IT giant Amazon is no longer the exclusive consumer of Rivian electric vans; anyone can now buy them. Expanding its customer base should help the Rivian startup quickly eliminate losses and start making money.
In the fall of 2019, Amazon and Rivian announced a deal in which Rivian would supply Amazon's delivery service with 100,000 electric vans by 2030. The prototype of the van was presented in 2020, mass production began in 2022, since then Rivian has shipped more than 10,000 vans to Amazon, and yesterday announced that cooperation with Amazon is no longer exclusive — they say, such an agreement was originally, just now it’s time to officially announce it, the announcement was timed to coincide with the publication of Rivian’s reporting for the third quarter of this year. Amazon is Rivian's largest shareholder, so the IT giant's flexibility regarding its previously concluded deal with Rivian should not come as a surprise.
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Vans made for Amazon are designated by the simple acronym EDV (Electric Delivery Van), have a blue body color and Amazon brand logos. The vans intended for general sale are called Rivian Commercial Vans and are presented on the manufacturer's website in a light gray color without decals. Inside the body there are a lot of holes for attaching shelves; the shelves themselves are offered as an option. The main luggage door in the rear is of a roll-up type, the door to the right of the driver is sliding, this was done so that the van could be unloaded in the most cramped urban conditions. The equipment also includes all-round cameras, adaptive cruise control and an automatic emergency braking system.
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The Rivian Commercial Van is currently offered in two versions — the short Delivery 500 (overall length — 6312 mm, wheelbase — 4000 mm, cargo compartment volume — 13.79 m3) and the long Delivery 700 (overall length — 7061 mm, wheelbase — 4750 mm, cargo compartment volume — 18.46 m3). Details about the power plant have not been disclosed, it is only known that the electric motor is installed on the front axle and rotates the front wheels, the range on one charge for the Delivery 500 version is 259 km, for the Delivery 700 version — 246 km. The carrying capacity of the Delivery 500 version is 1240 kg, the Delivery 700 version is 1140 kg. A van in the Delivery 500 version costs from $83,000, in the Delivery 700 version — from $87,000.
The main competitor of the Rivian Commercial Van in the market will be the BrightDrop family of electric vans from General Motors Corporation, their massive production also began last year.
Current Rivian lineup
From the latest Rivian report, it follows that that the company delivered 36,150 electric vehicles to customers from the beginning of the year to the end of September, the bulk of this volume being R1T pickups and R1S SUVs. The company's net loss at the end of September amounted to $1.367 billion, while a year ago it was $1.724 billion, that is, Rivian is slowly but surely moving toward profitability.
We add that in the early fall of last year Mercedes-Benz and Rivian announced their intention to jointly produce electric vans on two different platforms, but changed their minds in December, and the promising cooperation fell apart before it actually began.