Amazon Starts Deliveries Using Electric Rivian Vans In San Francisco

At the end of 2020, Amazon.com Inc AMZN was spotted testing all-electric delivery vans in California.

The new delivery van is produced by Michigan-based Rivian, a new manufacturer of electric vehicles. Amazon announced a purchase of 100,000 delivery vans from Rivian back in 2019 and invested $2 billion in the company. 

Amazon has begun public testing of the vans in San Francisco, California, according to CNBC.

Last month, Amazon started using the vans for deliveries in Los Angeles. Amazon plans to use the electric vans in 14 cities by the end of 2021. 

San Francisco was selected as a test city due to its “great customers, unique terrain and climate,” according to Amazon.  

“From what we’ve seen, this is one of the fastest modern commercial electrification programs, and we’re incredibly proud of that," Amazon global fleet and products director Ross Rachey reportedly said. 

Amazon is slowly transitioning to electric vehicles. To make the change, Amazon has added thousands of electric vehicle chargers to its delivery stations. For now, the vehicles are being driven by Amazon employees who are specially trained to operate the electric vehicles.

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Photo courtesy of Amazon.