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Electric vehicles are growing in popularity. EVs are becoming more affordable and accessible to consumers. As the automotive industry goes green, automakers have made sure commercial vehicles aren’t left out. Many automakers are working on emission-free semi-trucks and delivery vans. Amazon and Rivian have partnered to give Amazon its own electric fleet.

Electric trucks and vans

An Amazon employee walks by an Amazon Prime delivery truck in the company's premises.
Amazon trucks | Marco Bertorello AFP/Getty Images

Semi-trucks burn diesel, and delivery vans aren’t exactly good for the environment either. Trucks and vans play a vital role in delivering packages and goods. Online businesses like Amazon are entirely reliant on these trucks and vans to transport purchases to locations and consumers.

Large automakers have realized that the trucking industry is a huge source of pollution and are actively working on solutions. Mercedes-Benz has developed a hydrogen fuel cell-powered truck. Companies like Tesla and the Nikola Corporation are also developing trucks that run on alternative fuel sources.

Electric vehicles are popping up in more lineups, but they still only make up for a small percentage of the total market share. Despite innovative vehicles like the Ford F-150 Lightning, we are still a long way from the emission-free electric future that the industry is working toward. Luckily for Amazon, Rivian has a solution for their delivery truck emissions problem.

Amazon’s EV solution

Amazon ships over 1.5 million packages a day. Needles to say, the company uses many delivery trucks, which means a lot of harmful emissions. The trillion+ dollar company foresaw their emissions issue and partnered with electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian.

Rivian is a California-based EV manufacturer founded in 2009, just six years after Tesla. The company has manufacturing plants in the United States, Canada, and England. Rivian’s Evs are semi-autonomous and also prepared to drive off-road.

Amazon saw Rivian’s potential in 2019 and invested $700 million into the electric vehicle company. In exchange, Rivian agreed to produce 100,000 electric delivery trucks for Amazon by 2030. Amazon delivery trucks are about to get a whole lot greener.

Amazon’s delivery EVs

A blue Rivian Amazon delivery truck.
The Rivian Amazon delivery truck | Amazon

Amazon’s deal with Rivian was crucial for the company. The United States is cracking down on harmful emissions, and Amazon is one of America’s most profitable companies. It has been innovative and set the standard for countless online businesses.

It was only a matter of time before Amazon had to embrace electric vehicles as a part of their delivery system. This partnership with Rivian will send ripples through both the automotive and retail good industry because Amazon is such a well-known company. According to InsideEVs, the first 10,000 Amazon delivery EVs will be produced by the end of 2022. The other 90,000 trucks will be out delivering packages by 2030.

Amazon is likely to have a fully electric fleet of delivery vehicles in the decades to come. Other major players in the delivery space will follow suit because the shift is a good move for business and the environment. Amazon has once again changed the game by bringing its business into the future. If this partnership with Rivian is successful, most delivery trucks in the coming years could be emission-free Rivian EVs. Leave it to Amazon to be ahead of its time.

RELATED: Rivian Is Preparing a Way For Wilderness EV Charging

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