Launched in 2021, the Rivian Electric Delivery Van (EDV) currently only comes in front-wheel drive form, with a 320 HP motor driving the front wheels. The 100kWh battery pack allows for a quoted range of 161 miles in the smaller 500 variant, and 160 in the larger 700.
Those numbers are fine for the sort of urban, high-density mileage the EDV has been used for so far but limit its usefulness in less built-up areas. Being front-wheel drive only means that winter weather and unpaved roads can cause a problem for it too.
Those two major limitations are what the new variants of the van are being specifically developed to overcome. Rivian says it’s working on a larger battery that’ll bring a 30% increase in range, potentially bumping it up to 209 miles.
