n a strategic move to expand its presence in the commercial vehicle market, Rivian, the upstart electric vehicle brand, has announced a new partnership with JBPCO. This collaboration will see Rivian providing a modified version of its Commercial Van chassis, complete with its 100 kWh LFP battery and software stack, including the Rivian “dashboard” and safety features like automatic emergency braking and a 360-degree camera system.
The Rivian fleet chassis will serve as the foundation for an all-electric version of the Morgan C250 step-van, known as the C250e, which was announced in March 2023. This vehicle, effectively a Morgan Olson-bodied RHD Rivian, has been specifically designed for Canada Post.
The partnership between Rivian and JBPCO began with a visit to Rivian’s manufacturing facility in Normal, Illinois, where John Poindexter and other leaders from JBPCO were impressed by the capabilities of Rivian’s technology.
“This announcement is really the culmination and potentially the first step of a very strong partnership,” said Tom Solomon, Rivian’s senior director of B2B business development, to FleetOwner. “This represents the foundation.”
The deal with Canada Post marks Rivian’s first high-profile supply agreement since ending its exclusive supplier agreement with Amazon last year. The Amazon deal, signed in 2019, granted Amazon exclusive access to Rivian Commercial Vans for four years, with the goal of eventually deploying 100,000 electric work vans.
Joe Thompson, COO of Morgan Olson, stated that the Rivian platform could be utilized with other bodies in the future. Potential applications for an electric Morgan Olson body include grocery delivery services, contractor vans, and other Class 2B applications with a GVWR between 8,510 and 10,000 lbs.
