What can the Amazon Delivery Van from Amazon do?
Doorstep selling
Rivian Amazon Delivery Van
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The ongoing pandemic has given the already popular delivery services further tailwind. Amazon is initially treating itself to its own electric van in the USA – from Rivian.
Hardly any automaker has made a name for itself similar to Rivian in the past two years. The US brand got a market value of more than 60 billion euros from a standstill without any significant vehicle production. Among the numerous investors: the Ford Motor Company and delivery specialist Amazon. Rivian is shaking up the auto world, especially in the United States, in a way that almost only Tesla did before. The Irvine-based start-up’s formula for success is simple: Take a platform for electric cars that promises a lot of power and a long range, put either an SUV or a pick-up on it and you have a gigantic success, at least on the home market. The basis of the two car models is a skateboard platform, which got its name from its appearance and in which the batteries, the drive units, the thermal system, the brakes and the chassis are housed. The latter consists of a double wishbone front axle and a multi-link rear axle, a set-up that promises reasonable agility. This is also necessary because the two body versions each weigh just under 2.7 tons.
Four engines, each with 147 kW / 200 PS, provide propulsion for the two models R1T and R1S. Depending on the battery size, the total output is 300 kW / 408 PS, 522 kW / 710 PS or 562 kW / 764 PS. Accordingly, the batteries have a capacity of 105 kilowatt hours, 135 kWh or 180 kWh in the top version. The torque is 560 Newton meters for the basic variant and 1,120 Nm for the two more powerful models. The most powerful version manages the standard sprint from zero to 100 km / h in around three seconds and the top speed is limited to 201 km / h. Charging is carried out either with an eleven kW Type 2 on-board charger or a 160 kW fast charging station, with which a range of around 320 kilometers is possible within 30 minutes.
The start of the model was the 5.48-meter-long R1T, a pick-up that was well worth seeing. The first series vehicles were produced with some delay at the end of last year. Before this happens with the R1S SUV, which can accommodate up to seven people, the first models of the Amazon Delivery Vans were put into service almost incidentally. The Rivian Delivery Van is not available for normal customers because it was developed exclusively for the delivery service mogul Amazon and has been used by them since the end of 2021. The delivery giant initially ordered 100,000 of the delivery vehicles in 2019, which bear the official name EDV – Electric Delivery Van – and are to be delivered by the end of 2024. The Rivian Commercial Van is available as a mono-axle or all-wheel drive and has a load volume of 12,700 to 25,000 liters and payloads between 890 and 2,400 kilograms. Its turning circle is 16.70 meters. The electrically powered models are connected to one another and to the headquarters via their own fleet operating system for maximum efficiency and cost optimization. Amazon itself holds 20 percent of Rivian shares; Competitor Ford another five percent. DHL and UPS opponents FedEx have opted for the models from competitor Bright Drop, a General Motors subsidiary, as a pure parcel delivery service.
The EDP is manufactured in the Rivian main plant in Normal / US state Illinois. The first model that has now been put into service with a handful of vehicles in California is the Rivian EDV 700 with a load volume of 700 cubic feet, the equivalent of almost 20,000 liters of storage space. The maximum range of the electric charge master is 320 kilometers. Can be recharged at speeds of up to 150 kW. From the middle of this year, the Rivian Delivery Van will also be available for other fleet customers; deliveries are then planned for the beginning of 2023.