Chances are you've seen Rivian's Electric Delivery Van (EDV) countless times over the past few years thanks to Amazon which, until last month, has had an exclusive contract with the EV start-up to be the sole company allowed to purchase them. That was very much done on purpose due to Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos' decision to invest in Rivian back in 2019 when it helped the former raise some $700 million.
[Related: Rivian halts Amazon delivery van production, blames parts shortage]
Amazon's investment has helped Rivian to scale its business, expand its manufacturing facility footprint, and enter new overseas markets.
Today, Rivian is no longer bound to building its Commercial Van exclusively for the retail giant - and Ben & Jerry's is taking advantage of that.
The famous ice cream maker has announced its new "scoop trucks," which will make their debut this week at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas. Upon the film and entertainment festival's conclusion, the two EV vans will hit the road by way of a cross-country tour followed by pop up events in Ben & Jerry's home state of Vermont.
One of Ben & Jerry's core business goals, aside from producing outstanding and gloriously calorie-rich ice cream, is to make the world a better place, whether by social justice initiatives or its environmental policies.
"Working with Rivian, an industry leader that is committed to sustainability is an ice cream dream come true, said Ben & Jerry's Sean Slattery, US integrated marketing project lead. "Today, Rivian helped Ben & Jerry's reduce our reliance on fossil fuels in a small way, while making things a little bit cooler... which, as an ice cream company, is extremely difficult to do," joked Slattery.
Rivian claims its Commercial Vans can travel up to 161 miles on a single charge thanks to its 100 kWh battery pack. Fleet owners now have the choice between two variants: the 500 Series and 700 Series. The 500 is more suited for navigating city streets and urban environments while the 700 offers expanded cargo space for business requiring additional capacity without compromising maneuverability.
"Collaborating with the Ben & Jerry's team to build the next generation of electric scoop trucks has been an incredible experience. It's one of those projects that just makes the team smile," said Brian Gase, senior director of prototype development at Rivian. "We can't wait for people to stop by for some ice cream and see it in action for the first time during SXSW!"
To date, there are nearly 14,000 EDVs on the nation's roads. Amazon has since begun European sales.
