Rivian electric van highlights unique features as it reaches for more customers

Get ready to see more electric delivery vans in your neighborhood and on the road. EV Rivian will begin selling its big-box commercial vans to customers other than Amazon in February.

Customers can expect lower costs and higher security thanks to the vans’ drivetrain and other features, director of fleet solutions Erica Tsypin told me as we stood in one of the vans at the Detroit auto show’s indoor EV test track.

The van is on display and Rivian’s luxury electric R1T midsize pickup and R1S SUV are available for demo rides until the show closes Jan. 20.

Prices start at $83,000. Rivian promises significant operating and energy savings in addition to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

The RCV, or Rivian commercial van, is similar in looks and features to the vans Amazon already uses. The retailer is a major Rivian investor. It has ordered 100,000 Rivian vans, and got the first ones off the assembly line in Normal, Illinois.

More: 16 must-see vehicles at the Detroit Auto Show

Modern looks, unique features

To outward appearances, the RCVs are tall, sleek delivery vans with ultramodern appearing external lights.

Rivian’s concentrating on big fleet operators as it expands sales, Tsypin said. Customers will begin receiving the Delivery 500 and longer Delivery 700 van this spring.

Top features include:

• 15.6-inch center touch screen

• Low step-in height for easy entry and exit

• Convenient hand-hold for entry

• Bright and recognizable LED headlights

• Rear halo safety lighting and taillights

• 360-degree cameras for parking and driver safety

• Automatic bulkhead door for cargo security and ergonomics

• Brightly lit cargo space with up to 6 feet, 10 inches of headroom

• Energy-saving “microclimate seats” for all-weather comfort

The automatic bulkhead door slides open when the driver puts the vehicle in park to deliver packages and shuts in drive. A proximity sensor shuts it if the driver walks far enough away for cargo to be at risk.

Charging time and range

The vans have a 100 kW battery. The 500 can go 161 miles on a charge, the 700, 153. The 500 is 248.5 inches long and has a 157.5-inch wheelbase. The 700 is 278 inches long on a 198-inch wheelbase.

Because they’re used in shifts, most charging will be done overnight with 240 volt current at depots. The batteries add 17 miles of range an hour at that rate, and 86 miles an hour at a 50kW DC fast charger. The vans currently come with a CCS DC charging port and an adapter for Tesla style, or NACS, chargers. Rivian is switching to built-in NACS ports, and will offer CCS adapters so its vehicles can continue to charge anywhere.

Amazon, which has made reducing its carbon footprint a priority, got the vans first because it’s a major Rivian investor and has committed to buying the 100,000 vans by 2030. Amazon also buys electric vans from other automakers.

Ford sold 12,160 electric E-Transit commercial vans in 2024. Stellantis’ Ram truck brand sells ProMaster EV vans, but doesn’t break sales numbers into electric versus internal combustion.

Contact Mark Phelan: 313-222-6731 or mmphelan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark_phelan. Read more on autos and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Not just for Amazon any more: Rivian adds EV delivery van customers

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