Amazon rolls out first European Rivian vans in Germany

California, July 4 (BNA): E-commerce company Amazon said it will deploy the first European trucks from US electric vehicle (EV) maker Rivian in Germany in the coming weeks as part of long-term plans to electrify its transit network. Tuesday.

Amazon said 300 electric vans will hit the roads in the Munich, Berlin and Dusseldorf regions as part of an order of 100,000 vehicles it placed in 2019 from Rivian, of which it is the largest shareholder, Reuters reported.

Rivian and Amazon will use a custom-built van that’s slimmer than its American counterpart to better fit the streets of European cities.

Amazon has allocated more than 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) to electrify its fleet in Europe, of which 400 million euros is earmarked for Germany.

The online retailer began rolling out Rivian pickups in the US last year and now has more than 3,000 pickup trucks delivering packages in more than 500 cities and territories in the US. It aims to have 100,000 Rivian vehicles in its fleet globally by 2030.

ZH