[Updated February 10 12:55 p.m. EST – Clarified Amazon’s current relationship with Rivian]
Anyone who owns a business and needs a delivery van has a newly available option today in the Rivian Van. From 2019 to 2023 the van was exclusively available for Amazon drivers, as the e-commerce Goliath commissioned the Illinois-based electric truck manufacturer to build 100,000 of these vans by 2030 and paid handsomely for the privilege. Amazon now has over 20,000 of the van in its fleet, but in 2023 Amazon ended the exclusivity portion of the deal, so Rivian has also found other companies to buy its E-delivery machines, including AT&T.
Now you don’t need to be a large fleet buyer in order to get one of these vans, as Rivian is willing to strike a deal with single-unit buyers. Rivian says it won’t sell to regular consumers yet, however, as you’ll need a business license and the vehicle must be registered to the business, not an individual. If you’re a Vanlifer who wants to go electric this summer, you’ll have to register an LLC and start a YouTube channel or something in order to get one.
“Over the last year we have been focusing our efforts on testing with some larger fleets, and we’re really pleased with how those trials have gone,” said Tom Solomon, senior director of business development at Rivian, in a statement. “As a result, we’re excited to now be able to open sales to fleets of all sizes in the US, whether they want 1 van or thousands.”
The Rivian Van comes in two sizes, with prices reflected thereof. The $79,900 RCV 500, and the larger and pricier $83,900 RCV 700. The alpha-numeric naming structure relates to roughly the cubic feet of storage available in each, 487 and 652 respectively. Payload capacity for either is just over 2500 pounds, with the smaller van rated slightly higher as a result of its body weighing less. The smaller van, again by dint of its lighter weight, has a bit more range at 161 miles, with the larger 700 running 153 miles. Both can charge on J1772 and CCS1, with DC fast speeds up to 100 kW.
Those prices are a bit more than the Mercedes-Benz eSprinter ($61,180) or Ford’s e-Transit ($45,700), but at least the Rivian looks cooler.
