The last mile. This crucial leg of any delivered product is the make-or-break mile. The USPS, UPS, FedEx, and others long had a lock on the last-mile business and have pretty much been able to dictate the cost of that mile on their own terms. In order to wrest control of that costly mile away from these companies, mega-seller Amazon has rolled out a fleet of its own vans. Now, in a bid to further reduce costs, retain drivers, and reduce the company's carbon footprint, Amazon has contracted Rivian to produce 100,000 electric delivery vans by 2030, with the first 10,000 hitting the road by the end of 2022. Here are a dozen interesting factoids about the giant, smiling blue whales that have already started rolling out and will become increasingly ubiquitous starting later this year, getting a slight jump on the Ford E-Transit, Bollinger Deliver-E van, and GM's recently announced Ultium-powered BrightDrop delivery van.

 

Three Sizes Fit All

Rivian is developing three vans capable of carrying 500, 700, or 900 cubic feet of packages. All share the same stand-up interior height. The smallest one is narrower than the larger two and is as roomy as today's mainstream Mercedes-Benz Sprinter or Ford Transit delivery vans. The largest has roughly the same turning circle diameter as those smaller vans, to maintain its easy maneuverability. The electric skateboard chassis is relatively easy to stretch or shrink in length or width, and modular design allows for considerable commonality among the three vans.


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