Mercedes‑Benz Vans and EV maker Rivian signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly work on the production of electric vans, in line with their common objectives of accelerating the production of electric vans to help the world transition to cleaner transportation faster.
The firms will first establish a joint venture firm with the purpose of setting up a factory in Europe to produce electric vans for Mercedes‑Benz Vans as well as Rivian. The new facility will be set up at an existing Mercedes‑Benz site in Central/Eastern Europe.
The firms will also leverage operational synergies and improve cost efficiencies to make the produced vans more affordable for commercial customers. They will make production-optimised vehicle designs for efficient manufacturing.
Initially, Mercedes‑Benz Vans and Rivian will produce two van models – one based on the MB Vans Electric Architecture “VAN.EA” and another based on the Rivian Light Van (RLV) platform. The VAN.EA is Mercedes‑Benz Vans’ electric-only platform and RLV is Rivian’s second generation electric-van platform.
“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,” Mathias Geisen, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, said. “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.”
