Amazon has kicked off the deployment of its custom electric delivery vans from Rivian in Europe. This development marks the electric vehicle (EV) startup Rivian's first commercial van shipment outside the United States.
In the coming weeks, a first batch of 300 vans will hit the roads in Munich, Berlin, and Dusseldorf. Amazon is not new to electric vans as it already operates thousands of them in Europe, including more than 1,000 e-vans in Germany alone. Last year, the e-commerce titan invested over €1 billion to electrify its European transportation network.
Rocco Bräuniger, country manager for Amazon, stated that this step is a key part of Amazon's commitment to reaching net-zero carbon by 2040. "Last year we delivered more than 45 million packages in Germany with electric vans and e-cargo bikes, and these new additions from Rivian will help us deliver packages more sustainably and to more customers,” he said.
This rollout in Europe follows Amazon's deployment of Rivian's vans in the U.S. last summer. With over 3,000 Rivians already delivering packages across more than 500 U.S. markets, Amazon aims to fulfill its 100,000-van order from Rivian by 2030.
Prior to this commercial shipment, Amazon and Rivian conducted delivery tests with pre-production vehicles in Europe last year. The feedback from these trials informed various upgrades to the vehicle's performance, safety, comfort, functionality, and durability. Notably, the Rivian delivery vans for Europe are designed to be shorter and thinner than their U.S. counterparts, better suiting them to European roads.
Some of the unique features of these custom vans include a large windshield for enhanced driver visibility, standard advanced driver assistance systems, and technology integration for delivery workflow management. Ergonomically designed for comfort, the driver's cabin and cargo area, along with additional door reinforcement for protection, ensure an optimum delivery experience.
Rivian's European delivery comes a few months after the EV company and Mercedes-Benz paused their joint production of electric commercial vans in Europe. During that time, Rivian stated it needed to concentrate on its consumer vehicle business and its ongoing commercial business with Amazon. As of now, reports suggest Rivian might be in talks with Amazon to remove its exclusivity clause to accommodate other commercial customers.
