Everyday fleet customers can now order the Rivian Commercial Van (RCV).
When Rivian first ramped up its electric vehicle production, it aimed to build the now-ubiquitous ‘Amazon van’ alongside its retail-focused R1T and R1S vehicles. Now, after years of exclusively building the vans for the e-commerce giant, any business fleet manager can pick up the Rivian Commercial Van, with prices starting at $79,900.
According to Tom Solomon, Rivian’s senior director of business-to-business sales and business development, there’s been a huge wave of interest across multiple trades and (as you’d expect) delivery services. Plumbers and electricians, florists, food services and dry cleaning/linen delivery are a few examples he cites when discussing interest in the RCV. He also mentions Rivian is planning a demo drive program, like it has with the R1 series, for potential fleet customers to try one out before sinking that kind of cash on an electric van, or perhaps a whole fleet of them, depending on the size of the business.
Functionally, the van you’ll be able to purchase for your fleet is more or less the same as the 100,000 Amazon vans that are roaming the streets, just without the branding. Amazon’s exclusivity agreement with Rivian ended in November 2023, though Rivian has only been selling the RCV to bulk customers in the year-and-a-bit since that happened. Now, if you want to order just one van, you’re able to do so, provided you’re able and willing to fork over the money.
Two versions of the RCV are available.
If you want to pick one or more up for your fleet, you’ll have a few different options for your Rivian RCV. The Delivery 500 is the smaller of the two choices, with a payload capacity of 2,663 pounds and a GVWR of 9,500 pounds. On top of that, it offers up to 487 cubic feet of usable cargo volume.
If you need something a little larger, the Delivery 700 is the step-up model. That gets you a longer and wider van, raising cargo volume up by about one-third (34%), to 652 cubic feet. Though your storage volume increases, the payload actually drops a bit by virtue of having a heavier van, down to 2,258 pounds. GVWR, on the other hand, is unaffected.
Whichever Rivian RCV you choose for your fleet, the powertrain remains the same. You get a single-motor, front-wheel drive layout, with the electric motor putting out 320 horsepower and 299 lb-ft of torque. The Delivery 500 manages about 161 miles on a charge according to EPA estimates, while the 700 loses exactly one mile of range for its size. Rivian’s technical specs note an 11-kW AC Level 2 charging rate, with DC fast-charging capability up to 100 kW. If that latter number doesn’t sound impressive, it isn’t really — but Rivian’s betting most fleet customers will just recharge their vans overnight.
Not that most folks interested in the RCV plan to #vanlife it, but with approach/departure/breakover angles of 20/16/14 degrees respectively (and FWD, of course), this particular model probably isn’t a shoo-in for an electric camper conversion.
If you are interested, the order page is now live for everyone’s use. You’ll be able to tell Rivian which van you want (the Delivery 500 starts at $79,900 and the Delivery 700 is $83,900 before applicable fees and taxes.
