Amazon Rivian Electric Delivery Vans Arrive in Canada

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Amazon has deployed Rivian’s electric delivery vans in Canada for the first time, the companies announced this week. Deployed in the Vancouver area, there are now 50 Rivian EDVs roaming the streets in their Amazon wrapping.

As someone living in Florida who has seen these electric delivery vans all over the place for quite a while now, it’s surprising to me that they are just launching in Canada. Without a doubt, though, those of you living there will be excited to see them popping up in your neighborhoods, easily identifiable by their funny round headlights.

“Decarbonized transportation is a huge part of Amazon’s goal for net-zero carbon emissions across operations by 2040. It’s partners like Rivian that make this goal feasible,” noted Emily Barber, Director of Global Fleet and Products at Amazon. “We are bringing 100,000 Rivian Electric Delivery Vans on the road by 2030. Today, we have more than 35,000 Electric Delivery Vans globally that have delivered more than 1.5 billion packages. Our mission is to build the safest, most sustainable and advanced fleet in the world.”

“We built this state-of-the-art Electric Delivery Van from the ground up, and it’s unlike anything else in the market. Launching our vans in Canada is a proud moment for our entire team,” added Erica Tsypin, Director, B2B Sales & Partnerships, Rivian. “Since our first production vans hit the road in 2022, Rivian and Amazon have learned quite a lot together, which has allowed us to continuously improve the vehicle’s performance, safety and durability as Amazon has scaled these vans across many climates and geographies.”

Rivian notes that the company worked closely with Amazon delivery drivers in developing the vehicle. Some highlights of the EDV are “360-degree cameras for driver safety, and patented, energy-saving microclimate seats for all-weather comfort.”

Rivian has been operating in Canada for 5 years. It has the following facilities in place there:

• A unique space in downtown Vancouver.
• 4 service & delivery centers in Toronto, Ontario; Richmond, British Columbia; Montreal, Quebec; and Calgary, Alberta.
• Software engineering hubs in downtown Vancouver and Toronto, which is also where engineers from the company’s joint venture with Volkswagen, Rivian Volkswagen Group Technologies, work.

Canada continues to advance its electrification and decarbonization efforts. In the wake of extreme, unnecessary conflict with the United States due to the decisions of President Donald Trump, rumor is that it’s possible another big step forward could be coming to The Great White North. Canada may drop its 100% tariffs on China-produced electric vehicles. If that was to happen, the country could get access to all manner of high-tech, unbelievably affordable, ridiculously compelling electric vehicles from brands like BYD, XPENG, Leapmotor, Zeekr, Avatr, and NIO, among others. For now, though, this is only a rumor and it could just be a negotiating tactic to push back on some of Trump’s demands and behavior.

In any case, Canada will have more electric vehicles on the roads this Christmas season thanks to the Amazon and Rivian EDV deployment, and I imagine it won’t be long before that fleet of 50 doubles, triples, and quadruples.