"Wow, I could live in that" was my first thought, it would be a perfect base to build an rv! Although, they would have to extend it's range - as it is, it would take a month or so to drive from NY to LA 🐢, but you would get to really see the country and meet people!
I worked for the USPS when Amazon just started doing their own deliveries in my area. It's amazing to see how far they've come from being gig workers in unmarked cars to driving these vans that probably outmatch anything any delivery company has in terms of driver comfort. I was 26 years old driving an LLV with no heat, no AC that broke down monthly and was older than I was. This would have been an absolute dream.
Honestly this is a brilliant bussiness move from Rivian - proof of concept/fix all the issues with Amazon, then roll them out worldwide to postal services. Most 1st world Gov. departments are looking to reduce CO2 emissions and hit green targets - switching the gov. owned postal service to electric vehicles would move towards that target massively.
Agreed. I actually recall reading a few years ago that during Bush 2's second term, the US Postal Service wanted to start replacing vehicles with fleets of electric (or maybe hybrid) vehicles and it got shut down. I believe that was one of the big reasons the USPS began to fail to the point it has. They were disallowed from making that decision, which would've saved tax payers and then they subsequently had their budget lowered...relative to inflation.
I am an Amazon DA based in NYC, and we have gotten hold of these beauties recently and have been driving them around for the past 4-5 months. It is quite literally revolutionary and honestly the design focused around the driver is so much more efficient compared to the gas cargo vans. It feels like a spaceship tbh. Only complaint is the sound system. It is not good. Rivian if you watch this video and read the comments please update that somehow. Would really appreciate it!
If you want professional courier services, use one and pay for it. Amazon delivery drivers, or any usual delivery company is minimum or close to minimum wage work. Dont expect a high standard for a service which you either get for free or for a fee of a couple of dollars.
They really did a killer job designing this vehicle for the industry. Simple utility. The electric pass through and cargo doors are awesome. Also, the sides of the vehicle are Curbside (passenger) and Streetside (driver).
I work as an Amazon driver and get to drive these things nearly every day. You said they’re not luxury driving, but compared to the ICE vans? These are peak luxury 😂 I love driving these things
Rivian is destined for greatness. I think they could even choose to enter the Semi market with the credibility a design like this gives them. They would automatically win on cabin ergonomics from day one.
as a courier for over 20 years, this design looks amazing, the step van style is great, and this thing takes that flawless design and just makes it so much better. slick!
This van has so much potential for multiple industries that will need to transition to electric. Tradesman, construction, and most exciting of all-- RV. Vanlife would be sick in this Rivian Van.
The interior size would likely also be awesome for craftsmen. Lots of room for tools and parts, it's locked away in the back, and if needs be you can work in the back in the dry. Maybe Rivian even offers an outlet option on their vans so you don't need to lug around generators for the jobsites.
Given that it’s electric, I fully expect these things to be compact in size, but with an incredibly spacious interior. Finally the emergency kit can go into the frunk, and the battery weight forces a low center of gravity, thus making these things incredibly stable. For context, I raced on a track with a retired Fedex box truck and a UPS truck. Its very easy to get them on two wheels like the UAE drivers out in the dunes.
I drove the 700 model for about 8 months before quitting. I've never seen a 500 model outside of the Rivian techs that would stop by the warehouse. It's a great step up from the pro masters we drove prior, but as much as it made the job easier, Amazon increased the workload to compensate. I could answer a million questions about these vans if anyone has any not answered in the video.
is there a button that can open the back door or do you always have to manually open? can you button open any of the doors from the outside? (the fob didn't seem to have those options) was the navigation software rivian specific or can you use google maps? did you think the software experience was good overall? how does the large screen deal with rain? thanks if you answer any of these!
I drove for Amazon for 8 months, but I moved on just before the Rivian vans were introduced. This is the cleanest van I’ve seen. I never thought I would see MKBHD with a vest on. 4:37 I would usually have 148 stops which means I would be in and out of the van at least 148 times. It’s really cool they upgraded the delivery experience. Perfect upgrades.
You don’t often see any kind of products that are so massively designed for one purpose or customer. But when you see it and everything makes sense it’s just beautiful.
The not having to charge during the day is probably why this is a win. I can't imagine Amazon taking the productivity hit if that was the case since charging vs pumping gas are miles apart especially if you don't get a fast charging station.
THIS is a use case where EV makes a TON of sense...driving around town, low speeds, lots of stop and go, charging and overall battery maintenance can be tightly controlled, etc? PERFECT use case for EV.
Do you guys think this will ever become commercially available as second-hand "over flow" product? You know how some companies have their stuff for sale if it's been a long time and they just have too much overflow surplus? Reason I ask is because this looks like such a perfect vehicle for those pursuing "van life". Also seems like a great apocalypse van build. #zom100.
Good to see effort and care put into something that will make someone's job not only easier, but more enjoyable. Koodoos for not cutting corners when you easily could.
It's a full circle moment for me, from watching MKBHD videos for tech reviews to becoming an automotive engineer only for him to launch a new auto channel and review the van I helped build at Rivian.
I'm happy to see how this improves working conditions for delivery drivers. Now if Amazon can work on their policies and stop union busting, we can make some real progress.
Love this vehicle! Looking forward to seeing a campervan conversion someday soon. That cargo area looks very practical for this. I'd love one of these as an EV campervan with a bit more range and all-electric cooking, heating and cooling.
