What Does Amazon’s New Electrical Supply Truck Look Like?

A TikTok video posted by an Amazon supply driver has gone viral for providing a uncommon behind-the-scenes have a look at one of many firm’s new electrical supply vans and for the driving force’s candid reactions to the options inside. The quick clip, which has racked up hundreds of views, exhibits a Bakersfield, Calif., driver recognized as @1100young_e inspecting the car earlier than heading out on his route, drawing a mixture of curiosity and confusion from viewers.

Whereas Amazon has been steadily rolling out electrical supply automobiles from a number of producers—most prominently Rivian but additionally fashions from Ford and Stellantis—some commenters recognized the van within the video as a Chevrolet BrightDrop Zevo 600GM’s electrical business supply car (beforehand branded because the EV600). Although the video doesn’t present any clear exterior badging, the dashboard design and cabin format resemble the BrightDrop’s inside seen in official promo supplies and supply fleet deployments.

A Peek Inside The Cab

The video itself is transient however full of particulars. The driving force exhibits off the cab’s management panel and luxury options, and he gives a view into the cavernous rear cargo space that’s notably naked of cabinets or storage programs. That lack of shelving raised eyebrows amongst commenters, who questioned how the car may operate successfully for deliveries with out the usual infrastructure.

However the driver clarified within the feedback: “I used to be a rescuer that day so it was easy, however with a route yeah that’s tough.” In Amazon parlance, a “rescuer” sometimes refers to a driver assigned to assist others full their routes, usually by taking overflow packages. Which means the car wasn’t being utilized in a standard supply capability that day, explaining the stripped-down cargo bay.

Nonetheless, the video highlighted the typically improvisational nature of Amazon’s supply operations and raised broader questions on how properly these new electrical vans are ready for real-world situations.

BrightDrop Zevo 600: A Quiet Entry Into The Fleet

Amazon’s extra high-profile electrical supply partnership has been with Rivian, which is producing 100,000 customized electrical supply vans for the e-commerce big as a part of a deal struck in 2019. However Rivian will not be the one participant within the sport.

The Chevrolet BrightDrop Zevo 600, which started deliveries in 2022is a part of GM’s technique to impress the last-mile supply phase. Designed with enter from logistics firms, the Zevo 600 gives an estimated 250 miles of vary, quick charging capabilities, and a modular inside constructed for effectivity. Corporations like FedEx and Retailers Fleet have already deployed BrightDrop vans, and Amazon was beforehand reported to be exploring a number of EV vendor relationships.

If this TikTok video is certainly exhibiting a BrightDrop van, it suggests Amazon is now working multi-vendor pilots or increasing past its unique Rivian settlement. Given Amazon’s said aim of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, it wouldn’t be stunning to see the corporate diversify its EV fleet.

EV Fleets Meet Actual-World Challenges

As electrical supply vans proceed rolling out throughout North America, early suggestions from drivers will probably be essential. Amazon has been tight-lipped concerning the specifics of its multi-vendor techniquehowever movies like this present unscripted glimpses into how issues are actually occurring the bottom.

EV rollouts in business fleets face completely different hurdles than these in private automobiles: charging logistics, upkeep downtime and ergonomic design all play a essential position in figuring out whether or not a car succeeds. Amazon’s use of an unshelved BrightDrop, whether or not non permanent or a part of a phased method, exhibits how these challenges are nonetheless being labored out within the subject.

Whether or not the empty cargo bay raises logistical purple flags, one factor is obvious: The electrification of last-mile supply is now not hypothetical. It’s clocked in and prepared for its route.

InsideEVs reached out to the creator through direct message.