Amazon’s electric delivery vans made by Rivian are here, and they’re pretty cute

In yet another blow to Big Diesel, Amazon has just unveiled its new electric delivery van designed and built by lauded EV upstart Rivian.

This is the first of three models for Amazon, following a $700 million investment into Rivian last February, along with an order for 100,000 vans. It’s a pleasant, eye-catching design, with cute details and thoughtful touches that have delivery drivers laughing joyfully in this promo video:

There are three levels of shelving in the cargo space, a camera system to enable a 360-degree view outside the van on two displays in the cabin, and of course, Alexa support so drivers can easily get info about their routes and the weather. Amazon previously noted these vehicles would hit the road starting in 2021.

This is part of Amazon’s push to get 10,000 custom electric delivery vehicles on the road worldwide by 2022, and 100,000 of them by 2030. That includes some e-cargo bikes in New York City, and electric rickshaws in India. The larger goal is to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040.

This is good news for the move to eliminate diesel-powered cargo vehicles across the globe. Naturally, we’ll see more like this in developed countries first, and with different approaches. Yesterday, Hyundai delivered the first of its hydrogen fuel-cell trucks to commercial customers in Switzerland; Toyota also recently revealed its plans for a similar vehicle whose prototype will be ready next year.

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