The investments announced today will turn GM’s assembly plant in Ingersoll, about 150 kilometers southwest of Toronto, into Canada’s first mass-produced electric vehicle plant.
GM said the Ingersoll plant will begin production in December this year of the Zevo 600 electric van, produced under the BrightDrop brand, GM’s new unit dedicated to the development and production of electric commercial vehicles.
GM has signed contracts to sell thousands of units of the Zevo 600, previously called the EV600, to companies such as Merchants Fleet (MF) and Verizon.
Production of the Zevo EV600 van will begin in Ingersoll once GM installs the equipment needed to build it at the factory over the summer.
In addition, GM has decided to manufacture the Chevrolet Silverado pickup at its assembly plant in Oshawa, about 40 miles northeast of Toronto.
The decision means adding a third shift to the Oshawa plant and creating 2,600 jobs.
Production of the Chevrolet Silverado makes the Oshawa plant the first GM plant to combine the production of light and heavy pickup trucks.
The Canadian government has announced that it will contribute $259 million to facilitate GM’s investment in Ingersoll and Oshawa.
