Amazon unveiled its first all-electric delivery van on Thursday. Built by Michigan-based EV startup Revion, the vehicle will come with state-of-the-art technology such as sensing equipment and an advanced driver-assistance system. The e-commerce giant says that by 2030, with a full fleet of 100,000 vehicles, “in early 2022,” it is expected to have 10,000 vans on the road-making delivery.
“When we started building our first customized electric delivery vehicle with Revion, we knew it needed to surpass any other delivery vehicle. We wanted drivers to love using it and customers to be excited when they see it driving around and reaching their homes, “said Ross Rashe, Amazon’s director of global fleet and products, in a statement. Paired with, and the result is what you see here – the future of last mile delivery. “
Amazon does not disclose any details about the vehicle’s drivetrain, battery, range or other related specifications. Like most modern cars on the road, the van will also have an external camera that will be connected to a digital display inside the cabin, giving the driver a 360-degree view of the outside of the vehicle. Naturally, it will also integrate with Amazon’s Alexa and voice assistant for hands-free navigation support and weather updates.
The driver side door will be reinforced for extra protection, while the rear of the vehicle will have three level shelves with bulkhead doors for quick entry. Amazon says that, very interestingly, there will be a “dancefloor” inside the driver’s cabin for easy movement inside the van. (I guess that means we can expect more Delivery Driver Ticket videos in the future.)
Revion is a relatively new name in the electric vehicle industry, having only launched its pickup trucks and SUVs in late November 2018 – despite operating in stealth since 2009. Original Tesla’s first car, the lotus-based roadster, Revion CEO RJ Scaring eventually led the company to a more action-adventure consumer segment.
Last year, Rivian was able to secure the excessive investments of big players, including Amazon. Jeff Bezos’ company led a fundraiser of 700 700 million in February 2019, but has not disclosed the exact amount it is contributing. In April, Ford announced an investment of 500 500 million in Revion, which companies said would sell the new electric vehicle through the auto giant. (That vehicle has been delayed by the COVID-19 epidemic.) Recently, Rivian invested x 350 million with Cox Aut Tomotive, a big name in the retail and logistics space. And then, in July 2020, the company pulled its largest amount yet: Amazon 2.5 2.5 billion from Amazon, Ford and Cox.
Rivia has shown two vehicles so far: the R1T pickup and the R1 SUV. Built on the same technology platform, Rivian claims its vehicles – which will start at around $ 70,000 – will be able to travel about 400 miles on a single charge, hit 60 miles in an hour at a distance of three seconds and eventually be able to drive. In a little capacity of yourself.
Amazon originally announced the new delivery van as part of its climate commitment to be a carbon-neutral company by 2040.
