The R2 gets all the headlines. But with $1.6B from Amazon this year and rivals retreating, Ri
- Rivian’s R2 is widely seen as its ticket to long-term profitability. But a less glamorous EV is doing a lot of heavy lifting.
- Rivian has seen more demand from Amazon for its EDV commercial van this year, CEO RJ Scaringe said on an earnings call this week.
- The EV startup’s revenue from Amazon has nearly tripled this year.
The R2 is clearly the star of the show for Ri1 line of rugged EVs, the $45,000 (eventually) crossover is Riny beacon of hope for its scramble toward profitability. The gamble is paying off. On Thursday, the California startup announced that the R2 was its best-selling vehicle in Q3, just a few months after it hit the market in June
But there’s another, less flashy vehicle in Ri revenue driver: the humble EDV commercial van. You’ve probably seen the bug-eyed cargo-hauler silently doing Amazon-delivery duty in your neighborhood. Get ready to see a whole lot more of them
“This year we have seen a significant step up in the level of demand from Amazon,” Riweek. He said the logistics giant, which was an early Riwer running costs. That’s not hard to believe, given the lower maintenance burden of running EVs generally and the eye-watering price for diesel these days
It’s creating true and very real structural cost
“It’s creating true and very real structural cost advantages that are leading Amazon to double down to continue to buy more vehicles,” Scaringe said.
While Riany’s financials point to a booming van business. In just the third quarter, Amazon paid Rirters of last year combined. So far this year, Ried to EDV sales—a nearly threefold increase year-over-year
Rig van business. Levin/InsideEVs
To be sure, Rifor the third quarter, an improvement from a $1.17 billion loss during Q3 of 2025. The startup pitches the R2 as key to its long-term financial health, and a high-margin software and services business is bringing in some profits to help fund that vision
Rilayers in the medium-duty EV space struggle
Rilayers in the medium-duty EV space struggle to gain traction or bow out. Ford has sold fewer than 700 E-Transit vans this year, an 85% drop over the same period in 2025, and it canceled a next-generation model. General Motors axed its BrightDrop electric delivery vans entirely late last year
Rith Walmart, but RJ Scaringe said it’s in talks with other EDV customers
It’s really Ri of commercial vehicles in America, says Ray Minjares, who runs the heavy-duty vehicles program at the International Council on Clean Transportation. Ri is making waves in long-haul trucking. Harbinger Motors, another U.S. startup, just struck a deal to supply 2,000 electric trucks to FedEx
“The dynamics that are playing out now in the U.S. market are basically being led by the EV-only manufacturers,” he said.
Ricompanies apart from Amazon, starting at $79,900
Ricompanies apart from Amazon, starting at $79,900 for the smaller model. This week it said it started delivering two new EDV variants to Amazon that are aimed at tackling more rural routes: One has all-wheel drive, while another has a bigger battery and 30% more range
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And another big partnership could be in the works; a photo of an EDV on a transporter truck wearing a Walmart livery went viral this week. Ried about it on the earnings call this week, but Scaringe said the company is talking to other potential EDV customers
What do you think?
“We do see other commercial operators, as they start to really look at ways to drive more efficiency into the business, starting to look at the EDV,” he said. “And we’re excited for those potential future customers on this program as well.”
Contact the author: Tim.Levin@InsideEVs.com
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