RIP BrightDrop. Long Live Grounded.

BrightDrop is shutting down. Given General Motors' ever-changing EV strategy over the past few years, this isn't a huge shock (although GM has been a great partner to Grounded). “What about BrightDrop supplier risk?” is a question I’ve been asked hundreds of times over the last 2 years. I’m not going to opine too much on the reasons why GM is doing this, or on why my confidence in the future of EVs is not shaken, but instead will take a moment to talk about what this means for the future of Grounded.

Here’s the thing: Grounded is not an “EV company,” nor is Grounded a vehicle company at all. We build the smart, high-tech, modular workspace or living space on top of the chassis: the design, materials, power system, and Grounded+ software that turn a vehicle into a modern, connected mobile healthcare vehicle, command center, camper van, coffee shop, and more. The application layer on top of the vehicle is our product.

Platform-Agnostic by Design

Investors and customers have asked us two questions since day one:

1. What about EV risk?

2. What about BrightDrop risk?

Our answer hasn’t changed: we’re platform agnostic, meaning we can turn a variety of different OEM vehicles into smart, modular mobile spaces for different use cases. Our current lineup of products includes offerings on the GM BrightDrop (RIP), the Ford e-Transit and the Harbinger BEV and gasoline-hybrid chassis. We are also having active conversations with additional OEMs about building on more platforms in the near future.

Supplier dynamics shift. Government policy shifts. Battery supply and charging infrastructure evolve. Our strategy is to de-risk all of that for our customers by staying flexible on the chassis, and staying relentless about what happens on top of it (the Grounded upfit).

What Actually Differentiates Grounded

• Modular interiors with aerospace-inspired engineering, smart frame mounting system and completely re-invented material stack compared to the rest of the industry- lightweight homogeneous panels resistant to temperature changes, moisture, and wear.

  
  

• Grounded electronics: house power, solar, computing, and connected sensors for every outlet and device onboard 

• Grounded+ software: the only all-in-one vehicle telematics solution in the world that includes monitoring and control of both the vehicle itself and all of the interior upfit systems all from a single fleet management app: vehicle range, house battery state of charge, GPS, appliance-level power monitoring, remote controls and more.

  
  

• Design that looks and works like the future, multifunctional furniture deeply rooted in human factors for complex workflows, surfaces with performance look and feel, structured, clean lines, advanced use of lighting, screens, and appliances throughout the space. Police commanders and healthcare fleet managers alike are blown away by Grounded’s modern design and technology.

  
  

“Grounded Gas” (Yes, Really)

First we launched EVs; recently we launched hybrids; and, soon, yes, hello Grounded Gas 😎 At the end of the day, Grounded is a mobility company. And soon we’ll be opening up gas builds on certain van platforms like Ford Transit and Mercedes Sprinter. Why now?

• Customer demand: some fleet operators simply aren’t ready for electric yet because of charging infrastructure, etc. but they still want Grounded’s interiors, uptime, and technology.

  
  

• Resilience and growth: adding gas is not a pivot away from electric; it’s an expansion that strengthens the business so that we can keep investing in EV and hybrid platforms.

  
  

• Pragmatism: if we want to accelerate electrification long-term (which we still do), we need to keep scaling today. Serving gas fleets where it makes sense, now, will help us continue to be a leader in electrification in the future.

What This Means If You’re a Customer

• You choose the chassis: electric, hybrid, or gas. We’ll deliver the same Grounded interior, power system, and Grounded+ controls on top.

  
  

• Continued maintenance and support: General Motors has publicly committed to continuing to service BrightDrops in the future, and similarly Grounded will continue to service the BrightDrop interiors of its customers who have that platform.

  
  

• Same experience: modular layouts, premium materials, always-on connectivity, remote fleet controls—regardless of what’s under the floor.

  
  

• Electric isn’t going anywhere: we’ll keep leading on EV and hybrid (including range-extended platforms like Harbinger), while supporting gas for teams that need it.

  
  

The Path Forward

No one in the world has tried as hard as we have to build on all electric vans. But at the end of the day what differentiates Grounded is everything above the chassis: our design, materials, technology, and integrated fleet management software. We build on fully-electric and hybrid platforms like Ford, GM, and Harbinger, and now, with Grounded Gas, which we've long been considering, we're looking to a truly platform-agnostic future. Our stock of available BrightDrops is strong at the moment, but expansion to gas vehicles will move the business forward and allow Grounded to continue to lead the way in electrification and hybrid.

• We will keep building on remaining BrightDrops in inventory until there are none left.

  
  

• Continue to expand electric and hybrid platforms to Ford, Mercedes, Harbinger and more.

  
  

• Launch Grounded Gas alongside electric and hybrid

  
  

If you’re a fleet operator (healthcare, command, pet, food & bev, etc.) or a camper van customer, and you need a high-tech, modular workspace or living space perfectly suited to your needs, let’s talk through your use case, and whether EV, hybrid, or gas is right for you.

Drop me a line at sam@groundedrvs.com. We’ll recommend the right platform, and build the smart interior that makes it awesome.