Commercial, Distributed Energy Resources  -  September 8, 2022

Mercedes-Benz Vans and Rivian Partner for Electric Van Production

Mercedes‑Benz Vans, a full-range provider of electric private and commercial vans, and electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian, announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to initiate a strategic partnership. 

The partnership will enable the companies to cooperate on the production of electric vans.

The companies intend to establish a new joint venture manufacturing company with the purpose of investing in, and operating, a factory in Europe to produce large electric vans for both Mercedes‑Benz Vans and Rivian, starting in a few years. The target is to build an all-new electric-only production facility leveraging an existing Mercedes‑Benz site in Central/Eastern Europe.

They will aim to produce two large vans, one based on VAN.EA (MB Vans Electric Architecture), the electric-only platform of Mercedes‑Benz Vans, and the other based on the second generation electric-van, Rivian Light Van (RLV) platform. Further options for increased synergies from the joint venture will also be explored.

“As a pioneer in the field of locally emission-free transportation Mercedes‑Benz Vans has gained broad experience in producing and launching eVans since 2010,” said Mathias Geisen, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans in a statement. “Now we are accelerating the transformation to a fully electric product portfolio. From 2025 onwards, all vans based on our new architecture VAN.EA will be electric-only. I am delighted that as part of this transformation we are now joining forces with Rivian - a highly dynamic and inspiring partner with a strong technology position. We are sharing investments and technology because we also share the same strategic ambition: accelerating the electrification of the van market with sustainable and superior products for our customers.”

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