Did a GM patent reveal plans for an all-new electric Chevy Express van?

Does a recent GM patent and trademark filing for what seems to be an upcoming electric van hint at the long-awaited successor to the Chevy Express van that’s been in production since 1996, or does the General have something else planned for the Express’ 30th anniversary?

The GM watchdogs at GM Authority uncovered a fresh patent for a new “toy replica” van that doesn’t seem to match up with any existing General Motors model — and that includes the usual suspects at Brightdrop, and the GM Wuling Yangguang EV in China, and it’s worth noting that the drawings appear to represent a van that’s somewhat smaller than both.

GM Authority did some of that due diligence as well, noting that the vehicle seems distinct from the proposed Buick electric minivan concept in China.

The patent filing was published 06MAY2025, under United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) patent number D1,073,535 S. The drawings (shown, below) were originally submitted on 23MAY2023, and list Logan J. Phillips, Junglim Huh, and Namwoo Kim as the inventors, but it’s not yet clear if they represent an Ultium-based van that’s since been shelved, or an upcoming replacement for the now ancient Chevy Express cargo van that’s been in production nearly thirty (30) years.

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GM electric van patent drawings

We fed the sketches, above, into Chat GPT to get the delivery-focused rendering (shown, at top), but I’m not sure it’s the right vibe. To my eyes, it looks more like a Kia PV5 than anything else — and, now that both companies are exploring that possibility, that might mean a lot more going forward than any Brightdrop or Ultium underpinnings.

Electrek’s Take

The Chevy Express and GMC Savana twins have been soundly out-Darwined by newer, European-style vans like the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter (which wasn’t even available in the US when it was launched back in 1996), Ram ProMaster, and Ford Transit. Still, the familiar platform and myriad upfitting options keep them relatively popular among tradespeople. A similarly-sized machine with maybe close, maybe identical interior dimensions in the cargo bay and some more modern, fuel-efficient or electric drivetrain options could make for a new model that doesn’t give up the upfitting benefit of a decades-old platform while delivering on forward-looking tech.

That’s my take, anyway — what’s yours? Click on the USPTO and GM Authority source links, below, to see more, or just let us know what you make of this “toy van” concept art in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

SOURCE: USPTO, via GM Authority; featured image by Chat GPT.

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