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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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Elon Musk

Elon Musk confirms Tesla AI6 chip is Project Dojo’s successor

Tesla’s AI5 and AI6 chips are expected to be rolled out to the company’s consumer products.

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tesla-supercomputer-pre-dojo
Credit: Tim Zaman/Twitter

Earlier this week, reports emerged stating that Tesla has stepped back from its Project Dojo initiative. While the reports were initially framed as a negative development for the electric vehicle maker’s autonomous driving efforts, CEO Elon Musk later noted on X that Tesla was indeed halting its Dojo initiative.

Elon Musk’s Confirmation

As per Musk, Tesla was shuttering Project Dojo because it does not make sense for the company to divide its resources and scale two different AI chip designs. Dojo, after all, is designed to train the company’s autonomous driving program, and thus, it would not be rolled out to Tesla’s consumer products.

In a series of posts on X, Musk stated that it would make sense to just use Tesla’s AI5/AI6 to train its FSD and Autopilot systems. “In a supercomputer cluster, it would make sense to put many AI5/AI6 chips on a board, whether for inference or training, simply to reduce network cabling complexity & cost by a few orders of magnitude,” Musk said.

Tesla’s AI5 and AI6 chips are expected to be rolled out to the company’s consumer products, from Optimus to the Cybercab to the next-generation Roadster.

AI6 is Dojo’s Successor

What was particularly interesting about Musk’s comment was his mention of using AI5/AI6 chips for training. As per Musk, this strategy could be seen as “Dojo 3” in a way, since the performance of Tesla’s AI5 and AI6 chips is already notable. Musk’s comment about using AI6 chips for training caught the eye of many, including Apple and Rivian alumnus Phil Beisel, who noted that “AI6 is now Dojo.”

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“Dojo is Tesla’s AI training supercomputer, built around a custom chip known as the D1. The D1 and AI5/AI6 share many core design elements, particularly the math operations used in neural networks (e.g., matrix multiplication) and highly parallel processing.

“Dojo had a unique feature: chips arranged in a 5×5 grid using a system-on-wafer design, with etched interconnects enabling high-speed data transfer. In a sense, Dojo will live on as the generalized AI6. Going forward, all efforts will focus on AI6,” the tech veteran wrote in a post on X.

Elon Musk confirmed the Apple alumnus’ musings, with the CEO responding with a “bullseye” emoji. Musk is evidently excited for Tesla’s AI6 chip, which is expected to produced by Samsung’s upcoming Texas fabrication facility. In a post on X, Musk stated that he would personally be walking Samsung’s line to accelerate the output of Tesla’s AI6 computers.

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Cybertruck

Tesla’s new upgrade makes the Cybertruck extra-terrestrial

The upgrade was announced by the electric vehicle maker on social media platform X.

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Credit: Tesla

It took a while, but the Tesla Cybertruck’s rock sliders and battery armor upgrades have finally arrived. The upgrade was announced by the electric vehicle maker on social media platform X, to much appreciation from Cybertruck owners.

Tesla Releases Cybertruck Armor Package

As could be seen in Tesla’s official Shop, the Cybertruck Terrestrial Armor Package is available only for Foundation Series units for now, though non-Foundation Series vehicles should have access to the upgrade around September 2025. Price-wise, the armor package is quite reasonable at $3,500.

For that price, Cybertruck owners would be able to acquire enhanced rock sliders and an underbody battery shield that should allow the all-electric pickup truck to go through harsh terrain without any issues. Each purchase of the Terrestrial Armor Package includes 1 Underbody shield, 1 Left side structural rocker, and 1 Right side structural rocker.

Most importantly, the Armor Package’s price includes shipment to the customer’s preferred Tesla Service Center and installation.

Extra-Terrestrial

Tesla describes its Cybertruck Armor Package as follows: “Get extra-terrestrial. The Cybertruck Terrestrial Armor Package includes enhanced rock sliders and an underbody battery shield to provide greater protection from rocks and debris when off-roading on tough terrain. The rock sliders are constructed from coated steel and the underbody battery shield is constructed from aluminum for greater protection against scraping.”

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Initial impressions from a Cybertruck owner who was fortunate enough to test the Armor Package in real-world off-road conditions have been positive. The item’s pricing also seems to be quite appreciated by Cybertruck owners in forums such as the Cybertruck Owners Club, with some members stating that they would be acquiring the package for their own all-electric pickup trucks.

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Tesla Model Y L reportedly entered mass production in Giga Shanghai

The vehicle is expected to be a larger version of the best-selling Model Y crossover.

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Credit: Tesla Asia/X

Reports from industry watchers in China have suggested that the Tesla Model Y L has started mass production at Gigafactory Shanghai. The vehicle is expected to be a larger version of the best-selling Model Y crossover, offering three rows and six seats thanks to a longer wheelbase.

Tesla Model Y L Production Rumors

Reports about the new Model Y variant’s alleged milestone were initially shared on Weibo, with some industry watchers stating that the vehicle has already started mass production. Tesla China is reportedly surveying which of its domestic stores would have the first display units of the six-seat Model Y. 

The Model Y L’s steady march towards production was evident this past week, with recent reports indicating that the vehicle’s key specs have already been listed in the China Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s (MIIT) latest batch of new energy vehicle models that are eligible for vehicle purchase tax exemptions.

As per the MIIT’s list, the Model Y L will be a dual motor vehicle that is equipped with an 82.0-kWh lithium-ion battery from LG Energy Solution. The vehicle will feature six seats with two captain seats on the second row, as well as a CLTC range of 751 km. 

Tesla Model Y L Potential

The potential of the Model Y L is vast, considering that it is produced in the existing Model Y lines of Tesla’s factories. This should slash new vehicle tooling costs and potential ramp-up issues. Three-row SUVs also command a pretty notable market that has mostly only been accessed by the more expensive Model X. With the Model Y L’s lower price, Tesla could become more competitive in the three-row SUV segment.

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As noted by longtime Tesla owner and investor @_SFTahoe, the Model Y L could also become a more premium option for the company’s Robotaxi business, thanks to its second row captain seats and spacious interior. The expansion of Model Y L Robotaxis should also be impressive considering Tesla’s mastery of mass manufacturing techniques. 

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