Amazon Officially Starts Deliveries With Rivian Vans

[Vern Bybee]

Since I always like to bitch and moan, that's nice for Amazon, but where's my R1T? Yea, yea, yea...they gotta test 'em.??

Think about this
They are learning!
If the first Vans door gaps are not perfect does a delivery person care?
Elon said mass production has a learning curve
What better way to learn than on a vehicle that fit & finish are not so important
Elon said "PAINT SUCKS" hence CyberTruck
So look at this as such a good thing for us
Plus the Skateboard platform is being mass produced and mass tested in the real world
THIS IS ALL WINNING!!!!!!!!

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[hola29]

If Rivian decides to take on the retail sports 4wd van market in a few years that would be a SERIOUS consideration as an upgrade if my R1S experience goes well.

Always love the modern 4wd sprinters, but won’t buy a new ice car ever again.

Up and running in LA. 10,000 more by 2022:
https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/tr...elivery-vehicles-are-starting-to-hit-the-road





Amazon's custom electric delivery vehicles are starting to hit the road

There's a new vehicle delivering smiles to customers, and it's electric.

Amazon customer deliveries will look a little different in parts of Los Angeles. Just one year after announcing the purchase of 100,000 custom electric delivery vehicles as part of The Climate Pledge, Amazon has begun testing the new vans on delivery routes.

More customers will see the custom electric delivery vehicles cruising neighborhoods in up to 15 additional cities in 2021, ahead of tens of thousands of vehicles hitting the road over the next few years.

"We're loving the enthusiasm from customers so far—from the photos we see online to the car fans who stop our drivers for a first-hand look at the vehicle," said Ross Rachey, Director of Amazon's Global Fleet and Products. "From what we've seen, this is one of the fastest modern commercial electrification programs, and we're incredibly proud of that."

Amazon partnered with Rivian, leveraging its customizable skateboard platform to create a first-of-its-kind all-electric delivery vehicle. "Rivian's purpose is to deliver products that the world didn't already have, to redefine expectations through the application of technology and innovation," said RJ Scaringe, Rivian Founder and CEO. "This milestone is one example of how Rivian and Amazon are working toward the world of 2040, and we hope it inspires other companies to fundamentally change the way that they operate."

Amazon's custom electric delivery vehicle, designed and built in partnership with Rivian, hitting the road in Los Angeles.

Amazon's custom electric delivery vehicle at an Amazon delivery station in Los Angeles, charging up for its next delivery route.

Amazon's custom electric delivery vehicle cruising through Los Angeles.

Amazon's custom electric delivery vehicle delivering smiles to customers in Los Angeles.

Amazon's custom electric delivery vehicle testing delivery routes in Los Angeles.

Amazon's custom electric delivery vehicle at an Amazon delivery station in Los Angeles, getting ready to deliver smiles to customers.


Amazon and Rivian began testing vehicles four months prior to making customer deliveries, as part of the testing and development process. Amazon is working with Rivian to conduct additional testing of the vehicle’s performance, safety durability in various climates and geographies, as engineers continue to refine the vehicles for the start of production slated for the end of this year. The current fleet of vehicles was built at Rivian's studio in Plymouth, Michigan, and can drive up to 150 miles on a single charge.

Amazon has also started getting its buildings ready to accommodate the new fleet of vehicles and has installed thousands of electric vehicle charging stations at its delivery stations across North America and Europe.

In support of The Climate Pledge, Amazon is committed to achieving net-zero carbon across its operations by 2040, a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement. To achieve this goal, Amazon is transforming its transportation network. Along with custom electric delivery vehicles, Amazon is exploring new technologies, alternative fuels, and delivery methods that deliver packages to customers in a more sustainable way. Amazon currently operates thousands of electric vehicles worldwide and is redesigning its delivery stations to service electric vehicles—ranging from the electrical design to the physical layout. Last year, Amazon delivered more than 20 million packages to customers in electric delivery vehicles across North America and Europe and will continue building on that momentum in 2021.

 

[kanundrum]

 

[stevegshi]

I hope that they sell this van to the general public.

 

[skyote]

Where did that come from?

 

[kanundrum]

Where did that come from?

Vimeo haha

 

[azbill]

I hope that they sell this van to the general public.

I have been hoping they would actually sell trucks and SUVs to the general public.

 

[Dersies]

These are probably behind closed gates, but how great would it be if Rivian owners could use these? They will be everywhere!

They will like other people said be behind closed gates. I also know for a fact they will be 50kW chargers and there will be quite a alot of them in each location but they are software locked to keep only a certain amount to keep the load down on the grid. They also are probably not in convenient locations with only industrial and commercial areas around at least it will be that way in Santa Rosa.

 

[electrictaco]

Outline kind of looks like an R1T... I see areas for frunk, front seats, rear bench, gear tunnel, and truck bed...

Not sure what an Adventure Pod is, but it looks like this either Amazon is now delivering Kayaks to Tahoe in their Rivian Vans, or parts of the UI will be reused by Rivian.

@kanundrum where on Vimeo was this located?

 

[kylealden]

For anyone who is upset that these beat R1Ts to market... bear in mind that the 10,000 delivery vans are what is ramping up Rivian's production, subsidizing infrastructure, and hopefully getting the kinks out of your R1T. And should help guarantee stability for the company even while they work to carve out a consumer niche. This is great news for all of us even if it pushed us back in line a bit.

 

[electrictaco]

For anyone who is upset that these beat R1Ts to market

I don't think these vans have beaten the R1T to market. Whatever vans are being used for testing for deliveries are probably at the same pre-production level as the camo-wrapped R1Ts on the road.

 

[kylealden]

I don't think these vans have beaten the R1T to market. Whatever vans are being used for testing for deliveries are probably at the same pre-production level as the camo-wrapped R1Ts on the road.

Sorry, I worded my post poorly. I am specifically referring to the 10,000 vans which the video claims will be delivering packages by (presumably the end of) 2022. Some of those vans will beat some of our R1T/R1S vehicles to market.

(As a nitpick - while the vans are probably still more or less "pre-production" in that there's no evidence it's yet a mass-produced vehicle, they're being tested in a production use case by a real customer in a way that R1Ts are not. So it's a little different.)

 

[kanundrum]

Outline kind of looks like an R1T... I see areas for frunk, front seats, rear bench, gear tunnel, and truck bed...

Not sure what an Adventure Pod is, but it looks like this either Amazon is now delivering Kayaks to Tahoe in their Rivian Vans, or parts of the UI will be reused by Rivian.

@kanundrum where on Vimeo was this located?

Sort by date uploaded recent.

 

[electrictaco]

Sort by date uploaded recent.

Interesting. Seems to be a case study by an outside UI/UX design house called Vectorform. Explains the inconsistencies in the design language and renderings.

 

[kanundrum]

Interesting. Seems to be a case study by an outside UI/UX design house called Vectorform. Explains the inconsistencies in the design language and renderings.

Yeap with a lot of these videos they are all simulated with nothing like actual footage. Case in point attached is how it should look but from what I recall these interface videos are old.

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