We previously reported Amazon’s plans to put 10,000 Rivian electric vans on its delivery routes. The retail giant has since expanded the trial it started in Los Angeles to included San Francisco.
This is the latest milestone in the collaboration between the two companies. Amazon has announced it is expanding the road test to 14 more American cities this year so we expect more updates like this.
Rivian Automotive, a Michigan based startup, has raised about $8 billion in investors’ fund, with part of the money coming from Amazon itself via its $2 billion Climate Pledge Fund. Amazon immediately placed an order for 100,000 vans, which will surely keep the startup busy for a while.
In preparation for the massive roll-out, Amazon has been redesigning its delivery hubs to include thousands of chargers and training some of its employees to drive the buses.
Amazon selected the Golden City for its test because of the city’s great customers, unique terrain and climate. Operations will start from its Richmond station and expand to other Bay Area facilities soon.
“From what we’ve seen, this is one of the fastest modern commercial electrification programs, and we’re incredibly proud of that. As we continue to grow and invest in California, we want to do so responsibly, so we’re excited for customers in the Bay Area to see these vehicles cruising through their neighborhood,” said Ross Rachey, Amazon global fleet and products director.
Amazon is taking on an ambitious program to make all its delivery operations run on renewable energy and switch to an all-electric fleet by 2040, ten years before 2050 has set by the Paris Agreement. It has since logged 20 million deliveries using electric vehicles.
Each van has a range of 150 miles and has components custom made for Amazon. They carry Amazon’s Prime branding and boast of advance driver assist system and exterior cameras which will allow the drivers to see in all directions around the vehicle. Rivian has been working on its electric van and a duo of an electric SUV and pickup truck. It is building out charging facilities ahead of its planned roll-out of the new models.