Amazon will order 100,000 electric delivery vans from EV startup Rivian, Jeff Bezos says | The Verge

For details on the overall Amazon climate strategy, see Jeff Bezos pledges that Amazon will swiftly combat climate change | The Verge

"Rivian is a relatively new name in the electric vehicle industry, having only debuted its pickup truck and SUV at the end of November 2018. But the company has been operating in stealth since 2009. Originally founded to make something that competed with Tesla’s first car, the Lotus-based Roadster, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe eventually pivoted the company toward a more action-adventure customer segment.

Rivian’s main push this year has been a massive fundraising effort, with the company securing enormous investments from a host of major players, Amazon included. Bezos’ company led a $700 million funding round last February, but it did not disclose the exact amount it was contributing. In April, Ford announced a $500 million investment in Rivian that the companies said would result in a new electric vehicle to be sold by the auto giant. Most recently, Rivian landed a $350 million investment from Cox Automotive, a big name in the retail and logistics space."

Amazon will order 100,000 electric delivery vans from EV startup Rivian, Jeff Bezos says | The Verge