Is the Chevrolet Brightdrop Electric Van a viable camper van?
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Okay, van fam, let's talk about the Chevrolet BrightDrop Zevo 400 and 600! So, Kal and I headed over to my buddy Gan Nunnally at Nunnaly Chevrolet in Bentonville, Arkansas, to test drive the new BrightDrop EV van. For those of you who aren't familiar, this is GM's electric van that's aiming to compete with the Ford E-Transit, Rivian delivery van, and Mercedes eSprinter. This was totally new to me – never seen one in person or driven one before, so I wanted to take you guys along for the experience.
Hopping into the cockpit, the first thing that stood out to me was the sliding doors for both the driver and passenger. They're pretty heavy but slide smoothly. With the wind outside, I did manage to bash my knuckles a bit on the locking mechanism while it was closing with force. It made me think that families with little kids probably wouldn't be fans of these doors, so we would probably install an RV door in the cargo area for the little ones to use. This van is really designed as a delivery vehicle, so this door design really isn’t a flaw, nor is this a critique of the designers. Delivery drivers are used to these doors, so I really don’t see them being a real issue at all.
I also noticed that the passenger area has a much lower step, which is great for delivery drivers getting in and out. From a camper van perspective, that extra room is pretty nice. Kal (my dog) really appreciated all of the room for activities. The amount of space up front is honestly insane. For context, There’s room for two of Kal (a 75 lb Pitbull)to sit up on the dash, easily. Plus, there's a ton of storage up here, which is awesome because on Sprinters or Transits, we as builders usually have to add that overhead storage ourselves. On the Brightdrop, Chevy's already taken care of it. We've got speakers and sun visors up there. And the full-height ceiling means I can stand up in the cockpit with no problem. The windshield is absolutely massive, giving an amazing view. There’s gotta be something like 3-4 feet between my face and the windshield.
We've also got some nice factory charging ports, including a 110V outlet, with a 400w inverter onboard. The jump seat, though, is laughably small for long trips. As a builder, we'd probably take that out and put in something more custom, like a captain's chair. The seating position feels very upright, more like driving a delivery truck, but I have tons of legroom, which I personally really love.
Moving to the back, the first thing you probably noticed is how square it is. The walls aren't curved top to bottom or in the corners at the D-pillar. This is going to make our lives as builders a lot easier because those complex curves are usually the biggest challenge in van conversions. These nice flat, presumably parallel panels, are more like a box van design, which is more utilitarian than trying to make it look like a car. There's also a ton of headroom back here, Almost 7 feet of standing height. Even with an insulated floor and ceiling, at 6’3” I'd still have plenty of room.
The doors to the cargo area are surprisingly light – feels like aluminum, which is great for weight and because it doesn't rust. It's actually a two-panel sliding door, which is super cool because it gives us a much wider opening – about 24 inches compared to maybe 12 inches with a smaller door. Interestingly, what looks like a door on the sides in the back is actually just a pocket for the passenger sliding door. The wall structure isn't like a Sprinter; it's some kind of composite panel, probably fiberglass, with aluminum channels for structure. It's not structural, so we'd definitely be insulating and paneling over it. If we wanted to hang anything substantial, we'd probably add more aluminum structure, which is nice since we'd be working with aluminum to aluminum, avoiding electrolysis and corrosion.
The ceiling is also interesting – it's a similar translucent material that lets light in, which is a big plus since vans can feel like caves. We'd still probably insulate it, though. We would have to work around the track for the garage door. I've seen some builders create a second ceiling underneath the tracks so the garage door can tuck away, similar to the passenger door. Even with the tracks, I can still stand underneath them in the back, though I might have to crouch a bit in the middle.
The garage door is another thing to note. There's nothing inherently wrong with it, but most people expect barn doors on a camper van. Barn doors don't take up ceiling height when open, but the garage door doesn't swing out, which could be a plus if you're parked close to someone. I could see some people trying to remove the garage door and tracks and putting in a more traditional RV door.
Time for a test drive! I've driven Teslas before, so that's my EV reference point. Being an EV, it's silent when you push the start button. Figuring out the parking brake and shifter took a second – you have to come towards you and then up for reverse, which I actually like because you won't accidentally shift. The backup camera has a 360 bird's-eye view, which is great. It felt really light at first since it's a cargo van designed to carry a load. The brakes and acceleration felt a little jumpy because of that. Closing the cargo door made it much quieter; the sound treatment in the cockpit seems good.
