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Rivian launches sales of once-exclusive van: price, specs, features

Credit: Rivian

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Rivian is launching fleet sales of its once-exclusive van that was only available to Amazon.

On Monday, Rivian officially opened up its order books for any company aiming to purchase the van for a fleet. Currently, this is the only way to place an order for the Rivian Commercial Van (RCV), which differs in a few ways from Rivian’s EDV, which was an Amazon exclusive.

Tom Soloman, Senior Director of Business Development for Rivian, said:

“Through existing partnerships, our commercial vans have already proved incredibly successful. Amazon currently has more than 20,000 in its fleet and delivered over a billion packages from its Electric Delivery Vans in 2024 alone. Over the last year we have been focusing our efforts on testing with some larger fleets, and we’re really pleased with how those trials have gone. As a result, we’re excited to now be able to open sales to fleets of all sizes in the U.S., whether they want one van or thousands. Our vehicles are designed to not only be among the safest on the road but will also help fleet owners to reduce the cost of fleet ownership and their carbon footprint.”

Rivian RCV Models

Rivian is launching two models of the RCV: the Delivery 500 and Delivery 700. The 500 is more compact than the 700 but offers one more mile of range than its larger sibling. Don’t be too impressed, though, because it only is able to travel 161 and 160 miles on a full charge, respectively.

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These range ratings are powered by a 100 kWh Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery pack that is capable of charging speeds of up to 100 kW.

Fast charging is not necessarily needed with these vehicles because, in a fleet setting, they’ll likely be sitting for some period of time hooked up to chargers, giving a full battery to whoever uses them at the beginning of a trip.

Rivian RCV 500 Dimensions:

  • Length – 248.5″
  • Width – 96.4″ (including mirrors)
  • Height – 114.7″
  • 6.7″ of ground clearance
  • 487 cu. ft. of cargo area
  • 137.3″ of cargo length
  • Up to 76.5″ of wall-to-wall cargo area

Rivian RCV 700 Dimensions:

  • Length – 278″
  • Width – 103.5″ (including mirrors)
  • Height – 114.8″
  • 6.9″ of ground clearance
  • 652 cu. ft. of cargo area
  • 166.8″ of cargo length
  • Up to 83.6″ of wall-to-wall cargo area

Rivian RCV Safety Features

Rivian’s focus on safety was still a main point of emphasis with the RCV. It features all of your typical Driver Assistance and Safety Features that Rivian includes with other vehicles, with a few extras that fit the typical bill of a cargo van:

  • Adaptive Cruise Control
  • Blind Spot Warning
  • Speed Limit Information Function
  • Lane Keep Assist
  • Lane Departure Warning
  • High Beam Assist
  • Back-Up Warning System
  • Surround Park Assist
  • Bird’s Eye Surround Camera
  • Enhanced Reverse View
  • Automatic Emergency Braking
  • Forward Collision Warning
  • Rear Cross Traffic Warning
  • Dynamic Braking Support

It also features Rivian’s “Driver+” system, which includes a variety of radars, cameras, and sensors to improve safety:

  • Five Radars – 1 Center Front Forward, 4 Corners
  • Eight Cameras – 2 Center Front Windshield Forward, 2 Side Mirror Backward, 2 Rooftop, 1 Rear Surround View, 1 Interior
  • 12 Ultrasonic Sensors

Rivian RCV Driver Features

In an effort to keep drivers focused on the road, comfortable throughout their workday, and safe, Rivian included a variety of features with the RCV.

  • Easily Accessible Buttons – All controls are accessible from the steering wheel while driving
  • Large, comfortable driver seat
  • 15.4″ Center Display – One of the largest of any light-duty commercial vehicle
  • Two Wireless Charging Pads

Rivian RCV Pricing

The Rivian RCV starts at $79,900, and fleet orders can be submitted to Rivian directly on their website.

Need accessories for your Tesla? Check out the Teslarati Marketplace:

Please email me with questions and comments at joey@teslarati.com. I’d love to chat! You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Lucid and Uber team with Nuro for new robotaxi program with Gravity SUV

The plan currently is to launch it to the public in the Bay later this year.

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Credit: Lucid

Lucid and Uber are teaming up with Nuro to launch an autonomous robotaxi program utilizing the automaker’s Gravity SUV. The project will be unveiled at CES 2026, introducing an in-cabin rider experience completely designed by Uber, the world’s largest ride-sharing service.

Back in 2025, the partnership between the three companies was announced, aiming to launch a unique ride-sharing platform using over 20,000 Lucid vehicles equipped with the Nuro Driver technology. The vehicles are owned and operated by Uber.

The companies have already initiated some testing in the San Francisco Bay Area, which is a big step in the right direction for the project. The plan currently is to launch it to the public in the Bay later this year. Nuro will lead the testing using robotaxi engineering prototypes that are supervised by autonomous vehicle operators.

Currently, there are over 100 robotaxis in the Engineering Test Fleet.

The Gravity vehicles are fitted with a next-gen sensor array featuring high-res cameras, solid-state LiDAR sensors, and radars that will provide a 360-perception model, as well as a “purpose-built roof-mounted halo designed to maximize sensor visibility,” which is seen on top of the Gravity unit above.

