FedEx conquers holiday delivery with electric cart delivery, courtesy of GM’s BrightDrop
The holiday season can be especially difficult for delivery workers or Santa’s helpers with the never-ending task of delivering everyone’s packages on time. FedEx is deploying a new solution, thanks to GM’s electric delivery startup BrightDrop, which will help not only delivery workers but also the communities they serve.
General Motors established BrightDrop in early 2021 to develop last-mile electric delivery solutions.
With e-commerce expanding significantly in the past several years, it has become a priority to reduce carbon emissions in the industry. BrightDrop has three products so far, including:
- BrightDrop Trace electric cart
- BrightDrop Zevo EV delivery van (600 and 400)
- BrightDrop software platform enabling connectivity
This past April, BrightDrop rebranded its electric delivery vans to include ZEVO in a nod to zero-emission vehicles and EVs.
The electric delivery vans are powered by GM’s Ultium platform, which is used for its current and upcoming electric vehicles like the Chevy Blazer EV and Silverado EV.
When the BrightDrop electric delivery van was introduced in 2021, it was revealed FedEx had already placed an order for 500 units that began delivering in December of that year. The e-commerce giant followed it up with an order for 1,500 more in January as part of its standard vehicle replacement schedule.
Meanwhile, BrightDrop’s Trace electric cart, an electronically propelled cart designed to optimize delivery, can add another dimension to last-mile solutions.
FedEx expands electric cart delivery program
If you live in New York City, keep a lookout for electric delivery carts rolling by. FedEx said in a press release today it has expanded its electric cart delivery pilot program designed to improve deliveries in major cities.
Michael Salerno, a FedEx Express senior station operations manager in Manhattan, stated:
FedEx customers depend on us to deliver resourcefully and reliably, especially during the holidays. By furthering the use of these carts on real routes in Manhattan and Brooklyn, FedEx hopes to shape what the future of efficient urban delivery could look like.
The e-carts will be deployed during the business time of the year to help reduce wait times and improve delivery efficiency.
Using electric delivery carts will help reduce emissions during a time when carbon emissions typically spike due to idling vehicles. On top of this, by using e-carts, FedEx can navigate high-traffic streets, alleviating some of its biggest bottlenecks.
FedEx says the electric delivery carts will be making deliveries in five NYC locations, including the Diamond District, Theatre District, Midtown, Midtown East, and Brooklyn Heights.
The e-commerce company is striving for a more efficient network to reach its goal of carbon-neutral operations globally by 2040. FedEx will continue analyzing the progress to help drive change in last-mile delivery solutions.
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Environment
U.S. crude oil falls below $60 a barrel to lowest since 2021 on tariff-fueled recession fears
A view shows disused oil pump jacks at the Airankol oil field operated by Caspiy Neft in the Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan April 2, 2025.
Pavel Mikheyev | Reuters
U.S. oil prices dropped below $60 a barrel on Sunday on fears President Donald Trump’s global tariffs would push the U.S., and maybe the world, into a recession.
Futures tied to U.S. West Texas intermediate crude fell more than 3% to $59.74 on Sunday night. The move comes after back-to-back 6% declines last week. WTI is now at the lowest since April 2021.
Worries are mounting that tariffs could lead to higher prices for businesses, which could lead to a slowdown in economic activity that would ultimately hurt demand for oil.
Oil futures, 5 years
The tariffs, which are set to take effect this week, “would likely push the U.S. and possibly global economy into recession this year,” according to JPMorgan. The firm on Thursday raised its odds of a recession this year to 60% following the tariff rollout, up from 40%.
Fueled by incentives from the Illinois EPA and the state’s largest utility company, new EV registrations nearly quadrupled the 12% first-quarter increase in EV registrations nationally – and there are no signs the state is slowing down.
Despite the dramatic slowdown of Tesla’s US deliveries, sales of electric vehicles overall have perked up in recent months, with Illinois’ EV adoption rate well above the Q1 uptick nationally. Crain’s Chicago Business reports that the number of new EVs registered across the state totaled 9,821 January through March, compared with “just” 6,535 EVs registered in the state during the same period in 2024.
Those numbers represent more than 50% growth in EV registrations – far beyond the expected 12% first-quarter increase nationally being projected by Cox Automotive. (!)
What’s going on in Illinois?
While President Trump and Elmo were running for re-election, they campaigned on the threat promise of canceling the $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs. Along with California Governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois’ Governor JB Pritzker made countermoves – launching a $4,000 rebate for new electric cars and up to $1,500 for the purchase of a new electric motorcycle.
At the same time, the state’s largest utility, ComEd, launched a $90 million EV incentive program featuring a new Point of Purchase initiative to deliver instant discounts to qualifying business and public sector customers who make the switch to electric vehicles. That program has driven a surge in Class 3-6 medium duty commercial EVs, which are eligible fro $20-30,000 in utility rebates on top of federal tax credits and other incentives (Class 1-2 EVs are eligible for up to $7,500).
We covered the launch of those incentives when the program was announced at Chicago Drives Electric last year, but the message here is simple: incentives work.
SOURCES: Chicago Business, Ray Cunningham; featured image by the author.
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The electric construction equipment experts at XCMG just released a new, 25 ton electric crawler excavator ahead of bauma 2025 – and they have their eye on the global urban construction, mine operations, and logistical material handling markets.
Powered by a high-capacity 400 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery capable of delivering up to 8 hours of continuous operation, the XE215EV electric excavator promises uninterrupted operation at a lower cost of ownership and with even less downtime than its diesel counterparts.
XCMG is delivering on part of that reduced downtime promise with the lower maintenance and easier repair needs of electric equipment, and delivering on the rest of it with lickety-quick DC fast charging that can recharge the machine’s massive battery in 1.5-2 hours … but that’s not the slick bit. The XCMG XE125EV can be powered up without leaving the job site thanks to its BYD battery swap technology.
We first covered XCMG and its battery swap technology back in January, and covered similar battery-swap tech being developed by MOOG Construction offshoot ZQUIP, as well – but while XCMG’s battery tech has been in production for several years, it’s still not widely known about in the West (even within the industry).
XCMG showed off its latest electric equipment at the December 2024 bauma China, including an updated version of its of its 85-ton autonomous electric mining truck that features a fully cab-less design – meaning there isn’t even a place for an operator to sit, let alone operate. And that’s too bad, because what operator wouldn’t want to experience an electric truck putting down 1070 hp more than 16,000 lb-ft of torque!?
Easy in, easy out
The best part? All of the company’s heavy equipment assets – from excavators to terminal tractors to dump trucks and wheel loaders – all use the same 400 kWh BYD battery packs, Milwaukee tool style. That means an equipment fleet can utilize x number of vehicles with a fraction of the total battery capacity and material needs of other asset brands. That’s not just a smart use of limited materials, it’s a smarter use of energy.
You can check out all the XE215EV’s specs at this tear sheet, and get an in-person look at the Chinese company’s latest electric excavator this week in Munich, Germany.
SOURCE | IMAGES: XCMG.
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