This is the Morgan Olson C250e. It’s the all-electric version of JB Poindexter & Co’s newest step-van that was designed specifically for Canada Post, and while the name might not ring a bell, the fact that it’s actually a Rivian underneath its square-like body might make an eyebrow or two rise among enthusiasts.
That’s because Rivian partnered with JBPCO to sell more units of its Electric Commercial Van (ECV), albeit as a barebones platform this time around and not a fully-finished product.
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Rivian diversifies its portfolio
Rivian is known for its high-priced R1T and R1S all-electric adventure vehicles, but this past week has shown that the California-based EV maker is doing everything it can to diversify its portfolio.
The R2, R2, and R3X stole the headlines last week, but there was a fourth Rivian-based vehicle that debuted last week, in the form of a boxy mail van.
Late last year, Rivian ended its exclusivity agreement with Amazon over the vehicle that was previously known as the Electric Delivery Van (EDV), meaning the American EV maker could sell its zero-emissions commercial vehicle to any company. The first big customer was AT&T, and now Morgan Olson tapped Rivian to marry the underlying platform of the ECV with the C250 body.
According to FleetOwner, the electrified version of the C250 Canada Post step-van features a 100-kilowatt-hour lithium ion phosphate (LFP) battery pack, as well as Rivian’s user interface and software stack. It also has the steering wheel on the right-hand side of the interior, making it the second Rivian to have the driver sitting on the front right seat after the R1T that was converted to a safari vehicle in Kenya.
It is, however, the first time Rivian has partnered with someone to provide just the skateboard chassis of its electric van, and it’s just the beginning. “This announcement is really the culmination and potentially the first step of a very strong partnership,” said Tom Solomon, Rivian’s senior director of B2B business development, for FleetOwner. “This represents the foundation.”
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The ECV’s guts might potentially be the base for more Morgan Olson vehicles, like smaller grocery delivery and other Class 2B applications that have a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) between 8,510 and 10,000 pounds. “What you’re seeing [with the C250e] is a starting point,” Jacob Larimore, senior director of business development at JBPCO’s innovation hub EAVX, told FleetOwner. “We’re hopeful that it will continue to evolve.”
Even though Rivian’s exclusivity clause with Amazon is dead, its deal to manufacture and deliver 100,000 electric delivery vans by 2030 isn’t. Last year, more than 10,000 of the company’s battery-powered commercial vehicles were roaming the streets of the United States and Germany delivering parcels for Amazon.
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