FedEx Express Canada Launches Its First EVs with BrightDrop

FedEx Express Canada on June 14 officially welcomed its first 50 BrightDrop Zevo 600 electric delivery vehicles at an event in Toronto attended

The introduction of BrightDrop’s electric vans into the FedEx fleet in Canada is an important step in the company’s goal to transform its entire parcel pickup and delivery (PUD) fleet to all-electric, zero-tailpipe emissions vehicles by 2040. The event was attended by customers and team members from FedEx's downtown Toronto operations.

This initial fleet of 50 electric vehicles (EVs) will service Toronto, Montreal, and Surrey. FedEx Express Canada plans to expand its EV fleet footprint as additional charging infrastructure is implemented at FedEx locations across the country.

Powered by General Motors’ (GM) Ultium Platform, the Zevo 600 is designed for last-mile deliveries, with an estimated range of up to 400 kilometres on a full charge.

These 50 EVs are part of a larger agreement between FedEx and BrightDrop that will see FedEx incorporate 2,500 total vehicles across FedEx operations in the coming years, including more than 400 vehicles that are already in operation in Southern California.

“FedEx Express Canada is proud of the role we’re playing to help our company work toward the goal of carbon neutral operations globally by 2040,” said Dean Jamieson, vice president of operations at FedEx Express Canada in a recent news release.

To support the new vehicle technology, FedEx is installing charging infrastructure across its Canadian facilities, including the 80 charging stations the company has already added in these three EV launch markets.

“Working with companies like BrightDrop that are helping to build these solutions, right here in our own backyard, shows how Canada is helping to bring more sustainable solutions to life across a variety of industries," Jamieson said.

Assembled in Canada, these light commercial vehicles help to advance FedEx Express — a subsidiary of FedEx Corp., one of the world’s largest express transportation companies — on its journey toward an all-electric delivery fleet.

The company plans for 50% of its global PUD vehicle purchases to be electric by 2025, rising to 100% of purchases by 2030.

BrightDrop manufactures the Zevo 600s at GM’s CAMI Assembly plant in Ontario.

GM invested nearly one billion Canadian dollars to convert CAMI into Canada’s first large-scale EV factory. CAMI reopened in December 2022 with the first Zevo 600 rolling off the assembly line after a seven-month retooling, the fastest plant conversion in GM’s history.

“FedEx is a key collaborator in our journey to help reduce carbon emissions for deliveries,” said Steve Hornyak, chief commercial officer at BrightDrop. “As our first customer to deploy Zevos in the U.S. and Canada, FedEx is showing the world how the addition of electric vehicles can help achieve ambitious sustainability goals and improve the communities we live and work in.”

Canadian Efforts, Global Impacts

Just over two years after announcing its global target of achieving carbon-neutral operations by 2040, FedEx Corp. is working to deliver on that goal — thanks in part to local efforts spearheaded by FedEx Express Canada, which has been collaborating on testing other solutions to reduce its footprint in crowded urban centers, with the goal of helping to bring these innovations worldwide.

 Canada has one of the largest e-cargo bike fleets in the FedEx global network, with more than 40 e-bikes operating in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec.

 It has also been piloting innovations like the BrightDrop Trace Move, an electric cart to assist couriers, in Toronto.