I talked to a driver when they delivered something to me in one of these, and he loved it! Then he did a 3-point turn in the middle of the block, not using a driveway, and drove off. Thanks for doing this, I was really interesting in seeing the inside.
If Rivian made vehicle just like this for people that are in construction it would be widely appreciated because of its convenience and complexity in access compared to the older models and I could see a lot of construction workers buying a van like this.
The Rivian techs that work on these EDV's have their own work van which is the 500, like this one (shorter wheel base) equipped with everything they need in the back and a Rivian branding wrap, they look pretty slick!
I just saw a Ford E-Transit charging near my house yesterday. They don't sell that in the US? Ninja edit: apparently they do, though range isn't that great.
This looks awesome. Took some time but I think these special purpose built vehicle will be a big win considering the scale of Amazon delivery. I wish Rivian had been the ones to develop the USPS mail trucks.
I'd be really interested in cost of ownership versus ICE van. Charging versus gas. Maintenance. How long batteries last? This is probably the best example of EV versus ICE cost of ownership.
The USPS would do well to commission Rivian for these trucks as well. I could see a smaller version of this being the standard for mail delivery in the near future
I've seen some arrive via train in germany a week back. after the federal postal service decided to go fully electric half a year back, i am very happy to see all those vehicles
This looks really great! I hope they do come to Germany as well. Also, I'd wish they'd not only be made for Amazon. These look really cool for normal people, too!
Germany has many great vans unlike the usa. There are also a bunch of electric options like e sprinter and more that dont exist on the us market. For non delivery uses many of those are actually better than the rivian. Also dhl has these small electric vans too.
(4:20) The passenger side sliding door is where the sidewalks/houses/apartments would be, and the driver side door would be the side facing the street/road. This sliding door makes it easier to drivers to get in and out to make deliveries. #correction
Not to mention that the sliding door doesn't obstruct the sidewalk if left open and you don't have to be concerned about smacking a person/mailbox/tree with it when opening.
Yea he thought it was like a USPS truck when its not. This Riven chose to use a traditional driving position in favor of the driver doing a little more work getting out of the van, which makes sense because amazon doesn’t deliver letters to mailboxes, and most of their drivers will be less experienced workers making the learning curve of driving on the otherside of the road unnecessary.
@@WARnTEA I wouldn't really say it's more work even. It's a stride or two further getting in, and getting out you need to go into the back anyways, so all it means is less things in your way.
Yeah I spent a minute looking at the logos to see if it was mirrored and then sanity checking if I know what side of the vehicle I sit on XD Like uhh I don't think that side faces the street...
When I did delivery work, I drove a van from each of the big three. A Chevy express which was just the worst with frequent breakdowns, and very uncomfortable to drive. A RAM 1500 can which drove well (and had an insanely good turning radius), but had terrible ergonomics and electronics. Radio constantly broke. The cable for the sliding door was broken. And there were no handles or steps to assist with getting in and out, so you had to sorta jump out which takes a toll. Then a Ford Transit 250. This solved a lot of the ergonomics issues I had with the other vans, but did introduce one big problem. The pedals were too high off the ground and not adjustable. So my ankle would hurt by days end. However, it had AWD which was welcome in the Northeast. Radio sounded great. Lane keep assist. Driver alertness monitoring, which helped for some of the harder mornings. This Rivian van is something special because I can tell it’s something they designed with a lot of input from drivers. I don’t do delivery work anymore, but if I did, this would be the van I’d want.
Now Rivian needs to market this into a VanLife van like the Mercedes Sprinter Vans but with longer mileage. I think outside of working purposes they would also dominate the van life market at well.
This is so much more exciting than a normal electric car review 😃 I feel like the first time where I was shown a tractor and how to drive it as a kid ☺️
im happy that the experience seems much better for drivers compared to traditional cargo vans with no or garbage ac. delivery drivers deliver a lot of things that are necessary or make life better for a lot of people and they deserve comfort just like everyone else
Great video as always Marques, and one of my favorite cars on the road! The clean lines, the blue accents, the quiet truck (which is super weird cause normally trucks are very loud). When you rang the horn at 8:23, i felt that to my core 😂
The fact that an iPhone is at this point capable of shooting video like that is really impressing. Just as impressing as this awesome review from Marques.
I actually saw these when driving late at night through Pennsylvania. I just noticed a giant red U shaped light bar and was like “what vehicle is that?!?” Drove past it, and the headlights were the dead giveaway. It definitely looks cool in person, and I low key want one as a utility van.
I have seen a truck with a trailer full of them in Germany a few weeks ago. Seems they are rolling them out here as well. Currently Amazon is delivering with normal diesel delivery vans rented from third parties.
Electric delivery trucks, heck electric vehicles for all local commercial travel, makes so much sense. Electric is far more efficient in the city than ICE of any kind. It should become the norm over time just as part of fleet replacement. Even in suburban areas this makes sense. I can see a place for quickly swappable batteries to help extend range in some cases too. The cargo AC fan is super loud though, hearing protection is necessary.
RVs are supposed to go for long distances, road trips... with the weight of RV equipment, plus the weight of the battery... I don't think it would be wise to build an EV-RV in the current state of battery efficiency.
@@wittywolk You have to keep in mind that as large as these vans are, they only carry a 135kWh battery because they’re precisely designed for the daily delivery cycle. We’re starting to get electric pickup trucks that carry 200kWh battery packs, at around half the footprint as this van. Needless to say, if they want to release a RV version for long range use, there’s more than enough space to at least double the capacity as those pickup trucks and bring the range to 500+ miles.
