Amazon is taking delivery of more than 300 custom delivery vans from Rivian, as part of a global rollout of 100,000 vehicles.

The new vans are the first to be delivered to Amazon in Europe and will be deployed in Germany.

“Together, Amazon and Rivian designed and built a state-of-the-art electric vehicle from the ground up, and unlike anything else on the road today,” said Neil Emery, Amazon’s global fleet & product director. “The safety and comfort of our drivers were top of mind for us throughout this process, and we’ve raised the bar on both with the vehicle we are rolling out in Europe today.”

Amazon is already operating  3,000 Rivian vehicles in the USA and aims to have 100,000 electric delivery vehicles from Rivian on the road globally by 2030.

The online retailer announced last year that it plans to invest more than €1 billion to electrify its European transportation network and reduce carbon emissions over the coming years.

“We’re thrilled to see the EDV rolling out in Germany today” said Dagan Mishoulam, vice president, strategy & go to market at Rivian. “This vehicle was designed in conjunction with our partners at Amazon and not only puts driver convenience and safety first, but also the environment. We’ve had incredible feedback from drivers in the US and we're excited to start international expansion in Germany. Today is a real milestone for us as it also marks the first Rivian vehicles in Europe and we’re very excited about our future in the region.”

Amazon’s custom electric delivery vans are the product of its partnership with Rivian, which the companies announced in 2019. Amazon has been testing deliveries with Rivian pre-production vehicles in Europe since last year. This testing has allowed Rivian to continuously improve the vehicle’s performance, safety and durability in various climates and geographies as well as optimising driver satisfaction, and overall functionality.