GM is replacing its huge, clunky, $150,000 service vans with crossovers. The Detroit-based manufacturer ditched the larger electric Chevrolet BrightDrop 600 vans last year, after dealer adoption was poor.
GM acquired BrightDrop back in 2023, when its focus was firmly on the “electric future.” It is pulling a bit of a U-Turn on its electrification plans, along with other manufacturers, and BrightDrop is seemingly one of the major casualties.
The new crossovers, which will be a mix of Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac models, are expected to be cheaper and easier to maneuver than the previous vans. The exact models suitable for the task are the Chevrolet Equinox, GMC Terrain, and Cadillac XT5. All of those vehicles are gasoline-powered, which might be a major plus.
While the Chevrolet BrightDrop 600’s battery pack gave it the ability to recharge stranded EVs, its range along with the recharging time involved seems to be one of the main limitations that put dealers off the larger service vehicle.
Dealers will also have a choice of purchasing a pre-equipped vehicle, or just buying a self-install kit and fitting out a vehicle themselves.
Self-installation is expected to take around eight hours of labor and does not permanently alter the vehicle, which means dealers can strip out the equipment and resell the vehicle afterwards. Overall costs are expected to be less than half of a BrightDrop 600 van.
According to Automotive News, the limited uptake of the old van was due to its larger size making navigation in urban areas difficult, along with a high upfront cost and a limited electric range.
Why you might not see a GM service van on your street
The concept of a service van is nothing new. Some mechanics don’t even have a shop, and make a living going out to their customers and conducting repairs on driveways. So it’s only natural that dealerships would want a slice of this often more expensive action.
However, that’s not really what these service vans are meant for. Instead, the main clientele is companies with fleets, or other large scale customers that can’t just drop a vehicle or two at the dealership and pick it up a few days later.
The new vans are also a bit more limited than their predecessors. While the BrightDrops could handle some pretty complex tasks, including EV battery charging and replacement work, the new service vehicles seem to be limited to more basic tasks. Think things like oil changes, diagnostics, and implementing less complex recall work. If there’s something majorly wrong, customers will have to either take the vehicle back into a dealership or hope the dealer still has a BrightDrop 600 van in their fleet.
Overall, dealers seem optimistic about the change, citing the lower cost as a major factor. The limitations of the new service vehicles compared to the older BrightDrop 600 vans doesn’t seem to be an issue either, with the ability to handle oil changes and recalls being enough for the dealers Auto News spoke to.
Despite dropping BrightDrop themselves, this isn’t the end for GM’s electric cargo vans. They are still for sale, and used by a number of major companies including FedEx.
