Rivian has announced that its electric van is now available for purchase by any business operating a commercial fleet.
Previously, Rivian’s van was exclusively sold to Amazon. Now, the underlying platform that powered the e-commerce giant’s delivery fleet is accessible to any company with commercial vehicles and the budget to invest.
In 2019, Amazon committed to purchasing 100,000 Rivian vans as part of a major deal that also involved a $1 billion investment in the automaker. Under this agreement, Rivian was required to sell its vans solely to Amazon.
However, this exclusivity ended ahead of schedule in November 2023, with Amazon ultimately acquiring just 20,000 vans—only 20 percent of its initial commitment. Despite this, Amazon remains Rivian’s largest shareholder, holding an estimated 17 percent stake in the company.
Rivian has stated that businesses can purchase anywhere from a single van to thousands, depending on their requirements. However, these vehicles are strictly for commercial use and must be registered under a business—making them unavailable for personal use, disappointing #vanlife enthusiasts. The vans come in two models: the RCV 500, which starts at $79,900, and the RCV 700, starting at $83,900.
Since the expiration of its exclusivity deal with Amazon, Rivian has been testing its van in larger fleets, such as AT&T’s, while also expanding its service and software offerings for future customers.
“We have spent the past year testing with larger fleets, and we’re really pleased with the results,” said Tom Solomon, Rivian’s senior director of business development, in a statement. “As a result, we’re excited to now open sales to fleets of all sizes in the U.S., whether they need just one van or thousands.”
The electric van market has been unpredictable. General Motors initially spun off its BrightDrop electric commercial vehicle division before later reintegrating it, citing market instability. Ford, on the other hand, has found some success with its E-Transit vans, selling 12,610 units in 2024—marking a 64 percent increase from the previous year. Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz introduced its eSprinter van in 2023, with deliveries expected to start later this year.
Expanding its customer base beyond Amazon could benefit Rivian financially, given the company’s struggles in recent years. The vans offer better profit margins than Rivian’s R1T and R1S models, and the automaker also stands to generate additional revenue by selling software subscriptions for various van features, increasing their long-term value.
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