'It's Kinda Sick:' Amazon's Rivian Electric Delivery Vans Get A Thumbs Up from Tech Whiz MKBHD

Popular tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee reviewed the electric delivery vans (EDV) manufactured by Rivian Automotive Inc RIVN for online retailer Amazon.com Inc AMZN and he seems rather impressed.

What Happened: “It’s kinda sick,” Brownlee, popularly known as MKBHD, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The EDVs are customized for delivery purposes with their high roof that enables any driver to stand upright without having to bend.

“It’s not about luxury driving. This is about being functional for the drivers on a daily basis,” Brownlee said.

The vehicle is available in two sizes, called the 500 and the 700. The 700 version is longer and wider but they are in the same class of vehicles, Brownlee noted.

The cargo space offers ample space to stack parcels with a back sliding door that opens with a button. The door is also light enough to allow for easy closure, Brownlee noted.

The vehicles “ideally” pose no range anxiety, Brownlee said. Drivers consume 20-40% of the battery every day and leave it for charging overnight to start with a full battery the next morning.

Rivian CEO R.J. Scaringe responded to the review on X with a short, “Great review,” and added that he loves the vans.

Why It Matters: As of early July, these Rivian designed EDVs were in operation across 800 cities in the U.S.. Rivian also commenced deliveries of the vans to Amazon in Europe in July.

Amazon placed an order for 100,000 EDVs from Rivian in 2019. As per the initial contract, Rivian can deliver solely to Amazon for four years after initial deliveries. The California-based EV maker started delivering to Amazon in 2022.

During the company’s second-quarter earnings call, Scaringe said that the company is working closely with Amazon for the permit to sell these vans to buyers other than Amazon sooner than was originally contemplated in the contract.

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Photo by Mike Mareen on Shutterstock