General Motors will end production of its Chevy Brightdrop electric vans at its factory in Ingersol, Ontario, the company said during its third quarter earnings call Tuesday. The decision was made as slow demand in the electric van market led to hundreds of Brightdrop vehicles piling up in dealer lots in both the US and Canada.
GM CEO Mary Barra said the automaker would assess the CAMI assembly plant for for future opportunities. “This is not a decision we made lightly because of the impact on our employees,” she said in the earnings call. “However the commercial electric van market has been developing much slower than expected, and changes to the regulatory framework and fleet incentives has made the business even more challenging.”
“This is not a decision we made lightly because of the impact on our employees.”
Brightdrop first launched in 2021 as GM’s effort to capture a large portion of the commercial EV market, starting with a pair of electric vans, as well as fleet management software and electric-powered carts for goods delivery. The automaker made deals with Walmart, FedEx, and other major retailers to add the van to their delivery fleets. But after trying to make a go of it as a standalone brand, GM reabsorbed BrightDrop in 2023, and then later assigned it to Chevy in order to tap into the brand’s sales and service dealer network.
Now the van will stand as yet another casualty of the expiration of the $7,500 federal EV tax credit, which ended on September 30th. In addition to the consumer credit, there was also a $7,500 discount for commercial EVs under 18,000 lbs — which Brightdrop was eligible for. The van was a range leader, but also was more expensive than its most prominent competitor. Brightdrop’s vans started at $74,000, while Ford’s E-Transit van with extended battery range sold for $51,600.
But even before the credit expired, Chevy was having trouble selling the van. Earlier this year, the Detroit Free Press reported that hundreds of Brightdrop vehicles were piling up in lots on both sides of the US-Canada border.