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The halo also has integrated LEDs to help riders more easily identify the correct vehicle by displaying their initials. The halo will also provide clear status updates from pickup through dropoff.

These units for the robotaxi program between the three companies will start being produced later this year at Lucid’s Arizona AMP-1 factory.

Uber chose the Lucid Gravity specifically due to its “unprecedented comfort” and its reputation, as it was named to Car and Driver’s 10 Best for 2026. But Uber is customizing some things for the Gravity so that it is specifically catered to robotaxi riders:

  • For the first time, Uber is designing the in-vehicle rider experience, which will include interactive screens with entertainment and climate control options, as well as support contacts and vehicle maneuver requests, like a request to pull over.
  • It will also have in-vehicle visualization, showing what the robotaxi sees and its path in real-time. This will be a nice transition for those who are skeptical about driverless vehicles, and will show what the vehicle and its sensors, LiDAR, and cameras see.
  • The Gravity is also a sizeable SUV, which will give riders space for themselves and their luggage.

This is the latest application of a ride-hailing platform that leans on autonomy for its operation, essentially phasing out the need for human drivers in various markets, starting with the Bay Area.

More companies are dipping their toes in the project, giving them the opportunity to establish some early momentum, as there are only a handful of companies that are currently operating this in the United States. Uber, Lucid, and Nuro aim to be the next, and initiating this program at this time is big for their chance at success.

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Tesla Cybercab test fleet expands in Austin and Bay Area

In total, the Robotaxi fleet is comprised of 139 total vehicles in both Austin and the Bay Area. The vast majority of these units are Model Y cars, but the Cybercab is the most recent addition to the fleet. 

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Credit: Adan Guajardo

Tesla has expanded its fleet of Cybercab test units in both Austin and the Bay Area of California, as the vehicle is heading toward the first production stages, hopefully early this year.

As the first few units were spotted in Austin late last year, Tesla is now operating seven total Cybercab units in testing, three of which were spotted over the weekend in Texas. Bay Area testing just started on January 3, with both units also being added to the fleet on Saturday and Sunday.

In total, there are seven Cybercabs now operating, according to Robotaxi Tracker, each with different license plates that have been observed over the course of the last several weeks; the first unit was spotted in Austin on December 18.

The expansion of the Cybercab test fleet is a slow but steady process that Tesla is taking to get the car on public roads ahead of its initial production stages.

CEO Elon Musk said last week that Tesla has already started some test production phases of the vehicle at Gigafactory Texas, which is located outside of Austin.

Tesla Cybercab tests are going on overdrive with production-ready units

However, it will likely be some time before Tesla actually adds it to the fleet for rides that are available to the public. Tesla plans to build it without a steering wheel or pedals, so the company will have to reach Level 5 autonomy at that point before customers can hail rides and take it to their destination.

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In total, the Robotaxi fleet is comprised of 139 total vehicles in both Austin and the Bay Area. The vast majority of these units are Model Y cars, but the Cybercab is the most recent addition to the fleet.

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Tesla Germany’s “Giga Train’s” improved service gets rave reviews

As per recent reports, Tesla’s free “train”Giga Train” service will increase its daily trips to six starting this week. 

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Credit: Jürgen Stegemann/LinkedIn

Tesla has expanded its employee shuttle service from Berlin Ostbahnhof East Station to the Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg. As per recent reports, Tesla’s free “train”Giga Train” service has increased its daily trips to six starting this week. 

The service has so far received positive reviews from the facility’s employees, some of whom noted that the upgraded shuttle train has reduced their travel time by a notable margin.

Giga Berlin’s expanded shuttle service

As noted in a rbb24 report, Giga Berlin’s free shuttle train now operates six times daily, up from one previously. The service also goes directly to the Model Y production facility without stopping at other stations. Tesla employee Dené Schunck described the service to rbb24 in a comment: “The shuttle goes directly to the factory site, without any transfers, which reduces the commute time for our employees by almost half,” Schunck stated. 

Operated by Ostdeutsche Eisenbahngesellschaft (Odeg) after switching from Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn (NEB), Giga Berlin’s shuttle train, which also stops at Ostkreuz and Erkner, remains free for all riders, including non-Tesla employees. It has been fully funded by Tesla Germany since September 2023.

Employees praised the changes: One Giga Berlin worker stated that it “definitely makes the journey easier” because employees “used to need two hours for the round trip from Berlin, but now it’s significantly faster.”

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Tesla Germany’s previous comments

In late 2025, reports emerged stating that Tesla Germany will be expanding its shuttle train service by adding direct rail trips from Berlin Ostbahnhof to Giga Berlin-Brandenburg. In a comment, Tesla Germany stated that the updated service would mirror the shift changes for the Model Y factory’s employees.

“The service includes six daily trips, which also cover our shift times. The trains will run between Berlin Ostbahnhof (with a stop at Ostkreuz) and Erkner station to the Gigafactory,” Tesla Germany noted. 

At the time, Tesla Germany also stated that despite construction being done at Fangschleuse and Köpenick stations, the route of the Giga Train has been optimized to maintain a predictable 35-minute travel time. This should provide Tesla Germany’s employees with a convenient way to travel to and from Giga Berlin. 

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