BrightDrop build-out begins in Calif.

As General Motors begins to build out its BrightDrop electric delivery van business, it's relying on Mike Caposio to lead the way for retailers.

Caposio, the first BrightDrop dealer, believes his commercial expertise and California location set him apart.

"My management team and I have a long history serving commercial fleet customers, bringing more than 150 years of automotive and commercial fleet experience to BrightDrop electric vehicle customers," Caposio said in an interview via email. "We believe that fleet operators are eager to take advantage of the environmental and operating cost benefits that the EV600 can offer."

Since GM outlined plans to create BrightDrop about a year ago, it has secured EV600 and EV410 van orders from a handful of companies, including FedEx Express, Walmart and Verizon. More than 25,000 reservations have been booked so far, GM said this month.

The automaker has capacity to build 30,000 BrightDrop vans at its CAMI assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, and can double production by mid-decade, CEO Mary Barra said. Production at CAMI is slated to begin late this year.

BrightDrop is a key element of GM's promise to invest more than $35 billion in electric and autonomous vehicles through 2025.

GM estimates that the annual market opportunity for parcel, food delivery and reverse logistics in the U.S. will exceed $850 billion by 2025. Demand for urban delivery to fulfill e-commerce orders is expected to grow 78 percent by 2030, GM said, citing the World Economic Forum. The surge in demand is expected to result in 36 percent more delivery vehicles in the 100 largest cities worldwide, the automaker said when it announced BrightDrop last year.

BrightDrop plans to establish a small, focused dealership network to serve fleet customers throughout the U.S, starting with Caposio.

Caposio, owner of Rotolo Chevrolet in Fontana, Calif., and Caposio Buick-GMC in Victorville, joined the automotive industry more than three decades ago working for a dealership in Southern California. He joined Rotolo Chevrolet in 2009, becoming a partner eight years later and owner in 2020. Rotolo Chevrolet is the brand's largest dealership in California and received Chevy's Dealer of the Year award in 2020.

"I can honestly say that I wake up every day with excitement and passion to get to the dealership. I love this business," he told Automotive News. "There is no such thing as a bad day. Bold statement, however, I see each day as an opportunity to find solutions for obstacles that may arise."

His next opportunity will be helping GM scale electric delivery fleets as owner and operator of BrightDrop Greater Los Angeles, also in Fontana.

"Mike's forward-thinking focus on serving the fleet customer is a perfect fit with BrightDrop's mission to help fleet operators seamlessly transition to an all-electric future," Scott Young, BrightDrop's vice president of vehicle distribution, said in a statement late last year.

GM asked a small number of dealers with strong commercial backgrounds to submit proposals to operate a BrightDrop outlet, Caposio said, and decided Los Angeles would be the right location for the first dealership because it's an important commercial vehicle market and a key location for BrightDrop's initial customer, FedEx Express.

Caposio has assigned several of his best commercial employees to the BrightDrop store. His team will work on the vehicles out of the service center in Fontana and provide a mobile service option.

"We support the customer directly with ordering, upfitting and of course providing outstanding service to keep their electric vehicles in top operating condition," Caposio said.