Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Photo: Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images
Commercial vans are emerging as a key growth area for electrification — and General Motors is developing a vehicle for the sector, according to a Reuters report.
Why it matters: GM's interest shows how a powerful legacy automaker wants in on what Morgan Stanley analysts called "America's hottest new vehicle" in a research note this week.
- "Delivery vans have highly predictable routes, conduct high-value services, operate a high utilization and generally stay within a specific geographic area … all of which fits well with EV infrastructure and charging ecosystems which enable their full economic use," they write.
The intrigue: The fledgeling battery-powered van market, like other EV segments, includes both startups and giant automakers.
- Amazon, in late 2019, vowed to buy 100,000 electric delivery vehicles from the startup Rivian and hopes to have 10,000 operating as soon as 2022.
- Ford announced in March that it's developing an electric version of its Ford Transit cargo van.
- UPS is planning to buy at least 10,000 electric vans from the U.K. startup Arrival.