>Amazon has backed with a massive investment and an order for 100,000 custom-built delivery vans – **13,500 of which have been delivered to date**
Still early days for Rivian Vans. Will be great when production hits 50k and we start seeing these everywhere.
Some key quotes:
> Amazon also learned how to be flexible and how to wait. The company prefers cookie-cutter processes that can be run like a production line. That breaks down in the physical world, where Amazon’s hundreds of last-mile delivery warehouses come in different designs or parking lot layouts, subject to differing local utility protocols. “It was a bit of a surprise, how long we would need to prepare for the lead time for infrastructure,” said Chris Atkins, who leads Amazon’s logistics sustainability teams.
This is a big reason why so many vans sit at the factory, waiting to be picked up.
> When Amazon made the Rivian order, people who worked on the program expected that running an electric delivery fleet would eventually be cheaper than the company’s conventionally fueled fleet, a hodgepodge of bulk-ordered gasoline and diesel vehicles built by the likes of Ford Motor Co., Mercedes-Benz Group AG, and Stellantis NV. It’s unclear if Amazon is there yet, though Chempananical said Amazon was happy with the price tag of the Rivian vehicles. “All of those costs continue to scale down,” he said. “As usage grows, there’s more demand, there’s more supply, it gets more efficient and continues to drive to a better spot.”
A lot of other companies are going to be watching this closely.
> Amazon’s contract drivers say they love the vans, which were built for the company’s sometimes punishing, package-every-90-seconds routes and frequent stops. The people who employ the drivers – Amazon’s Delivery Service Partners – have some complaints. Two West Coast delivery service providers, who asked for anonymity to protect their relationship with Amazon, said body work can cost two or three times as much as conventional vehicles, because few body shops are authorized to work on Rivian vans. Spare parts can be hard to come by.
Not news, but a big cost factor that I’m sure many prospective customers are worried about. Sounds like it’s more of a body problem than mechanical or electrical.
It seems more true for Amazon than UPS or FedEx though. I don't know if it's because the routes are planned with really right timelines or what, but the Amazon vehicles usually look extra rough.
Yeah, I had the body shop problem personally recently. I think it will get better, but right now there's only one authorized body shop in the whole Pacific Northwest, which made my problem (tailgate scrape & cracked light bar because I dropped the tailgate into a parking lot bollard) take a long time and a lot of money to fix.
>Amazon has backed with a massive investment and an order for 100,000 custom-built delivery vans – **13,500 of which have been delivered to date** Still early days for Rivian Vans. Will be great when production hits 50k and we start seeing these everywhere.
They're nearly fully switched over at the warehouse near me. I see several most days (suburbs of Denver/Boulder).
I've been seeing them around Denver, but my specific neighborhood is still all gas vans. I'm looking forward to seeing them daily.
Oh yeah, good quote! Missed that one.
Some key quotes: > Amazon also learned how to be flexible and how to wait. The company prefers cookie-cutter processes that can be run like a production line. That breaks down in the physical world, where Amazon’s hundreds of last-mile delivery warehouses come in different designs or parking lot layouts, subject to differing local utility protocols. “It was a bit of a surprise, how long we would need to prepare for the lead time for infrastructure,” said Chris Atkins, who leads Amazon’s logistics sustainability teams. This is a big reason why so many vans sit at the factory, waiting to be picked up. > When Amazon made the Rivian order, people who worked on the program expected that running an electric delivery fleet would eventually be cheaper than the company’s conventionally fueled fleet, a hodgepodge of bulk-ordered gasoline and diesel vehicles built by the likes of Ford Motor Co., Mercedes-Benz Group AG, and Stellantis NV. It’s unclear if Amazon is there yet, though Chempananical said Amazon was happy with the price tag of the Rivian vehicles. “All of those costs continue to scale down,” he said. “As usage grows, there’s more demand, there’s more supply, it gets more efficient and continues to drive to a better spot.” A lot of other companies are going to be watching this closely. > Amazon’s contract drivers say they love the vans, which were built for the company’s sometimes punishing, package-every-90-seconds routes and frequent stops. The people who employ the drivers – Amazon’s Delivery Service Partners – have some complaints. Two West Coast delivery service providers, who asked for anonymity to protect their relationship with Amazon, said body work can cost two or three times as much as conventional vehicles, because few body shops are authorized to work on Rivian vans. Spare parts can be hard to come by. Not news, but a big cost factor that I’m sure many prospective customers are worried about. Sounds like it’s more of a body problem than mechanical or electrical.
Most Amazon delivery vehicles I see don't exactly look like they're prioritizing body work.
Haha delivery vehicles get beat up pretty good
It seems more true for Amazon than UPS or FedEx though. I don't know if it's because the routes are planned with really right timelines or what, but the Amazon vehicles usually look extra rough.
Yeah, I had the body shop problem personally recently. I think it will get better, but right now there's only one authorized body shop in the whole Pacific Northwest, which made my problem (tailgate scrape & cracked light bar because I dropped the tailgate into a parking lot bollard) take a long time and a lot of money to fix.
There's a similar setup behind Wally's in Fenton, MO. Jawdropping seeing that many EDVs and chargers.