@@wittywolk Maybe that's true for the US, but I can see these work in Europe for some people (retirees with time and money). Things are generally closer together/more densely populated and the charging infrastructure is getting to be fairly good in certain parts of Europe. It's only going to be better in the coming years. I'd much rather have this as an RV rather than towing a trailer with a regular EV because charging infrastructure is not set up for towing vehicles. If the range is going to be unimpressive you're going to want to be able to just drive up and plug in.
Particularly for me in the UK. If you’re RV’ing you want to take in the countryside en-route, otherwise take a car and rent a cottage at your destination
The EV van business is going to be huge. Rivian is lucky to have Amazon as an investor and user, because they will keep them on the right track. This is very competent design. The handles, all the details are perfectly designed. This is where Tesla is falling down; they have no clue as to how important the delivery van biz is going to be. These vehicles drive the most of any; they are used every day for hours. The temperature controlled seat is crucial; it can get super hot in the summer, and opening the door means the air conditioning isn't going to hold; the air will approach ambient when all the doors are open. I hope Marques gets to review the Ford Electric van line, which comes in 3 widths and 3 heights, and is going to be made in US and in Turkey.
Really interested to know if with so many cameras Amazon is using these vans to collect data for themselves and how a company like Rivian would go along with a company asking to use their product to do it.
As a delivery driver with a Van i found this thing fascinating. Never will be introduced in Aust, but it has better comforts than my sprinter. That crown array at the back is awesome. Also that halo flare on the new iphone camera is annoying as heck. Wtf
We had an Uber like app here in Mexico called Beat, that for a while offered to take a ride in a Tesla, then that should have gotten a bit too expensive and started using chinese electric cars of a brand called JAC... and then, the company went bankrupt. But I can definitely see Rivian powered buses chugging along Mexico City, I'd love to see it
Very nice presentation! In Bellevue/Kirkland WA we see a bunch of these and also the little six wheeled delivery gizmos too. I love the look and that they are electric!
I havdnt seen these out west year, but it does look sick!! I love how the design seems to be very Driver friendly. Did you get to test their heating/cooling system?
NIce van. A couple of minor improvements they could add, make the back door motorized so no chance of body injury closing/opening. And that hanging wire attached to back door could be more hidden such that you don't run in to it when moving a large box out the back door.
If you could double the battery at a minimum, maybe. Treating it like any other EV where you don't get below about 10% battery (which would only be maybe 15mi of range), charging up to say 90%, gives you only a usable range of 120miles. That assuming the estimate is SUPER real world. They say 150 mi range, but that is also assuming most driving is stop/go in city, not at highway speeds. That thing full of van-life outfitting (aka heavy stuff), doing 75mph? I wouldn't be surprised it it was 90mi usable range. Doable? Sure, but not very good for "getting away from it all". Also you'd burn electrons keeping the AC on and running appliances. So you'd have to either park at an RV site or make sure you park it at night with a fairly high state of charge.
I was thinking the same thing. I’d buy one when they’re at the end of their use. They would probably just swap the battery pack and put it back on the road though.
@@lucamatteobarbieri2493 In a very optimal setup, on a perfect day, maybe. Many years ago they talked about solar panels on a Tesla Model 3 and the math came out to something like 1.5 miles per day gain by solar. Granted the M3 has a much smaller roof, but the Rivian EDV is also much more inefficient. The biggest problem with solar panels on the roof is that you'd need to put them on in a way to not alter the aero. Poorly installed solar panels on the roof could easily cause a more than 10 mile hit on the range. Also lets be honest, even it was something amazing like 20 mi increase per day (12 hour day), that doesn't really alter how you drive. With a 100mile range, at freeway speeds, you'd be adding something like 1 mile of extra range between each charge stop.
@@SierraGolfNiner yeah. I agree. I wrote my original comment before they announced the miles per charge. Still an awesome platform but would need additional battery. I wish Tesla would do a van.
If Rivian gets it's right, this could be a cool camper van. Need a bigger battery storage, and some beefy solar up top, but could see this being the electric sprinter replacement.
I know I know I probably shouldn't say this, but I am starting to look more forward to these videos than the main channel, there is something so authentic about them. I really love the main channel of course, but now when something from this channel pops up, I want to watch it right away.
looking forward for these things to become more common! Hopefully theyll flood the used market in a few years so people can make them into campers. I like that they included fast charging even though its unlikely to be used by amazon drivers :)
I had the same thought. With a chassis that big, there's probably room for a battery pack twice as big as it has now, and trim out the interior, could be a sweet way to tour national parks and such, with big windows and a panoramic sunroof.
I cannot wait for a consumer version of this thing. AWD and 200 miles of range plus tons of solar and this thing would be the coolest adventure/weekend machine
This is starting to look like a very efficient operation. I may begin to feel less guilty using Amazon instead of driving around and shopping myself in 3D. Another great video btw Marques.
I think this is my favorite video you’ve done. I liked how methodical and complete the walkthrough was and I loved seeing inside that insane warehouse/garage. Also cool to hear the sound environments change so drastically as you moved in and out of the different parts of the van. Amazing.
