Chevrolet BrightDrop 400 electric vans are hitting the road in major U.S. markets this year to support Walmart’s InHome delivery service.
The addition of BrightDrop vans to the Walmart last-mile fleet will support growth of the retailer’s InHome delivery service, help reduce carbon emissions, and provide drivers with safe, efficient, and comfortable vehicles.
Walmart InHome associates, who are trained to deliver groceries directly into customers’ homes, participated in a pilot with GM to assess the overall performance of the BrightDrop 400 in live operation scenarios, including city driving and customer deliveries.
Associates were impressed with BrightDrop’s 360-degree HD Surround Vision camera and blind-zone steering assist, battery range and reliability, and maneuverability. Here are some key takeaways they shared from the pilot:
– The vans easily navigated congested roads and dense neighborhoods.
– Automation features such as auto-closing doors boosted efficiency and improved the associate experience.
– The low-step ergonomic design allowed easy entrance and exit of the vehicles, allowing for swift and efficient last-mile deliveries.
“Our BrightDrop vans are purpose-built to get the job done safely and efficiently while helping businesses like Walmart decarbonize their fleet,” said Sandor Piszar, vice president, GM Envolve. “The pilot program demonstrates that at the forefront of our design are the hard-working drivers that deliver goods and services to customers every day.”
Walmart, which today announced the expansion of its InHome delivery program to 62 million households nationwide, will roll out the BrightDrop 400 vans in Austin, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, northwest Arkansas, Orlando, and the San Francisco Bay area by the end of the year.
“With a focus on being people-led and tech-powered, we’re always looking for ways to enhance the associate experience and provide the best possible service to our customers. That’s why we’re so excited about the addition of the BrightDrop 400 to our InHome delivery fleet,” said Warren Moore, vice president, Dedicated Delivery, Walmart U.S. “During the pilot, we listened closely to our InHome associates’ feedback and were impressed by the vans’ performance in real-world scenarios.”
BrightDrop electric vans, produced at the CAMI Assembly plant, are equipped with advanced safety features to help ensure driver alertness and safety, low step-in height to ease driver ingress and egress and large infotainment screens for a tech-enabled driving experience.
