Rivian ships first Amazon electric delivery vans to Europe

Rivian Automotive Inc. started delivering the electric vans it makes for Amazon.com Inc. to Europe in the EV maker’s first commercial shipments outside the US.

Amazon will roll out more than 300 delivery vans in the coming weeks to German cities including Munich, Berlin and Dusseldorf. Rivian’s largest shareholder and biggest customer has ordered 100,000 vans to be delivered by the end of the decade.

Amazon already has deployed more than 3,000 of Rivian’s vans in cities across the US. While the manufacturer initially agreed to deliver 10,000 vans by the end of last year, it fell short of that target.

Irvine, California-based Rivian is a leader in the large pack of American EV startups chasing Tesla Inc. In addition to the delivery vans, it makes two models for consumers — the R1T pickup and R1S sport utility vehicle — at its lone assembly plant in Normal, Illinois.

In December, the company shelved a plan to jointly build electric vans in Europe with Mercedes-Benz Group AG.

Rivian has turned a corner on production after a stop-start year in which its shares plummeted 82 percent. Amazon and other high-profile backers including T. Rowe Price Group Inc. propelled the company to one of the largest listings in US history in November 2021.

On Monday, Rivian reported second quarter production of 13,992 vehicles, exceeding estimates, and reaffirmed plans to more than double output to 50,000 vehicles this year.