Great review about the truck Marques, I keep spotting these trucks speeding through the city and often wonder how they would be to drive with. Fascinated to see the inner details of how they work, and how much tech goes into it! I saw one stopped by last weekend at my apartment, it was a lazy Sunday morning and all my roommates were asleep, so was I. I wake up to the door buzzing and look out my first floor window, it’s the shiny new Rivin 500 truck. As I proceed to open the door to the apartment to let the driver in I notice he’s already inside with a box left at the door obstructing it from being closed, strange. I think to myself some must’ve let him in, he left the box there and left. So I go ahead and take the package in and close the door. As soon as I turn around to walk back to my apartment, I hear loud bangs from the door behind me. It’s like 9 am, who could it be? I turn around a find the Amazon driver to be the one with another box in his hand. I go OH OOPS, and let him in. First thing that he said was “You freak, can’t you see I had more?” I go, “What? I didn’t see that my bad.” I mean the audacity of this person to come into my house and to say something like that on my front door? WTF. I was startled. Who does he think he is?! There’s no way he should be a driver for Amazon, especially driving around those zippy, shiny Rivan Trucks?! How does he even deserve them? The man then proceeded to shove the box inside and leave, with me replying “Have a better day man”. This shows there’s no way I can have a sense or anger even when I’m supposed to be defending myself. Please ignore this 😂 it’s for a class
Honestly really hope Rivian make some sorta camper van with this platform cuz I think it'd be really cool (keep the front exactly as it is and just put a camper van setup in the back).
I'm telling ya... they should make one of these for van life people, the amount of space in there had me shocked , good functionality too, it has both form and function
I imagine it will be a long time (if ever) before these show up on the used market or for consumer purchase, but that would make a *sick* van life build... If Rivian sold a stripped down version, that would be awesome! Add the ability to take power in from a PV system, you don't have to mess with a separate battery system since the vehicle is a battery, the height is great.
Man you know inflation is getting high when Marquess needs to pick up a side gig as an Amazon Driver 😆
How else do you think he gets all this tech to review?
😂
he'd be happy since its all still part of a tech and gadget
As Amazon delivery driver and driving EDV for around a year I truly love it. Just wish Amazon didn’t pressure us so much 😞
Thank you for your work!
More space compared to cargo vans means more stops to add on. yay....
As an Amazon driver, agree. I drive a regular Stepvan. The job itself is getting harder and harder. Amazon has to do something about it.
Stop crying
Hey Rivian, you should start selling this as vans to retrofit for camper life, they look sick and the space is huge
"Wow, I could live in that" was my first thought, it would be a perfect base to build an rv!
Although, they would have to extend it's range - as it is, it would take a month or so to drive from NY to LA 🐢, but you would get to really see the country and meet people!
Just think… in 5-10 years thousands of these will hit the aftermarket 👀
I worked for the USPS when Amazon just started doing their own deliveries in my area. It's amazing to see how far they've come from being gig workers in unmarked cars to driving these vans that probably outmatch anything any delivery company has in terms of driver comfort. I was 26 years old driving an LLV with no heat, no AC that broke down monthly and was older than I was. This would have been an absolute dream.
Crazy how FedEx and UPS _still_ have their drivers in vehicles with no AC.
Amazon flex drivers still do deliveries from their own cars.
Amazon delivery vans by me run on diesel. We have no chargers in 100 miles of my area
Honestly this is a brilliant bussiness move from Rivian - proof of concept/fix all the issues with Amazon, then roll them out worldwide to postal services. Most 1st world Gov. departments are looking to reduce CO2 emissions and hit green targets - switching the gov. owned postal service to electric vehicles would move towards that target massively.
1000% us in Canada are trying to go full electric before 2040. This could make it 10 years faster.
The majority of Western Europe Postal services have 70%+ EV vans.
Agreed. I actually recall reading a few years ago that during Bush 2's second term, the US Postal Service wanted to start replacing vehicles with fleets of electric (or maybe hybrid) vehicles and it got shut down. I believe that was one of the big reasons the USPS began to fail to the point it has. They were disallowed from making that decision, which would've saved tax payers and then they subsequently had their budget lowered...relative to inflation.
With a few modifications this would be an awesome camper van!
I am an Amazon DA based in NYC, and we have gotten hold of these beauties recently and have been driving them around for the past 4-5 months. It is quite literally revolutionary and honestly the design focused around the driver is so much more efficient compared to the gas cargo vans. It feels like a spaceship tbh. Only complaint is the sound system. It is not good. Rivian if you watch this video and read the comments please update that somehow. Would really appreciate it!
That's fine, I absolutely hate when Amazon drivers pull up blasting music. Highly unprofessional and I report it each time.
@@onehandwashestheotherThat's fine, it makes delivering packages to a$$$$$$ customers more enjoyable, gotta make Amazon work less miserable somehow.
@@onehandwashestheother my dude, their job is hard enough as it is. Stop being a karen.
If you want professional courier services, use one and pay for it. Amazon delivery drivers, or any usual delivery company is minimum or close to minimum wage work. Dont expect a high standard for a service which you either get for free or for a fee of a couple of dollars.
They really did a killer job designing this vehicle for the industry. Simple utility. The electric pass through and cargo doors are awesome. Also, the sides of the vehicle are Curbside (passenger) and Streetside (driver).
I work as an Amazon driver and get to drive these things nearly every day. You said they’re not luxury driving, but compared to the ICE vans? These are peak luxury 😂
I love driving these things
Rivian is destined for greatness. I think they could even choose to enter the Semi market with the credibility a design like this gives them. They would automatically win on cabin ergonomics from day one.