Out on the road, it definitely feels like a car. The acceleration felt a little jumpy and the brakes a bit touchy due to the lack of payload. Once we build it out, or if you're a delivery driver with cargo, that will settle down. I appreciate the side view mirror display of the blind spot when I use the blinker. It has an auto-hold feature where it keeps the brake engaged even when you take your foot off, which is a bit different from what I'm used to. The van felt nice and level around turns, with no significant sway like some of the bigger vans. There was a little rattling from the back doors, but it's a cargo van, so I wasn't expecting a super luxurious ride. Despite the crazy wind, I wasn't feeling it much, which I attribute to the lower center of gravity of the EV due to the battery pack. Testing the pickup, even putting my foot down, it had good acceleration but wasn't overly aggressive – appropriate for a cargo vehicle, I think. I even did a few circles in a roundabout to test the handling, and the van stayed nice and flat with minimal rocking or rolling, not something I would have enjoyed doing in a Sprinter.
On thing I was thinking a lot about is that EVs become less efficient on the highway, and extra weight significantly impacts range. So, for a camper van build, keeping it as light as possible is crucial for maintaining good range. The biggest concern with EVs is range anxiety, which we'll touch on with the BrightDrop's specs.
I'm not doing any crazy off-roading or range tests today since this van belongs to the dealership. But so far, I'm really impressed with how it feels. I'm definitely looking forward to building a camper in here and seeing how it performs once built out – the ceiling height, square walls, and that garage door – we'll see how they work for a camper.
Let's get into some specs that matter to us builders. First up is payload capacity. The interesting thing is that the BrightDrop 400 actually has a higher payload capacity (3580 lbs) than the 600 (3180 lbs). I'm guessing this is because they share components rated for a certain weight, and the larger 600 simply weighs more (probably around 400 lbs more). This highlights the importance of our lightweight aluminum furniture and cabinetry at Vomanos Vans, especially in a bigger vehicle where you naturally want to put more stuff. As we talked about, range and weight are more critical in EVs than in I.C.E. vehicles. I'd love to do a range test with an empty versus a built-out BrightDrop someday.
Speaking of range, both the 400 and 600 have a max range of 303 miles, which is considerably more than other EV vans currently available. This makes sense because most vans are used for delivery and typically travel less than 70 miles a day. It wouldn't be economical for manufacturers to build in hundreds of miles of range for the small percentage of users who need it. However, as a van builder, I appreciate having up to 300 miles of range. Real-world range will depend on various factors like temperature, wind, driving style, and payload. I'd like to think our lightweight builds will help maintain or even exceed the expected range with a full payload. Real-world charging rates also vary depending on the charger. Generally, van life involves more parking than driving, and when road-tripping, I personally prefer to plan stops every couple of hours anyway, which could easily incorporate charging.
Comparing range to other EV vans, the BrightDrop has an average of 272 miles, compared to the Ford E-Transit at 159 and the Rivian at 160. A quick search shows the Mercedes eSprinter is around 270 miles with its larger battery. So, the BrightDrop and eSprinter offer significantly more range (around 110 miles more) than the Ford and Rivian. For some, that extra range could be a game-changer. Based on my experience with Tesla range tests and understanding of van building, the BrightDrop's 270-mile range seems like a sweet spot. More range would be nice, but it would also mean more batteries and increased cost. It will take time to see how this plays out with real-world camper van builds.
Now, let's talk price. These aren't cheap, but then again, no new vans today are. Based on the data, the Ford E-Transit starts around $51,000, the BrightDrop around $75,000, and the Rivian between $80,000 and $84,000. The eSprinter is around $70,000. So, the BrightDrop is on the higher end, but when you consider the payload and range, it seems justified. The Rivian's lower range and payload capacity at its high price point make me wonder if we'll be building in any of those soon.
However, there are some significant caveats with the BrightDrop's price. GM is currently offering a $25,500 rebate directly. I even saw a tag with that in the van. And it gets even better: Costco members might be able to get up to a $31,500 discount. On top of that, there could be tax incentives, possibly up to $7,500 (though don't quote me on that). So, potentially, you could be looking at around $38,000 in total discounts and incentives. That would bring the BrightDrop down to about $37,000, which for an EV with 270 miles of range and a 3700 lb payload capacity is pretty impressive.
Looking at sales numbers from last year (2024), Rivian sold just over 13,000, the E-Transit around 12,600, the BrightDrop just over 1,500, and the eSprinter only 828. Sprinters are popular for van life, but the electric version isn't catching on with commercial fleets as much as Ford seems to be. I'm guessing Amazon's purchases heavily influence Rivian's sales numbers. The eSprinter doesn't seem likely to take over van life anytime soon, and the E-Transit's low range is a concern. This current BrightDrop rebate is promised through June, I believe. If you're in a position to take advantage of it, it seems like a great deal right now.
And if you do, you should definitely click the link below, so we can start planning your lightweight dream van and get you on the road without range anxiety.
