Amazon rolled out 50 custom electric delivery vans from Rivian in Greater Vancouver on Oct. 23. This marks the company’s first Canadian deployment of electric Rivian delivery vehicles as part of its global decarbonization strategy.
The vans, operating from Amazon’s DYV1 delivery station in Delta, B.C., are being used by two local Amazon Delivery Service Partners and are designed to reduce emissions, enhance driver comfort, and improve delivery safety and efficiency.
“Amazon has always been committed to offering the fastest delivery speeds for our customers, and it’s tremendously exciting to now launch our first major initiative targeting the decarbonization of our local delivery fleet,” said Eva Lorenz, vice-president and country manager of Amazon Canada, in a news release. “We know that investing in solutions that reduce our impact on the environment also has benefits for our customers, employees and business partners.”
Amazon first partnered with Rivian in 2019, following the co-founding of The Climate Pledge, a commitment to reach net-zero carbon emissions across its operations by 2040. Rivian’s vice-president of B2B growth and business development, Tom Solomon, said in the release, “Today marks an exciting milestone in our five-year history of operations in Canada…We’ve engineered this vehicle to be the superior choice for fleets, intentionally integrating safety, comfort, and sustainability into every detail.”
The vans feature 360-degree visibility, sensor detection, a large windshield, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and collision warnings. Integrated technology links the Amazon delivery workflow directly with the vehicle, supporting navigation, package organization, and driver support systems.
Additional features include automatic door (un)locking, a powered bulkhead door that opens at each delivery stop, ventilated seats, and an ergonomically designed cabin and cargo area, according to the release.
Amazon aims to have 100,000 electric delivery vehicles from Rivian operating globally by 2030. To date, more than 35,000 electric vans have already been deployed worldwide, delivering more than 1.5 billion packages.
