Ryder System, Inc. announced its plan to introduce 4,000 BrightDrop Zevo 600 and Zevo 400 electric vans to its lease and rental fleet through 2025, with the first 200 to be ordered this year.

The announcement underscores the company’s ongoing efforts to meet rising demand across the transportation and logistics industries for commercial electric vehicles (EVs). The expanded offering will enable Ryder customers to test and broaden their EV footprint, enhance the driver experience and accelerate their sustainability initiatives.

“We aim to make fleet electrification as seamless as possible by investing in alternative vehicle solutions to offer sustainable and economic advantages for our customers,” said Tom Havens, President of Fleet Management Solutions for Ryder. “Ryder continues to be at the forefront of identifying advanced and emerging vehicle technology by serving as an extended research and development arm for its customers.”

The Zevo 600 and Zevo 400 electric vans boast a range of up to 250 miles on a full charge, and can support a payload of about 2,000 to 3,400 lbs. With Zevo 600’s cargo capacity of over 600 cubic feet and Zevo 400’s cargo capacity of over 400 cubic feet, BrightDrop’s electric vans offer the benefits of an electric powertrain with ample cargo space.

Ryder plans to deploy model year 2023 Zevo 600 electric vans in its rental fleet in California, Dallas-Fort Worth, TX, and New York City later this year. The new 2024 Zevo 600 and Zevo 400 models for lease and rental customers are expected to be available as early as summer 2023 and into the first quarter of 2024.

“Electrifying lease and rental vehicles can have a significant impact on transportation-related emissions, and our goal is to make that switch as easy and enticing as possible for our customers,” said Steve Hornyak, Chief Commercial Officer for BrightDrop. “Ryder’s plan to introduce 4,000 of our electric vans to their fleet shows their commitment to sustainable options for customers, and their confidence that BrightDrop will help them deliver on that.”

“We are excited to focus on providing additional light duty EVs in our Ryder rental and lease fleets in 2023,” added Carlo Rodriguez, Group Director for Advanced Vehicle Technology for Ryder. “At Ryder, we want to help customers meet their sustainability, compliance, and operational goals through advanced vehicle technology solutions, and BrightDrop’s electric vans help us do just that.”