Today Amazon unveiled its brand new electric delivery van developed by Rivian, along with some of its features and a first look at its interior.
Rivian and Amazon have been working together since Rivian took a $700 million round of funding led by Amazon last year. Following the epic funding round, Amazon announced that it would be purchasing 100,00 electric vans from Rivian to add to its delivery fleet. A deal that is one of the biggest of its kind and a huge win worth over $4 billion for the electric vehicle startup.
In a press release today, Amazon announced “Just a year since announcing The Climate Pledge, Amazon is excited to reveal its first custom electric delivery vehicle, designed and built in partnership with Rivian.”
Rivian CEO, RJ Scaringe, commented “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. 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.”
According to Amazon, Rivian will start production of the electric delivery van next year. They are expecting to have 10,000 vans on the road as early as 2022, with the other 90,000 joining them by 2030.
Check out the video below and the list of features released by Amazon:
-State-of-the-art sensor detection, a suite of highway and traffic assist technology, and a large windshield to enhance driver visibility.
-Exterior cameras around the vehicle that are linked to a digital display inside the cabin, giving the driver a 360-degree view outside the vehicle.
-Alexa integration for hands-free access to route information and the latest weather updates.
-A strengthened door on the driver’s side for additional protection.
-A “dancefloor” inside the driver’s cabin for easy movement inside the van.
-Bright tail lights surrounding the rear of the vehicle to easily detect braking.
-Three levels of shelving with a bulkhead door, which can easily be opened and closed for additional driver protection while on the road.