Rivian’s Amazon EV Vans Are on the Way

• Amazon begins using production examples of Rivian's custom-designed electric van in its operations.

• Rivian and Amazon developed the vans together just for the retail giant's needs, with safety and convenience features built in from the start.

• The EV maker now has three vehicles in production, all launched within the past 11 months.

Just as Rivian's pickup truck and sport utility are becoming more visible in US traffic, Rivian's van for Amazon is about to do the same. The online retail giant has started deploying the specially designed electric delivery vans on its routes this week in a number of large US cities, after testing pre-production models for months.

Residents of Seattle, Chicago, Nashville, Dallas, Kansas City, Baltimore, Phoenix, St. Louis, and San Diego should start seeing the vans this week. By the end of this year, thousands of vans should be in use in over 100 US cities.

Amazon has been testing the vans for about a year, having delivered over 430,000 packages and collected over 90,000 miles of use experience. This has allowed Rivian to refine the custom-engineered vans before this week's rollout of production versions.

The addition of Rivian vans to Amazon's fleet is an important milestone for the EV startup, which has faced rough seas this year amid the chip shortage and price increases for raw materials. The automaker says it is still on track to produce 25,000 EVs by the end of this year, having reported to have delivered 4467 vehicles in the second quarter and having produced 4401 EVs.

"Today represents an important step, not just for Amazon and Rivian as partners, but also for transportation and the environment," said RJ Scaringe, CEO of Rivian. "In 2019, Rivian and Amazon committed to fast-tracking a new type of delivery vehicle that would result in a significant reduction of carbon emissions. Thanks to our teams’ dedication, hard work and collaboration, and a shared commitment to make the world a better place for our kids’ kids, that vision is now being realized."

The vans feature a sliding door for the driver, an ergonomic cabin, software that integrated delivery workflow with the vehicle, adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, and other safety systems, in addition to light battery design to last the lifetime of the vehicle.

Amazon says it has installed thousands of charging stations at its delivery hubs across the country, allowing the vans to be recharged at night at their home bases rather than use public stations. The vans will offer range between 120 and 150 miles, which will be enough for delivery shifts in a given 24-hour cycle.

"Rivian was one of the first companies Amazon invested in through the Climate Pledge Fund, and we’re just getting started on our journey to have 100,000 of Rivian’s vehicles on the road by 2030," said Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon. "And, in addition to being sustainable, these new vehicles are also great for drivers—they were designed with driver input and feedback along the way, and they’re among the safest and most comfortable delivery vehicles on the road today."

Still, Rivian has a few other competitors in this field including GM's BrightDrop, which has been producing vans since last fall, and Arrival, which is just getting started in the US.