Ryder Gets His First Brightdrop Electric Cars, & They Look Neat!

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Ryder, the leading truck rental company in the United States, recently made an exciting announcement. It has deployed its first set of BrightDrop Zevo 600 electric vehicles at strategic Ryder facilities in California, Texas, and New York. This introduction of BrightDrop electric vehicles into Ryder’s rental fleet marks a significant step in their ongoing efforts to meet the growing demand and adoption of electric commercial vehicles (EVs) in the country.

Earlier this year, Ryder revealed its ambitious plans to include 4,000 BrightDrop electric vehicles in its fleet by 2025. As a testament to its commitment, the company has already placed an order for an initial 200 vehicles this year. Ryder is taking proactive steps to embrace sustainable transportation solutions and contribute to a greener future.

To introduce the new EV to the Ryder fleet, Ryder organized “Ride & Drive” events for customers. These events featured BrightDrop pickup trucks as well as EV chargers from ChargePoint. Customers had the opportunity to experience the power, safety and efficiency of these vehicles while learning more about Ryder’s fleet investments and strategic plans for EVs and charging manufacturers.

Ryder locations in Southern California (Santa Fe Springs), Northern California (Hayward), Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas (Saginaw), and New York (Long Island City) now offer BrightDrop Zevo electric van rentals 600. Enjoy the convenience of pollution-free transportation in these areas.

“Working with a company like BrightDrop puts Ryder at the forefront of identifying and testing emerging advanced vehicle technologies, and we’re excited to integrate these new EVs into our fleet,” says Tom Havens, Ryder’s president of fleet management solutions. “Through our partnerships with technology providers and equipment manufacturers, Ryder can provide commercial fleet management solutions that drive sustainability and operational goals for our customers.”

The BrightDrop Zevo 600 electric vehicle impresses with an incredible range of up to 250 miles and a payload capacity ranging from 1,460 to 2,450 lbs. This light commercial vehicle from BrightDrop not only offers the benefits of an electric train but also offers ample cargo space. 615 cubic feet capacity.

“Electrified commercial fleets can reduce emissions without sacrificing range, safety, or performance,” said Steve Hornyak, BrightDrop’s chief commercial officer. “By adding BrightDrop EVs to its fleet offerings, Ryder is helping to enable electrification for companies large and small.”

Ryder’s rental fleet offers a variety of EV options, including the BrightDrop Zevos. Renting through Ryder offers many benefits, such as flexible car insurance, round-the-clock roadside assistance, geo-tagging for vehicle usage tracking and more. Ryder’s charging infrastructure, powered by ChargePoint, ensures accessible charging options at their stations and public charging stations. This enables longer journeys and greater flexibility for EV drivers. Additionally, Ryder’s single-source maintenance service ensures optimal vehicle performance.

Ryder introduced its turnkey EV fleet solution, RyderElectric+, last year, serving companies looking for long-term leases. This comprehensive offering focuses on the EV landscape and provides customers with electrical advisors, leased vehicles, charging infrastructure, mobile services and maintenance, all bundled into one price.

“Ryder’s goal is to continue to evaluate and provide advanced vehicle technology solutions to help customers integrate EVs into their businesses,” says Carlo Rodriguez, Ryder’s managing director of electric vehicles.

You probably won’t be able to rent one for a moving truck, though

I was interested in renting one myself at some point to see how Brightdrop trucks perform, but sadly, you probably can’t rent one like you can rent a U-Haul or Penske truck.

Through no fault of the company at all, the part of the company that was providing such one-way services found itself in dire straits in the 1990s. On top of declining revenue and increasing competition in the space, two terrorist attacks were carried out using Ryder rental trucks – the first attack on the World Trade Center in 1993, which failed to bring any buildings down, as well as a deadly attack very 1995. at the federal building in Oklahoma City. The two attacks put Ryder’s truck in the news in a bad way. I personally remember several people saying something about the Oklahoma City bombing whenever they saw a Ryder truck, and it wasn’t a big surprise when we stopped seeing yellow trucks.

But let’s remember that the company not only did everything right in checking customers (within the limits of what they could do under the law), but also has been careful to avoid allowing any future truck to be used like this. even if it costs the company good money.

While we won’t see the yellow EV Ryder Trucks in this reality (perhaps in an alternate reality where McVeigh was caught by a more capable FBI, or wasn’t replaced by poor federal decisions in Waco, Texas), we are. find Brightdrop’s new luxury electric vans available for cruise and commuter customers, and I love it.

As you can see in the photo at the top of the article, they have a beautiful red color that fades to black and then back to red again. They also have cute hexagon shapes (my kids say “hexagons are the bestagons”), text that makes it clear that the cars are electric, and some nice blue accents around the EV’s main electrical diagram.

Therefore, it is clear that the company is not only proud to rent electric cars, but is also trying to use this step to expand Ryder’s business. The electric vehicles even have famous graphics that say, “RENT ME 855-RYDER-EV.”

With more than 4,000 total EVs coming in the next few years, I’m looking forward to seeing this new design take to the streets. It may not be the usual yellow, but it has a beautiful design that is new for 2023 and it has what really matters: an electric motor. For commercial customers, it may include other Brightdrop features such as smart application management and the Brightdrops cart system. Therefore, it is a good choice all around, for the Earth and for the people who need to be evacuated.

Featured image provided by Ryder.