Donald Stanfield
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
This is a bonus review, as I wasn't expecting the EDV to be at the Nashville space today. I talked with Seth, who introduced himself as the head of Rivian's fleet sales department. They brought the EDV because they are going to start fleet sales soon. I was interested because I was a skilled tradesman before transitioning to white-collar work. I spent many years driving a commercial service van, so I know what makes a good service vehicle. I also inquired if Rivian would enter the upfitting market for camper vans. They are not going to. The quantity you will need to order will depend on who you are. For nonprofits, they are willing to sell 1-2 units, and commercial companies will need to buy 5-10 at a time.
That isn't an insanely high bar to entry so I could see it being possible to have service companies buy these vans.
I'm unsure if anyone has seen what one of these looks like without the Amazon paint scheme but this one was white. I think it's pretty good looking and would make a good impression on customers.
In this view we can see the jump seat and the cab entrance. There was a lot of thought put into this design as the entry and egress are plenty wide, and there are steps with grab handles that would make the walk-out comfortable.
Jump seat is folded, and you can see the tread and grip tape on both steps. I could see this being pretty critical with mud or snow on your boots during inclimate weather.
The view from the cab is high visibility and the positioning of the screens is useful.
An overhead door in the back makes getting heavy equipment and supplies in and out accessible. I think this EDV is an excellent fit for commercial service companies. It's bigger than a full-size transit, costs less to operate for city driving, and is easier to use. The ingress and egress is more thoughtfully designed and would prevent injuries. Unfortunately, a Rivian van overland rig isn't happening unless an upfitter decides to buy them and provide them as a third-party vendor. Several people stressed how willing they are to work with non-profits, and it seems they focus on helping with that.
It was a nice bonus to see the van, and touring it was cool. Admittedly, I don't think they were offering test drives of it, so I didn't ask. I was pressed for time, as I had to get back home today. I'll be happy to give impressions or answer questions if anyone has any about the EDV.
That isn't an insanely high bar to entry so I could see it being possible to have service companies buy these vans.
I'm unsure if anyone has seen what one of these looks like without the Amazon paint scheme but this one was white. I think it's pretty good looking and would make a good impression on customers.
In this view we can see the jump seat and the cab entrance. There was a lot of thought put into this design as the entry and egress are plenty wide, and there are steps with grab handles that would make the walk-out comfortable.
Jump seat is folded, and you can see the tread and grip tape on both steps. I could see this being pretty critical with mud or snow on your boots during inclimate weather.
The view from the cab is high visibility and the positioning of the screens is useful.
An overhead door in the back makes getting heavy equipment and supplies in and out accessible. I think this EDV is an excellent fit for commercial service companies. It's bigger than a full-size transit, costs less to operate for city driving, and is easier to use. The ingress and egress is more thoughtfully designed and would prevent injuries. Unfortunately, a Rivian van overland rig isn't happening unless an upfitter decides to buy them and provide them as a third-party vendor. Several people stressed how willing they are to work with non-profits, and it seems they focus on helping with that.
It was a nice bonus to see the van, and touring it was cool. Admittedly, I don't think they were offering test drives of it, so I didn't ask. I was pressed for time, as I had to get back home today. I'll be happy to give impressions or answer questions if anyone has any about the EDV.
Sponsored