Electric Vehicle (EV) start-up Rivian has been given a further boost by internet shopping giant Amazon – who recently placed an order with the company for 100,000 electric delivery vehicles. The announcement was made when Amazon was presenting its Climate Pledge, calling on signatories to reach net-zero carbon by 2040, 10 years ahead of the targets set by the Paris Agreement.
In addition to working with an internet retailer, the firm is working with big car companies. It’s currently in the midst of future vehicle developments for Ford. The fledgling manufacturer is aiming to produce a range of go-anywhere 4×4 EVs built on its own bespoke platform. Two such models include the R1 SUV and R1T pick-up, both of which they showcased at last year’s Los Angeles motor show. Through that, Rivian has attracted high profile investments from firms, one of which includes Ford.
As far as Amazon is concerned, it will invest $440 million (£341 million) to lead a $700 million (£543 million) investment round in Rivian. The company has now furthered those links with the massive order, which it says is the largest ever made in an electric delivery vehicle.
The first Rivan-built vans will go into service in 2021. Amazon said they plan to have 10,000 on the road by 2022 and all 100,000 in operation by 2030. It said that this investment and vehicle order would “accelerate the production of electric vehicles critical to reducing emissions from transportation.”
There have only been some preview images of the van released without details or technical specifications. However, the fact that the firm’s Prime delivery service, and ‘powered by Rivian’ is on the side sill suggests they could be made on Rivian’s bespoke EV platform to a body design specified by Amazon.
These EVs will help Amazon with its long-standing goal of pinpointing ways in which it can reduce costs and improve the efficiency of its delivery operations – especially in terms of ‘last mile’ deliveries to customers in cities. The switch-over to EVs will both cut fuel costs and ensure Amazon vehicles were not affected by low emissions zones increasingly being established in cities. The first vans will likely be deployed in major cities in America.
Rivian has recently dove into the production of its EVs at a plant in Illinois – a facility previously used by Mitsubishi – and this order is a huge push to get that running smoothly. The plant is huge and has the capacity to produce 350,000 units per year! However, Rivian’s initial goal is to sell 50,000-60,000 of its premium electric off-roaders per year by 2025.
There is an increasing focus on car pollution in cities, as well as the costs of fueling large van fleets, so we will surely be seeing more positive news like this in the coming years.
