Rivian Begins Delivering Amazon Vans With 201 Miles of Range

author: Vineeth Joel Patel   

Unlike a lot of other automakers, Rivian has plans for electric cars for both commercial use and regular consumers. It's a multifaceted plan to ensure it doesn't fizzle out like other startups. While the industry is really focusing on the R1T and R1S, which started to be delivered to consumers earlier this month. Rivian also has some more good news, as it stated that the first saleable delivery vans it's been building for Amazon will be sold to the giant tech company at the end of the month.

EDV Vans Being Delivered

Rivian's electric delivery van now has a name: the EDV. It's produced alongside the R1T pickup truck and R1S SUV at the automaker's factory in Normal, Illinois. Amazon's massive order of EDV vans was one of the first things that put Rivian on the map. Amazon ordered 100,000 EDV vans from the automaker to use as delivery vehicles. The vans utilize Rivian's FleetOS management system to make tracking deliveries easier for Amazon.

While we've seen Rivian testing its electric delivery vans in the open before, the automaker claims that the first batch of "saleable" vans will be heading to Amazon before the end of the year, which is right on schedule. The saleable vans that Rivian will be delivering to Amazon are called the EDV 700. This is the first time we've heard the vehicle's full name. Rivian didn't provide an explanation for the "EDV" part, but the 700 comes from the van's 700 cubic feet of cargo space. Based on the EPA's testing, the EDV 700 will be able to travel 201 miles on a full charge.

Rivian also announced that it would be coming out with a smaller electric delivery van called the EDV 500. Based on what we know about the EDV 700, it's pretty easy to say that it will be smaller and have a cargo capacity of up to 500 cubic feet of cargo. We expect Rivian to use the same platform as the EDV 700, but place it on top of the smaller body, so range and performance should be the same.

Delivery Vans Take Priority

The electric automaker is prioritizing Amazon's orders for electric vans before buckling down and focusing on the R1S and R1T, which is something it shared earlier this October. It's attempting to speed up production of the EDV line of delivery vans by streamlining its operations at its factory in Illinois. The factory now has shared production lines for drive units, stamping, and batteries across the automaker's two platforms — one for the EDV and the other for the R1S and R1T.

Rivian is looking to expand output at its Illinois factory to 200,000 units annually, up from its initial figure of 150,000 units. Additionally, the automaker will come out with a new facility in Georgia that will certainly help it make more electric cars. This will also ensure that Rivian doesn't hit a bottleneck if and when its cars become more popular.

Vineeth Joel Patel

Joel Patel has been covering all aspects of the automotive industry for four years as an editor and freelance writer for various websites. When it comes to cars, he enjoys covering the merger between technology and cars. In his spare time, Joel likes to watch baseball, work on his car, and try new foods