Rivian & JBPCO team up to develop electric transporter van

Rivian is making its way further into the commercial vehicle space, stripping the van body from its Rivian CV and combining its chassis with the Morgan Olson C250.

The partnership will lead to the development of an electric version of the C250 step-van, designed specifically for the Canada Post. It will feature a 100 kWh LFP battery The companies made the announcement at NTEA’s Work Truck Week in Indianapolis, according to a report from FleetOwner.

“We’ve come to the conclusion that Rivian produces the best, most reliable, most tested EV chassis available,” John Poindexter, JBPCO CEO. The electric C250 will feature the body from Morgan Olson, but run on Rivian’s platform and thus features Rivian technology, although it has not been clearly defined which aspects. As the online portal FleetOwner writes, “It could also feature Rivian’s safety features, including automatic emergency braking, driver assistance features, and 360-degree camera system.”

While the C250e is the current focus of the partnership, Joe Thompson, Morgan Olson’s COO, implied that the Rivian platform could be used with other bodies “down the road.” This is because leaders in the JBPCO group see Rivian as the electrified answer to a need in the light-duty commercial vehicle space.

“We expect to put [the Rivian chassis] under a number of bodies or develop prototypes with individual customers who will be interested in the combination of body technology,” explained Poindexter, as Jacob Larimore, senior director of business development at EAVX added: “What you’re seeing [with the C250e] is a starting point. We’re hopeful that it will continue to evolve.”

fleetowner.com