Once they start profiting on vehicle sales maybe
@@xxstealerxxPretty sure it's the other way around
as a courier for over 20 years, this design looks amazing, the step van style is great, and this thing takes that flawless design and just makes it so much better. slick!
I just know these things are gonna be extremely popular in the "Van Life" world if anyone ever gets their hands on one.
Just for anyone who also noticed. At 4:23 you got the sides reversed. the pocket door is sidewalk , the regular door is typically the street
MKBHD moving to the UK, confirmed.
I was about to say something 😂
Kept going back bc I thought I misheard.
Totally. Newbie mistake. Rube.
Dude, what side is the street are you driving on?? USA-Curb in right, Curb in right
Shout out to Marques for his brilliant work. As a tech nerd I got so much love and respect for ya.
This van has so much potential for multiple industries that will need to transition to electric. Tradesman, construction, and most exciting of all-- RV. Vanlife would be sick in this Rivian Van.
The interior size would likely also be awesome for craftsmen. Lots of room for tools and parts, it's locked away in the back, and if needs be you can work in the back in the dry. Maybe Rivian even offers an outlet option on their vans so you don't need to lug around generators for the jobsites.
Given that it’s electric, I fully expect these things to be compact in size, but with an incredibly spacious interior.
Finally the emergency kit can go into the frunk, and the battery weight forces a low center of gravity, thus making these things incredibly stable.
For context, I raced on a track with a retired Fedex box truck and a UPS truck. Its very easy to get them on two wheels like the UAE drivers out in the dunes.
I drove the 700 model for about 8 months before quitting. I've never seen a 500 model outside of the Rivian techs that would stop by the warehouse. It's a great step up from the pro masters we drove prior, but as much as it made the job easier, Amazon increased the workload to compensate. I could answer a million questions about these vans if anyone has any not answered in the video.
Have you ever run out of battery?
is there a button that can open the back door or do you always have to manually open? can you button open any of the doors from the outside? (the fob didn't seem to have those options)
was the navigation software rivian specific or can you use google maps? did you think the software experience was good overall? how does the large screen deal with rain?
thanks if you answer any of these!
What was your pay per hour?
How did Amazon increase the workload?
Do you have a girlfriend?
I drove for Amazon for 8 months, but I moved on just before the Rivian vans were introduced. This is the cleanest van I’ve seen.
I never thought I would see MKBHD with a vest on.
4:37 I would usually have 148 stops which means I would be in and out of the van at least 148 times.
It’s really cool they upgraded the delivery experience. Perfect upgrades.
You don’t often see any kind of products that are so massively designed for one purpose or customer. But when you see it and everything makes sense it’s just beautiful.
UPS trucks have been for their own use for years. They even destroy them when they are done
fr
@@kb9liq But they had to threaten a strike to actually get air conditioning.
It made commercial sense for Rivian to do it completely custom because Amazon agreed in advance to purchase 100,000 of them!
Agree. I definitely smile when I see these. And I frown when I see UPS and FedEx.
I wonder if they’ll start selling to the public. I’d buy this van in a heartbeat. A great work van. Thanks for the great video.
With a good battery, this would make a fantastic base for a campervan build. Brilliant vehicle.
I love great engineering. I really hope Rivian is one of the long term winners in the industry.
I've been seeing these driving around NYC, great to actually see what the inside looks like. Also, 15 pro shoots great video!
The not having to charge during the day is probably why this is a win. I can't imagine Amazon taking the productivity hit if that was the case since charging vs pumping gas are miles apart especially if you don't get a fast charging station.
THIS is a use case where EV makes a TON of sense...driving around town, low speeds, lots of stop and go, charging and overall battery maintenance can be tightly controlled, etc? PERFECT use case for EV.
the only case.
150 miles is pretty sus
@@sa34w For in town deliveries its pretty perfect. You dont need a huge range going slow speeds on city streets.
@@Jellylazer Pretty much...lol
@@Jellylazer Lol?
I think that's an amazingly well designed van. It would probably make an awesome basis for a campervan conversion.
I can see these becoming extremely popular with the van life folks when Amazon starts cycling these out for newer models in the next 5-10 years.
Do you guys think this will ever become commercially available as second-hand "over flow" product? You know how some companies have their stuff for sale if it's been a long time and they just have too much overflow surplus? Reason I ask is because this looks like such a perfect vehicle for those pursuing "van life". Also seems like a great apocalypse van build. #zom100.
Good to see effort and care put into something that will make someone's job not only easier, but more enjoyable. Koodoos for not cutting corners when you easily could.
This is legitimately cool. So much thought has gone into this product.
It's a full circle moment for me, from watching MKBHD videos for tech reviews to becoming an automotive engineer only for him to launch a new auto channel and review the van I helped build at Rivian.
Oh sweet! Looks like you guys did a fantastic job! Congrats!
Solid!!
Stellar work
You guys need to sell these to the general public, seriously. cool van and good job btw!!
I'm happy to see how this improves working conditions for delivery drivers. Now if Amazon can work on their policies and stop union busting, we can make some real progress.
Love this vehicle! Looking forward to seeing a campervan conversion someday soon. That cargo area looks very practical for this. I'd love one of these as an EV campervan with a bit more range and all-electric cooking, heating and cooling.
I hope they can bring these to market. I would love to see what a tradesman could do with one of these.
