Though still in the design stage, a host of features aims at boosting driver efficiency and cutting carbon emissions
Though still in the design stage, a host of features aims at boosting driver efficiency and cutting carbon emissions
E-commerce platform Amazon is working with the electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian to develop and deploy a fleet of 10,000 electric delivery vehicles this year and 100,000 such vehicles by 2030.
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The new delivery vans are intended to reduce carbon emissions and boost driver efficiency.
“Manufactured at Rivian’s plant in Normal, Illinois, they’ll come in three size variants and support multiple battery sizes so they can be optimized for specific delivery routes,” stated an Amazon blog post on Wedesnday.
Rivian is not revamping an existing model, but is creating a new customised vehicle to address Amazon’s specific needs.
Some planned design features include automated emergency braking, front wheel and all-wheel drive options, lane keeping assistance, pedestrian warnings, traffic design recognition, and automated alerts for distracted driving behavior.
Amazon’s post stated the vehicles would save “millions of metric tons of carbon” every year. The vehicles will also integrate Amazon Alexa in order to eliminate the need for other devices or programs to help drivers.
However, the news comes as Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe announced via an internal memo this week that the company would be slashing 6% or over 800 of its 14,000 strong workforce. The company head cited economic conditions as the reason for the decision.
Rivian stock is up by 18.60% in the last month, but fell by 43.96% in the last six months.
Meanwhile, Amazon stock is up by 12.64% in the last month, but dropped by 15.98% in the last six months.
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