Rollout Begins for Rivian, Amazon Delivery Vehicles

OC’s fastest-growing automaker and one of the world’s largest online retailers are making headway on making e-commerce deliveries a little greener.
Rivian Automotive LLC of Irvine and Seattle-based Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) recently confirmed a small batch of the automaker’s electric delivery vans have been released on some of Amazon’s Los Angeles routes. The two said they expect additional Rivian vehicles making Amazon deliveries in another 15 cities this year as they gear up for a much larger rollout that would mean thousands more Rivian vans on the road.
The Rivian vehicles on the road were made in Plymouth, Mich., and tout a drive of up to 150 miles on a single charge.
Amazon’s aim with the electric vehicle program is to get to net-zero carbon by 2040. Last year, the retailer said it used electric vehicles to deliver more than 20 million packages.  
Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund was part of a group of investors that led the most recent funding round of $2.65 billion for Rivian last month, bringing its total raised to date to $8 billion.
Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe said at the time that this is a “critical” year for the automaker as it not only launches the delivery vehicles for Amazon but also its R1T truck and R1S SUV to consumers.
To support that, the automaker has more than 350,000 square feet leased in Irvine and Tustin with hundreds of open job postings locally.
Its most recent notable hire within Orange County was Laura Schwab, who was poached from Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd. where she had served as president of its Americas business.