Is the Rivian Electric Van the Most Versatile Van of All?

Key Highlights

• Rivian revealed their commercial van for the first time in September 2019.
• This was when Amazon announced plans to purchase 100,000 Rivian vans by 2024.
• According to a recent release, the company began manufacturing the Rivian Commercial Vehicle (RCV) last year and has already delivered ten vans.
• Rivian does not specify a beginning price or a price range for the RCV.By comparison, the 2022 Ford E-Transit has an anticipated maximum driving range of 126 miles and a payload capacity of 4,260 pounds.

Advertisement

Rivian just provided additional information on its RCV (aka. Rivian Electric Van or EDV). What is the point? Let us begin. Rivian revealed their commercial van for the first time in September 2019. This was when Amazon announced plans to purchase 100,000 Rivian vans by 2024. According to a recent release, the company began manufacturing the Rivian Commercial Vehicle (RCV) last year and has already delivered ten vans.

Rivian's most recent fleet website included a wealth of additional information regarding the new Electric Delivery Van (EDV). While the business first projected the driving range of the RCV500, the company's smallest van, at 150 miles. According to the most recent FleetOS screenshot, the vehicle's maximum driving range is 200 miles (see below). A fleet manager can use FleetOS to monitor the status and location of each vehicle. This includes the current speed, charging status, and battery charge level, among other things.

Advertisement

Additionally, the business says the RCV platform will feature all-wheel drive (AWD), have a curb-to-curb turning radius of 54.8 feet, a charging speed of up to 150 kW, and a payload capacity ranging from 5,300 lbs to 1,960 lbs. Long wheelbase variants will have a load capacity of up to 900 cu ft. Rivian does not specify a beginning price or a price range for the RCV.

By comparison, the 2022 Ford E-Transit has an anticipated maximum driving range of 126 miles and a payload capacity of 4,260 pounds. The E-Transit begins at a reasonable $43,295 (although this is still many thousand dollars more than an equivalent gasoline-powered Transit).

The first deliveries of GM's BrightDrop EV600 business van have already begun. FedEx received an initial supply of five vans last month. BrightDrop claims that their EV600 van has a maximum range of 250 miles, a maximum payload of 2,200 pounds, and a maximum DC charging speed of 120 kW.

Thus far, the specification sheet and all available facts do not indicate a clear winner. We need to put these vans to the test in real-world settings to see which one wins.