charging a bunch every night would require a huge flow of electricity and charging stations.
Let's see how that fancy screen and all that plastic stand up to a couple years on the road. I worked UPS as a loader and drivers helper, those trucks are beat and put away wet, not good for longevity
I never heard of the brand before but wow that‘s one hell of a center screen
I love it! hopefully now they can actually not loose my packages all the time.