Man, I wish rivian would release a smaller public version for the service industry, I’d definitely buy one.
I talked to a driver when they delivered something to me in one of these, and he loved it! Then he did a 3-point turn in the middle of the block, not using a driveway, and drove off. Thanks for doing this, I was really interesting in seeing the inside.
If Rivian made vehicle just like this for people that are in construction it would be widely appreciated because of its convenience and complexity in access compared to the older models and I could see a lot of construction workers buying a van like this.
so much more useful than a pickip truck
The Rivian techs that work on these EDV's have their own work van which is the 500, like this one (shorter wheel base) equipped with everything they need in the back and a Rivian branding wrap, they look pretty slick!
I just saw a Ford E-Transit charging near my house yesterday. They don't sell that in the US? Ninja edit: apparently they do, though range isn't that great.
I love how succinct and polished Marquis' videos are.
This looks awesome. Took some time but I think these special purpose built vehicle will be a big win considering the scale of Amazon delivery. I wish Rivian had been the ones to develop the USPS mail trucks.
I'd be really interested in cost of ownership versus ICE van. Charging versus gas. Maintenance. How long batteries last? This is probably the best example of EV versus ICE cost of ownership.
this van is awesome, I want them to sell a consumer version
The USPS would do well to commission Rivian for these trucks as well. I could see a smaller version of this being the standard for mail delivery in the near future
they really missed a chance to call it the rivivan
Deliverivivan
Derivivan
Delivian
👍
Deli Rivian
I've seen some arrive via train in germany a week back. after the federal postal service decided to go fully electric half a year back, i am very happy to see all those vehicles
I have to say, this is an incredibly well-designed van!
I would love to see stuff like this for smaller businesses someday.
Smaller businesses couldn't afford that
@@Medabee8Eventually they'll be able to. The gas savings would help pay for a lot of it.
I hope Rivian will make them available to the public too... I would love to own one of these! Without the evil corporation logo, of course...
This looks really great!
I hope they do come to Germany as well. Also, I'd wish they'd not only be made for Amazon. These look really cool for normal people, too!
Yes, Germany will be the first European country to get the EDV. They will get the RPV 500 though which is the shorter version.
@@mitchkman if that's true, I'm going to be really excited and watch out for a possible "release" date and watch out for them!
Germany has many great vans unlike the usa. There are also a bunch of electric options like e sprinter and more that dont exist on the us market. For non delivery uses many of those are actually better than the rivian. Also dhl has these small electric vans too.
(4:20) The passenger side sliding door is where the sidewalks/houses/apartments would be, and the driver side door would be the side facing the street/road. This sliding door makes it easier to drivers to get in and out to make deliveries. #correction
Not to mention that the sliding door doesn't obstruct the sidewalk if left open and you don't have to be concerned about smacking a person/mailbox/tree with it when opening.
#neverdrivenbefore
Yea he thought it was like a USPS truck when its not. This Riven chose to use a traditional driving position in favor of the driver doing a little more work getting out of the van, which makes sense because amazon doesn’t deliver letters to mailboxes, and most of their drivers will be less experienced workers making the learning curve of driving on the otherside of the road unnecessary.
@@WARnTEA I wouldn't really say it's more work even. It's a stride or two further getting in, and getting out you need to go into the back anyways, so all it means is less things in your way.
Yeah I spent a minute looking at the logos to see if it was mirrored and then sanity checking if I know what side of the vehicle I sit on XD
Like uhh I don't think that side faces the street...
When I did delivery work, I drove a van from each of the big three.
A Chevy express which was just the worst with frequent breakdowns, and very uncomfortable to drive.
A RAM 1500 can which drove well (and had an insanely good turning radius), but had terrible ergonomics and electronics. Radio constantly broke. The cable for the sliding door was broken. And there were no handles or steps to assist with getting in and out, so you had to sorta jump out which takes a toll.
Then a Ford Transit 250. This solved a lot of the ergonomics issues I had with the other vans, but did introduce one big problem. The pedals were too high off the ground and not adjustable. So my ankle would hurt by days end. However, it had AWD which was welcome in the Northeast. Radio sounded great. Lane keep assist. Driver alertness monitoring, which helped for some of the harder mornings.
This Rivian van is something special because I can tell it’s something they designed with a lot of input from drivers. I don’t do delivery work anymore, but if I did, this would be the van I’d want.
Now Rivian needs to market this into a VanLife van like the Mercedes Sprinter Vans but with longer mileage. I think outside of working purposes they would also dominate the van life market at well.
Seems like a pretty cool upgrade for the drivers. New technology with some nice comforts added in. Nice job Rivian.
The video quality is amazing considering it was filmed on a phone. And the entire auto review is nice and informative as always.
I honestly think these are kinda cool looking. Everytime I see one I think how cool would it be to have these as a camper van.
This is so much more exciting than a normal electric car review 😃
I feel like the first time where I was shown a tractor and how to drive it as a kid ☺️
indeed
I wonder if Rivian will ever make a van for the public. I can imagine all the things people would do with a van that large
We see like 4-5 of these trucks on a daily basis. These things are actually sick looking and it really does help the delivery process be smoother!
im happy that the experience seems much better for drivers compared to traditional cargo vans with no or garbage ac. delivery drivers deliver a lot of things that are necessary or make life better for a lot of people and they deserve comfort just like everyone else
Great video as always Marques, and one of my favorite cars on the road! The clean lines, the blue accents, the quiet truck (which is super weird cause normally trucks are very loud). When you rang the horn at 8:23, i felt that to my core 😂
Great job on the video Marques! Thanks for making it. What a great improvement for the QOL of the drivers that bring all of our stuff to us.
