Rivian To Start Delivering All-Electric Pickup By Summer Next Year: Report

Amazon.com, Inc AMZN-backed Rivian will begin deliveries of its all-electric pickup truck and SUV by sumer next year, the electric vehicle maker said in an email on Saturday, as reported by TechCrunch.

What Happened

Rivian had previously said in May that its delivery schedule had been moved to 2021, and it now spelled out the specifics in the note sent to prospective customers.

The Irvine, California-based company said it would begin delivering its R1T electric pickup truck in June 2021 and its R1S electric SUV in August 2021.

The EV maker has reportedly begun running a pilot production line at its factory in Normal, Illinois.

Rivian is also expected to make 100,000 delivery vehicles for Amazon and said it's on schedule to begin delivering the electric vans to the retailer in early 2021.

Of the Amazon vehicles, 10,000 will hit the roads in 2022, and remaining would be in use by 2030, TechCrunch noted.

Why It Matters

The delay in commencement of production is being attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, as the EV maker halted construction work on its factory, a former Mitsubishi plant it purchased in 2017.

Last week, it was reported that the rival Tesla Inc TSLA is suing Rivian for allegedly poaching its employees and stealing its intellectual property.

The T. Rowe Price Group Inc. TROW- and BlackRock, Inc. BLK-backed firm raised $2.5 billion in its first financing round of 2020 held earlier this month. It had raised over $2.85 billion last year.

Photo courtesy: Rivian