Rivian is set to market its commercial electric vans to any business in the U.S. that shows interest, following the end of its exclusivity agreement with Amazon over a year ago.
The manufacturer plans to offer two models: the smaller 500 and the larger 700. However, purchasers will need to be registered businesses, as stated by the company. This means that aspiring van lifers may need to be patient to see if Rivian eventually offers direct sales to consumers.
The introduction of its commercial van fleet signals a new revenue opportunity that has remained untouched since Rivian and Amazon concluded their exclusive partnership in November 2023. This new venture arrives at a critical moment for Rivian, who is striving to reduce losses ahead of the release of a more affordable SUV next year.
Rivian has been observed conducting various tests with potential fleet clients. According to spokesperson Tanya Miller, the electric vehicle manufacturer has spent the past year preparing a commercial fleet offering that caters to a wide range of businesses. This preparation included developing service infrastructure, enhancing digital systems, and gathering insights from pilot programs with fleet customers.
“In the past year, we focused on our trials with larger fleets, and we’re very satisfied with the outcomes,” noted Tom Solomon, Rivian’s senior director of business development, in a statement.
Production of the commercial vans began in 2021, two years after Amazon announced its ambitious order of 100,000 vehicles in a bid to lower its environmental footprint. At the time, Amazon had already made significant investments in Rivian — only seven months earlier, it had led a $700 million funding round for the startup.
As of now, Solomon states that Amazon has received 20,000 commercial vans from Rivian for its fleet.
Compiled by Techarena.au.
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