Rivian CEO Says Its Adding Cargo & Works Vans To Commercial Vehicle Lineup

Rivian, the electric mobility start which is backed by Ford and Amazon has announced that in addition to its electric SUVs, electric pickup trucks and the newly launched EDV-700 electric delivery van that it has designed for Amazon, there will be more new commercial vehicles that are part of its product portfolio.

Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said there will be a host of other applications in the commercial space and said there will be adaptations of the RCV platform which is the basis of the Amazon electric van.

"We're thinking about many other aspects of the commercial space outside of last-mile delivery (including) cargo and work vans. We've had a whole host of discussions with other customers,” he told Reuters.

Scaringe said that there will be smaller commercial vehicles which could use some of the components that are already used in the electric delivery van Rivian has designed for Amazon. It also has an R2 electric crossover which is in development and will enter production at a new factory that is in Georgia.

He said the new commercial vehicles will utilise elements from the R2 as well. Scaringe revealed that he expected Rivian to be producing 1 million EVs per year by 2030.

“A lot more than that as we get out into the 2030s. That's going to require multiple vehicles, different platforms and sizes. And ultimately multiple plants above and beyond what we have in Normal and what's been announced in Atlanta. There will be additional facilities that will allow us to go into these different markets and scale up,” he said.

Rivian currently has an order for 100,000 electric vans from Amazon and by 2023 it plans on having more customers. Amazon is Rivian’s largest shareholder with a 20 per cent stake in the company, but the e-commerce giant also works with Mercedes Benz and Stellantis.