A publicity shot shows the truck Rivian plans to build for Amazon. Amazon The Rivian/Amazon truck, viewed from a different angle. Amazon Jeff Bezos Amazon The R1T from behind. Jonathan Gitlin The R1S SUV. If it looks like an R1T with more roof and a hatch, that's because it is. Jonathan Gitlin
Amazon has ordered 100,000 electric trucks from startup Rivian, the e-commerce giant announced Thursday. The order is part of Amazon's larger pledge—also announced today—to reach zero net carbon emissions by 2040. Amazon aims to use 80% renewable energy by 2024 and 100% by 2030.
Rivian is an electric-vehicle startup that is initially focusing on trucks and SUVs. Amazon led a $700 million funding round for the company earlier this year.
"The first electric delivery vans will go on the road in 2021," said Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos at an event in Washington DC. "The 100,000 will be completely deployed by 2024, let's say."
Amazon's press release on the initiative offers a different timeline, saying the company is aiming to have 10,000 vehicles on the road by 2022 and all 100,000 vehicles on the road by 2030—six years later than the date Bezos gave. We've asked Amazon to explain this discrepancy and will update if we hear back.
Rivian unveiled its first two products late last year: a pickup truck called the R1T and an SUV called the R1S, both of which are slated to have a range as far as 400 miles. The pickup is expected to start at $69,000 (for a shorter-range model)Read More – Source