The fact that an iPhone is at this point capable of shooting video like that is really impressing. Just as impressing as this awesome review from Marques.
I actually saw these when driving late at night through Pennsylvania. I just noticed a giant red U shaped light bar and was like “what vehicle is that?!?”
Drove past it, and the headlights were the dead giveaway.
It definitely looks cool in person, and I low key want one as a utility van.
I have seen a truck with a trailer full of them in Germany a few weeks ago. Seems they are rolling them out here as well. Currently Amazon is delivering with normal diesel delivery vans rented from third parties.
Electric delivery trucks, heck electric vehicles for all local commercial travel, makes so much sense. Electric is far more efficient in the city than ICE of any kind. It should become the norm over time just as part of fleet replacement. Even in suburban areas this makes sense. I can see a place for quickly swappable batteries to help extend range in some cases too. The cargo AC fan is super loud though, hearing protection is necessary.
I love the practical design. I would love a vehicle the length of a normal car for my IT business.
They definitely should make these available for RVs.
RVs are supposed to go for long distances, road trips... with the weight of RV equipment, plus the weight of the battery... I don't think it would be wise to build an EV-RV in the current state of battery efficiency.
@@wittywolk You have to keep in mind that as large as these vans are, they only carry a 135kWh battery because they’re precisely designed for the daily delivery cycle. We’re starting to get electric pickup trucks that carry 200kWh battery packs, at around half the footprint as this van. Needless to say, if they want to release a RV version for long range use, there’s more than enough space to at least double the capacity as those pickup trucks and bring the range to 500+ miles.
I was thinking exactly the same
@@wittywolk Maybe that's true for the US, but I can see these work in Europe for some people (retirees with time and money). Things are generally closer together/more densely populated and the charging infrastructure is getting to be fairly good in certain parts of Europe. It's only going to be better in the coming years.
I'd much rather have this as an RV rather than towing a trailer with a regular EV because charging infrastructure is not set up for towing vehicles. If the range is going to be unimpressive you're going to want to be able to just drive up and plug in.
Particularly for me in the UK. If you’re RV’ing you want to take in the countryside en-route, otherwise take a car and rent a cottage at your destination
The EV van business is going to be huge. Rivian is lucky to have Amazon as an investor and user, because they will keep them on the right track. This is very competent design. The handles, all the details are perfectly designed. This is where Tesla is falling down; they have no clue as to how important the delivery van biz is going to be. These vehicles drive the most of any; they are used every day for hours. The temperature controlled seat is crucial; it can get super hot in the summer, and opening the door means the air conditioning isn't going to hold; the air will approach ambient when all the doors are open.
I hope Marques gets to review the Ford Electric van line, which comes in 3 widths and 3 heights, and is going to be made in US and in Turkey.
Really interested to know if with so many cameras Amazon is using these vans to collect data for themselves and how a company like Rivian would go along with a company asking to use their product to do it.
As an amazon driver, this van drives so smooth and is amazing.
As a delivery driver with a Van i found this thing fascinating. Never will be introduced in Aust, but it has better comforts than my sprinter. That crown array at the back is awesome.
Also that halo flare on the new iphone camera is annoying as heck. Wtf
It would be awesome to see some van builds to live in this van. Look like the rivian would be awesome too for the builds
rivian should make mini bus public vehicles or car pools for uber just like this.....focused on factor rather than form
You mean function? I get what you meant though
We had an Uber like app here in Mexico called Beat, that for a while offered to take a ride in a Tesla, then that should have gotten a bit too expensive and started using chinese electric cars of a brand called JAC... and then, the company went bankrupt. But I can definitely see Rivian powered buses chugging along Mexico City, I'd love to see it
i think they wanted too but they have a contract with amazon, who have invested a lot in rivian
@@MrCharlieBros 😂
With cost of living so high, this would be a great replacement for a fixer-uper first time home owner.
I firmly believe EV vans/trucks will become the norm faster than we think. They make so much sense from pretty much all points of view.
Very nice presentation! In Bellevue/Kirkland WA we see a bunch of these and also the little six wheeled delivery gizmos too. I love the look and that they are electric!
This is how it's done, Congratulations to all the hard working man and woman evolved in the development of this product.
I havdnt seen these out west year, but it does look sick!! I love how the design seems to be very Driver friendly. Did you get to test their heating/cooling system?
NIce van. A couple of minor improvements they could add, make the back door motorized so no chance of body injury closing/opening. And that hanging wire attached to back door could be more hidden such that you don't run in to it when moving a large box out the back door.
Van life people would kill for this! AC all the time with giant built in batteries.
If you could double the battery at a minimum, maybe. Treating it like any other EV where you don't get below about 10% battery (which would only be maybe 15mi of range), charging up to say 90%, gives you only a usable range of 120miles. That assuming the estimate is SUPER real world. They say 150 mi range, but that is also assuming most driving is stop/go in city, not at highway speeds. That thing full of van-life outfitting (aka heavy stuff), doing 75mph? I wouldn't be surprised it it was 90mi usable range. Doable? Sure, but not very good for "getting away from it all". Also you'd burn electrons keeping the AC on and running appliances. So you'd have to either park at an RV site or make sure you park it at night with a fairly high state of charge.
if you cover the top in high efficiency solar panels you might get tens of extra miles per day
I was thinking the same thing. I’d buy one when they’re at the end of their use. They would probably just swap the battery pack and put it back on the road though.
