Rivian in talks with Amazon to remove exclusivity clause of EV van agreement

Rivian is in discussions with Amazon to dissolve the exclusivity piece of their commercial EV van deal, the WSJ reported this morning, citing unnamed sources.

If successful, Rivian would be free to sell its commercial all-electric vans to other customers. The talks are ongoing, according to the WSJ's sources.

Amazon confirmed that the exclusivity deal still stands.

"While nothing has changed with our agreement with Rivian, we’ve always said that we want others to benefit from their technology in the long run because having more electric delivery vehicles on the road is good for our communities and our planet," an Amazon spokesperson said in an emailed statement. "That’s a big part of why we invest in companies like Rivian – to both meet our needs and to help scale technologies that will benefit others and protect our planet for future generations.”

The spokesperson added that Rivian remains an important partner for Amazon.

Amazon is both a customer and investor in Rivian. Today, the e-commerce giant holds about a 17% stake in Rivian. The two companies reached an agreement in 2019 that requires Rivian to sell to Amazon all of the vans it produces. At the time, Amazon said it had ordered 100,000 vans as part of an effort to reduce its climate impact.

Rivian started production of the vans in December 2021. Amazon held an event in July 2022 officially kicking off the rollout of the vans in more than a dozen cities using the custom electric van built by Rivian. Amazon had been testing preproduction versions of the electric delivery vans since 2021 in a handful of U.S. cities, including Los Angeles and San Francisco.

A Rivian spokesperson said the two companies continue to work together.

“Our relationship with Amazon has always been a positive one—we continue to work closely together, and are navigating a changing economic climate, similar to many companies," a Rivian spokesperson said in an emailed statement. The relationship we have with Amazon is a very positive one.”