Amazon has ordered 100,000 electric vans from Rivian

Earlier this year, a small online retail company called Amazon led a £544 million round of investment in the all-electric start-up Rivian. Now, off the back of that, Amazon has placed a huge order for 100,000 EV delivery vans.

You’ll remember Rivian for its fantastic-looking, go-anywhere seven-seat SUV and five-seat pick-up truck – both unveiled at the 2018 Los Angeles Motor Show. Neither have hit roads yet, but Rivian initially promised we would get them in 2020, so we may not have to wait too much longer.

As a quick reminder, it was also promised that both the SUV and pick-up, which featured all of their non-oily gubbins in a skateboard style platform, would manage 0-60mph in 3.0secs and a range of up to 400 miles, all whilst costing the equivalent of £50,000 in the US.

That’s quite the proposition, but back to the news at hand. Amazon announced the order as part of its ‘Climate Pledge’ – essentially a target of reaching net zero carbon by 2040, 10 years ahead of the goal set by the Paris Accord. 

In terms of technical details, we don’t know much more at the moment. The previews of the vans make them look pretty cute, though, and we’re sure that Amazon delivery drivers the world over will be praying that they get the same torquey platform as the SUV and pick-up. 

Imagine that! Delivering parcels, one silent quarter-mile at a time…