Rivian is one of the hottest EV startups doing the rounds. It has deep pockets thanks to investments from Ford, Amazon, and many venture capital firms. Amazon’s investment in Rivian originally was $700 million which entailed the startup producing 100,000 electric delivery trucks. It was supposed to be delivering the first tranche of 10,000 vehicles by the end of 2022.
Looks like Rivian is right on track with achieving the same. Its vehicles have already been popping up in cities like San Francisco, Denver, and Oklahoma – but these were prototype vehicles that were doing real-world testing.
Rivian CEO and co-founder RJ Scaringe has posted a photo of eight Rivian vans which look identical to the one that Amazon has been teasing which even feature the “Powered By Rivian” signage. He also shared tweeted videos that showed the initial production process.
A lot of it is not known about these vans as they have probably been customized and tailored for Amazon’s logistics. These vehicles are obviously different from the R1T and R1S vehicles which Rivian are going on sale soon in July and August.
The R1T has been even showcased in the Apple TV+ original “the Long Way Up” and is expected to duel with the likes of the Tesla Cybertruck and the Ford F-150 Lightning.