@@lucamatteobarbieri2493 In a very optimal setup, on a perfect day, maybe. Many years ago they talked about solar panels on a Tesla Model 3 and the math came out to something like 1.5 miles per day gain by solar. Granted the M3 has a much smaller roof, but the Rivian EDV is also much more inefficient. The biggest problem with solar panels on the roof is that you'd need to put them on in a way to not alter the aero. Poorly installed solar panels on the roof could easily cause a more than 10 mile hit on the range.
Also lets be honest, even it was something amazing like 20 mi increase per day (12 hour day), that doesn't really alter how you drive. With a 100mile range, at freeway speeds, you'd be adding something like 1 mile of extra range between each charge stop.
@@SierraGolfNiner yeah. I agree. I wrote my original comment before they announced the miles per charge. Still an awesome platform but would need additional battery. I wish Tesla would do a van.
Wow. This would make an amazing campervan with the height and it looks like could be easy to open the rear to front section.
I’ve talked to 2 Amazon drivers and they both really liked it. This platform is really amazing. I would buy this
It's great for a camper, or for van life. Plenty of storage, electric, good cabin separation.
If Rivian gets it's right, this could be a cool camper van. Need a bigger battery storage, and some beefy solar up top, but could see this being the electric sprinter replacement.
I know I know I probably shouldn't say this, but I am starting to look more forward to these videos than the main channel, there is something so authentic about them. I really love the main channel of course, but now when something from this channel pops up, I want to watch it right away.
looking forward for these things to become more common! Hopefully theyll flood the used market in a few years so people can make them into campers. I like that they included fast charging even though its unlikely to be used by amazon drivers :)
Can't wait to see a conversion of this revolutionary car in to vanlife car😊
I've heard that Amazon isn't allowing them to be sold on the private market but that may change
In my opinion, this van could serve as a great option for transforming into an RV, and it can be a budget-friendly choice.
I had the same thought. With a chassis that big, there's probably room for a battery pack twice as big as it has now, and trim out the interior, could be a sweet way to tour national parks and such, with big windows and a panoramic sunroof.
I'd like to see them make a camper version of this van with as many camping-specific details and sell it to the public.
This would make a great camper if Rivian decides to sell this to the public. It will be in line with their outdoor adventure branding.
I cannot wait for a consumer version of this thing. AWD and 200 miles of range plus tons of solar and this thing would be the coolest adventure/weekend machine
This is starting to look like a very efficient operation. I may begin to feel less guilty using Amazon instead of driving around and shopping myself in 3D. Another great video btw Marques.
I imagine that's Amazon's intention in showing you the tech.
I think this is my favorite video you’ve done. I liked how methodical and complete the walkthrough was and I loved seeing inside that insane warehouse/garage. Also cool to hear the sound environments change so drastically as you moved in and out of the different parts of the van. Amazing.
Great review about the truck Marques, I keep spotting these trucks speeding through the city and often wonder how they would be to drive with. Fascinated to see the inner details of how they work, and how much tech goes into it!
I saw one stopped by last weekend at my apartment, it was a lazy Sunday morning and all my roommates were asleep, so was I. I wake up to the door buzzing and look out my first floor window, it’s the shiny new Rivin 500 truck. As I proceed to open the door to the apartment to let the driver in I notice he’s already inside with a box left at the door obstructing it from being closed, strange. I think to myself some must’ve let him in, he left the box there and left. So I go ahead and take the package in and close the door. As soon as I turn around to walk back to my apartment, I hear loud bangs from the door behind me. It’s like 9 am, who could it be?
I turn around a find the Amazon driver to be the one with another box in his hand. I go OH OOPS, and let him in. First thing that he said was “You freak, can’t you see I had more?” I go, “What? I didn’t see that my bad.”
I mean the audacity of this person to come into my house and to say something like that on my front door? WTF. I was startled. Who does he think he is?! There’s no way he should be a driver for Amazon, especially driving around those zippy, shiny Rivan Trucks?! How does he even deserve them?
The man then proceeded to shove the box inside and leave, with me replying “Have a better day man”.
This shows there’s no way I can have a sense or anger even when I’m supposed to be defending myself.
Please ignore this 😂 it’s for a class
Honestly really hope Rivian make some sorta camper van with this platform cuz I think it'd be really cool (keep the front exactly as it is and just put a camper van setup in the back).
The pocket door is for the sidewalk, makes it much easier to get in/out hundreds of times during the day
I'm telling ya... they should make one of these for van life people, the amount of space in there had me shocked , good functionality too, it has both form and function
Can’t wait to see campervan conversions of these ones!
Maybe side secret Rivian project happening as we speak?
I imagine it will be a long time (if ever) before these show up on the used market or for consumer purchase, but that would make a *sick* van life build... If Rivian sold a stripped down version, that would be awesome! Add the ability to take power in from a PV system, you don't have to mess with a separate battery system since the vehicle is a battery, the height is great.
I love this. I can imagine this is an absolute game changer for the drivers.
Marques has a gift for explaining things.
I would simply buy one and convert it into a camper van. Looks nice and compact for traveling.
If I were getting into #vanlife, I would totally want to build it on this platform.