Rivian has formally teamed up with the ice cream firm Ben & Jerry’s to launch an electrified ice cream truck, weeks after the electrical automobile (EV) maker launched its van to extra industrial prospects.
As detailed in a press launch on Tuesday, Rivian and Ben & Jerry’s have unveiled two “Scoop Vehicles,” a pair of electrical ice cream vehicles based mostly on the Rivian Business Van (RCV). Rivian formally launched the RCV to industrial prospects past its early accomplice Amazon final month, and the Scoop Truck is among the first we’ve seen of its modular use instances within the weeks since.
The businesses plan to debut the primary of the electrical ice cream vehicles on the South by Southwest (SXSW) music competition in Austin, Texas, which begins on Friday. After the competition, each of the Scoop Vehicles can be hitting the highway throughout the U.S., together with becoming a member of a sequence of pop-up occasions in Vermont, the place Ben & Jerry’s is headquartered.
Credit score: Ben & Jerry’s
Credit score: Ben & Jerry’s
“Collaborating with the Ben & Jerry’s workforce to construct the following era of electrical scoop vehicles has been an unimaginable expertise. It’s a type of initiatives that simply makes the workforce smile,” mentioned Brian Gase, Rivian’s Senior Director of Prototype Growth. “We are able to’t await folks to cease by for some ice cream and see it in motion for the primary time throughout SXSW!”
The Scoop Vehicles look like the Rivian RCV 500, providing a 161-mile vary, and an total size of 248.5 inches. The electrical van additionally features a 100 kWh LFP battery pack, and Rivian says it may possibly cost at speeds of as much as 100 kW.
“Working with Rivian, an trade chief that’s dedicated to sustainability is an ice cream dream come true,” notes Sean Slattery, Ben & Jerry’s U.S. Built-in Advertising undertaking lead. “At this time, Rivian helped Ben & Jerry’s scale back our reliance on fossil fuels in a small approach, whereas making issues a bit bit cooler… which, as an ice cream firm, is extraordinarily troublesome to do.”
A photograph of one of many Rivian Scoop Vehicles was additionally noticed and photographed being hauled in Irvine, California, as was shared on Reddit final week. As one viewer factors out, the RCVs embody an additional air-con unit on prime of the van, with a purpose to assist maintain obligatory refrigeration operating.
Credit score: riceengineer | Reddit
Credit score: Rivian
Credit score: Rivian
Credit score: Rivian
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Together with the Ben & Jerry’s RCV, Rivian is partnering with SXSW on an “Electrical Roadhouse” exhibit, which can embody panel discussions, demo drives, stay music, and even a have a look at the upcoming R2 line. Rivian can be set to be an official sponsor for the music competition’s Transportation Observe occasion. The Scoop Truck is prone to play a task within the upcoming Rivian occasion, although the businesses have but to reveal the place precisely it may be seen this weekend.
In December, Rivian introduced that it has deployed 20,000 of the Electrical Supply Vans (EDVs), that are the Amazon-exclusive launch model of the RCVs. Produced alongside the R1T and R1S on the firm’s manufacturing facility in Regular, Illinois, the vans are available in two configurations, the RCV 500 and the longer RCV 700, that are each at present being provided for fleet gross sales.
Rivian can be aiming to construct a manufacturing facility in Georgia with assist from a $6.6 billion mortgage from the Division of Vitality (DOE), although these plans are up within the air beneath the Trump administration’s latest freeze on federal grants and loans. CEO RJ Scaringe in January mentioned that the automaker has already signed a “legally binding settlement” with the DOE, that includes a broad vary of circumstances that Rivian should meet alongside the best way.
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