Amazon rolls out 1st Rivian electric delivery vans in Germany

By Bahattin Gonultas

MUNICH (AA) – Amazon will deploy its first European plug-in delivery vans from US electric vehicle (EV) maker Rivian Automotive in Germany over the coming weeks as part of long-term plans to electrify its transportation network, the company said on Tuesday.

Around 300 custom electric delivery vans from Rivian Automotive will hit the roads in the Munich, Berlin, and Dusseldorf regions in the coming weeks.

Last year Amazon said it planned to invest more than €1 billion ($1.09 billion) to electrifying its fleet in Europe, with €400 million ($436 million) of that allocated to Germany.

Amazon, Rivian’s biggest customer, has ordered 100,000 vans in 2019 to be delivered by 2030.

Amazon’s new custom electric delivery vans in Germany will be Rivian Automotive’s first commercial shipments outside the US.

The company said the vans will help save millions of metric tons of carbon per year.

“Together, Amazon and Rivian designed and built a state-of-the-art electric vehicle from the ground up, and unlike anything else on the road today,” Neil Emery, Amazon’s fleet & product head, told journalists in a presentation in Munich.

“Amazon is committed to reaching net-zero carbon by 2040, and reducing our delivery-related emissions is a critical part of this goal,” said Rocco Brauniger, country manager for Amazon.de.

“Last year we delivered more than 45 million packages in Germany with electric vans and e-cargo bikes, and these new additions from Rivian will help us deliver packages more sustainably and to more customers.” Brauniger added.

The vans have a safety-first design focused on superior 360-degree visibility.

They have a large windshield to give the driver greater visibility and standard advanced driver assistance systems that feature automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and collision warnings.

They are also embedded with technology that can integrate the delivery workflow with the vehicle, including routing, navigation and driver support.

The driver’s cabin and cargo area are ergonomically designed for comfort, and the driver’s side door has been strengthened to provide additional protection.