Automotive

Rivian builds an all-electric delivery van for Amazon

Rivian builds an all-electric delivery van for Amazon
Amazon is showing off what it describes as its first custom electric delivery vehicle
Amazon is showing off what it describes as its first custom electric delivery vehicle
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Amazon is showing off what it describes as its first custom electric delivery vehicle
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Amazon is showing off what it describes as its first custom electric delivery vehicle
Amazon says that its first batch of 10,000 electric trucks will be on the road in 2022
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Amazon says that its first batch of 10,000 electric trucks will be on the road in 2022
Last year, Amazon signed a deal to buy 100,000 electric trucks from automotive startup Rivian
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Last year, Amazon signed a deal to buy 100,000 electric trucks from automotive startup Rivian
The deal to buy 100,000 zero-emission trucks from Rivian is part of Amazon’s wider push to clean up its business operations
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The deal to buy 100,000 zero-emission trucks from Rivian is part of Amazon’s wider push to clean up its business operations
A look inside the driver cabin of Amazon's electric delivery truck
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A look inside the driver cabin of Amazon's electric delivery truck
The front end of Amazon's electric delivery truck
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The front end of Amazon's electric delivery truck
Amazon says its first electric delivery truck has been customized to prioritize safety and driver experience
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Amazon says its first electric delivery truck has been customized to prioritize safety and driver experience
View gallery - 7 images

Last year, Amazon signed a deal to buy 100,000 electric trucks from automotive startup Rivian, and today the pair have offered a first real look behind the curtain. Amazon is now showing off what it calls its first custom electric delivery vehicle, which has been tailored to suit its delivery operations and is expected to hit the road in 2022.

The deal to buy 100,000 zero-emission trucks from Rivian is part of Amazon’s wider push to clean up its business operations, which includes a pledge to be completely carbon neutral by 2040.

This has seen the e-commerce giant actually work on three different models with Rivian, after investing in the company in last February. Today it shows off one of these, which it says has been customized to prioritize safety and driver experience.

A look inside the driver cabin of Amazon's electric delivery truck
A look inside the driver cabin of Amazon's electric delivery truck

That means a large windshield for visibility along with exterior cameras to provide a 360-degree digital view of the surroundings, along with sensors for highway and traffic assist functions. The truck also features a “dancefloor” space inside the cabin for easy maneuvering when loading and unloading, integrated Alexa and a couple of other safety-oriented features in a strengthened driver-side door and bright tail lights.

"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."

Beyond these features, Amazon hasn’t divulged any details on range, powertrain or performance of the vehicle. It does say, however, that the first batch of 10,000 electric trucks will be on the road and delivering goods around the world by 2022, and all 100,000 of them will be in action by 2030.

The deal to buy 100,000 zero-emission trucks from Rivian is part of Amazon’s wider push to clean up its business operations
The deal to buy 100,000 zero-emission trucks from Rivian is part of Amazon’s wider push to clean up its business operations

"We hope our custom electric vehicle helps create a sense of urgency in the industry to think big about embracing sustainable technology and solutions – whether you're a package delivery company, a logistics company, an ice cream manufacturer, or almost anyone else with vehicles on the road," said Ross Rachey, Director of Amazon's Global Fleet and Products.

You can see the promo video for Amazon’s new electric truck below.

Amazon’s first custom 100% electric delivery vehicle

Source: Amazon

View gallery - 7 images
14 comments
14 comments
WB
fugly - and who designed that interior it looks like an 80 toyota corola with some screens.. why not take the chance and make it look nice.. it is a choice to make it look crappy... and no cheery music can change that...
CAVUMark
Great looking design which has to be practical since it is purpose built. But to me they look like mobile Chinese warehouses.....
BlueOak
Clean, minimalist and functional. As it should be.

Will be interesting to see more of the operational Amazon delivery optimized features as they disclose them.
Edward Vix
WB, my sentiments exactly!
HarryTC
There is a PUSH to advance transportation into an electrical World. BUT America is not even close to being ready due to a minimal electrical capacity. Power shut downs were being scheduled for Southern California this summer (2020), and if Gavin Newsom’s Executive Order goes into affect we will see massive Electrical Grid shutdowns!
paul314
I wonder what the monitoring side is like. Do drivers get constant reminders that they're X number of seconds behind their delivery quota, like the warehouse workers?
Maboomba Maboomba
Ugliest vehicle ever.
Martin Yale
Why not put the driver seat in the middle - then you dont have to left or right hand models - in theory as only parcel delivery driver
ClaudioB
BlueOak has it right: "Clean, minimalist and functional. As it should be."
BTW, here in China where I live as an expat, LOTS of (REALLY fugly) minivans and small delivery vehicles are EVs and on the road since a couple of years, without much fanfare.
Wake up USA (and the rest of the Western world, for that matter), China is silently and constantly improving and investing in the whole EV environment: stop bitching about "the Chinese" and learn something from them!
gonk
I love how so many people think their opinions on the looks of this matter. It's a work vehicle, not a Lamborghini.
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