Yahoo Sports Amazon and Rivian show first electric delivery van
Amazon and Rivian have pulled the sheet off the first four-wheeled product of their new sustainability venture. This custom, all-electric delivery van is the first of many Amazon plans to introduce to its fleet in the coming years.
The van itself is fairly barebones and practical, as you'd expect from a delivery vehicle. While Amazon and Rivian remain tight-lipped regarding the van's exact specifications, they say it will offer 150 miles of total range (which would be class-leading). Rivian will announce its battery supplier for the project later in 2020.
"The vehicle we’ve developed with Amazon is not just electric. We prioritized safety and functionality to create a vehicle that’s optimized for package delivery," said RJ Scaringe, Rivian CEO. "We thought through how drivers get in and out of the van, what the work space feels like and what the work flow is for delivering packages."
"When we set out to create our first customized electric delivery vehicle with Rivian, we knew that it needed to far surpass any other delivery vehicle. We wanted drivers to love using it and customers to feel excited when they saw it driving through their neighborhood and pulling up to their home," said Ross Rachey, Director of Amazon's Global Fleet and Products. "We combined Rivian’s technology with our delivery logistics knowledge, and the result is what you see here-the future of last mile delivery."
Amazon plans to purchase a total of 100,000 electric delivery vans from Rivian, the two announced a year ago. It's part of a larger push on Amazon's part to move toward sustainable energy, the company said. It plans to be carbon-neutral by 2040 and utilize 100% renewable energy by 2030 — up from 40% today
While Amazon is heavily invested in the electric startup, that is not the only avenue it has explored. While the size of the order may pale in comparison, Daimler is slated to provide 1,800 electric Mercedes-Benz delivery vans to Amazon's European operations.
