Amazon invested in Rivian, and now they are working together to build an electric delivery van under the logo “Prime.”
It was announced that there would be around 100,000 electric delivery vans from Rivian used by Amazon. It is the biggest project of this type so far in the world.
Ross Rachey, director of Amazon’s global fleet and products, said that “We’re trying to build the most sustainable transportation fleet in the world. It also needs to be the most functional, the highest performing, the safest.” They released a behind-the-scenes video at Rivian’s Michigan facility:
RJ Scaringe, CEO of Rivian, commented on the project:
“We are focused on driving efficiency into every aspect of the vehicle design — everything from cabin heating to driver ergonomics to drivetrain design has been optimized for time and energy, And then the echo effect of this, of causing other logistics players in this space to also look at how they drive up efficiency within their fleet, will have a very large impact.”
There will be some technology to help the drivers and “that includes a digital instrument cluster and central display screen integrated with Amazon’s logistics management, along with routing and package delivery technology systems to make it easier for the drivers to focus on operating the vehicle. The system removes the need for extra devices that provide address and mapping information. Integrating Amazon Alexa will make it easy for drivers to ask for help or use simple voice commands in the cargo bay when sorting packages without having to manually enter commands or consult handheld devices.”
It is expected that “Amazon’s new electric delivery vehicles will begin delivering packages to customers in 2021. The company plans to have 10,000 of the vehicles on the road as early as 2022 and all 100,000 vehicles on the road by 2030 — saving millions of metric tons of carbon per year by 2030.”