Photo: Rivian
Customers across the U.S. will begin seeing Rivian-made electric delivery vans emblazoned with the distinctive Amazon logo delivering packages beginning today.
This initial rollout brings into reality the vision Rivian and Amazon had back in 2019 when the e-commerce giant and the startup electric vehicle manufacturer committed to fast-tracking the development of a new electric delivery vehicle.
The cities of Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City, Nashville, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle, and St. Louis, among others, received the new EDVs to carry out deliveries over the last-mile portion of the shipping route. Amazon expects to have the custom electric delivery vehicles in more than 100 cities by the end of the year and to 100,000 by 2030.
“Last mile” is defined as the final part and last leg of the supply chain. In simple words, last-mile delivery is the movement of goods from the warehouse to the customer’s destination. The Rivian EDV700, with 700 cubic feet (19.8 cubic meters) of cargo space and a 200-mile (321 km) range, is ideal for the last-mile leg. The company also manufactures a smaller EDV500 and plans on developing a larger EDV900. Amazon is also adding Ram ProMaster vans from Stellantis.
To support the acquisition and expansion of its electric vehicle ambitions, Amazon has equipped its delivery centers with charging stations and will increase charging capacity as the fleet grows.
Amazon began testing Rivian pre-production vans late last year and delivered over 400,000 packages racking up over 90,000 miles in the process. The pre-production testing enabled Rivian to measure and improve the vehicle's performance, safety, and durability.
Amazon hopes Rivian can minimize the impact of parts shortages and supply issues that have plagued the company's ability to bring their flagship R1T pickup to market and provide a steady stream of EDV deliveries. First-quarter deliveries of Rivian models totaled just 1,227 vehicles, but output increased to 4,401 in Q2.
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe told Automotive News during a factory event in April that the factory could produce 50,000 vehicles this year if the automaker had enough parts.
The cities of Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City, Nashville, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle, and St. Louis, among others, received the new EDVs to carry out deliveries over the last-mile portion of the shipping route. Amazon expects to have the custom electric delivery vehicles in more than 100 cities by the end of the year and to 100,000 by 2030.
“Last mile” is defined as the final part and last leg of the supply chain. In simple words, last-mile delivery is the movement of goods from the warehouse to the customer’s destination. The Rivian EDV700, with 700 cubic feet (19.8 cubic meters) of cargo space and a 200-mile (321 km) range, is ideal for the last-mile leg. The company also manufactures a smaller EDV500 and plans on developing a larger EDV900. Amazon is also adding Ram ProMaster vans from Stellantis.
To support the acquisition and expansion of its electric vehicle ambitions, Amazon has equipped its delivery centers with charging stations and will increase charging capacity as the fleet grows.
Amazon began testing Rivian pre-production vans late last year and delivered over 400,000 packages racking up over 90,000 miles in the process. The pre-production testing enabled Rivian to measure and improve the vehicle's performance, safety, and durability.
Amazon hopes Rivian can minimize the impact of parts shortages and supply issues that have plagued the company's ability to bring their flagship R1T pickup to market and provide a steady stream of EDV deliveries. First-quarter deliveries of Rivian models totaled just 1,227 vehicles, but output increased to 4,401 in Q2.
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe told Automotive News during a factory event in April that the factory could produce 50,000 vehicles this year if the automaker had enough parts.
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