Amazon has announced the rollout of its custom electric delivery vans from Rivian in Europe, marking Rivian’s first commercial shipment of vans outside the United States. Initially, 300 vans will be deployed in Munich, Berlin, and Dusseldorf in the coming weeks. Amazon already operates a fleet of thousands of electric vans in Europe, including over 1,000 e-vans in Germany. As part of its commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, Amazon invested more than €1 billion last year to electrify its transportation network in Europe.
Rocco Bräuniger, the country manager for Amazon, emphasized the importance of reducing delivery-related emissions to achieve the company’s sustainability goals. Amazon delivered more than 45 million packages in Germany last year using electric vans and e-cargo bikes, and the addition of Rivian’s vans will further enhance sustainable delivery capabilities while serving more customers.
Amazon had begun deploying Rivian’s vans in the United States last year and currently has over 3,000 Rivian vans delivering packages in over 500 markets. The company has placed an order for 100,000 vans from Rivian, with the aim of fulfilling the order by 2030.
Amazon revealed that it conducted testing of Rivian’s pre-production vehicles for deliveries in Europe last year. The feedback received during the testing phase allowed Rivian to make upgrades to the vehicle’s performance, safety, comfort, functionality, and durability. The Rivian delivery vans in Europe have been specifically designed to be shorter and narrower than their U.S. counterparts to better accommodate European roads.
The custom vans feature a large windshield to improve driver visibility and come equipped with standard advanced driver assistance systems, including automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and collision warnings. They are also integrated with technology that streamlines the delivery workflow, incorporating routing, navigation, and driver support. The driver’s cabin and cargo area are ergonomically designed for comfort, and additional protection has been added to the driver’s side door.
Rivian’s entry into the European market for deliveries comes after the company and Mercedes-Benz temporarily halted their plans to jointly produce electric commercial vans. Rivian decided to focus on its consumer vehicle business, selling the R1T truck and R1S SUV, as well as its existing commercial partnership with Amazon.
In March, reports emerged that Rivian had entered discussions with Amazon to remove the exclusivity clause in their agreement, enabling Rivian to pursue other commercial customers. Updates on the progress of these discussions were not available at the time of this writing.
