Rivian has started delivering a reworked version of its commercial electric van, adding a dual-motor all-wheel-drive option and a larger battery that the company says lifts range by 30%. The upgrade applies only to the bigger EDV 700, which carries 652 cubic feet of cargo. The smaller EDV 500 keeps its current battery and front-wheel drive.
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A 129 kWh pack replaces the original LFP battery
Rivian confirmed in its third-quarter 2026 shareholder presentation that deliveries of the new variants began in early October, according to Electrek’s Fred Lambert. EPA certification documents for the 2027 EDV 700, issued September 17, list a usable capacity of 129 kWh in lithium iron phosphate chemistry for both the front-wheel-drive and the all-wheel-drive versions. Electrek describes the pack being replaced as 100 kWh, which puts the energy gain near 29%, while another report on the same EPA filing gives the old figure as 90 kWh. Either way, the bigger pack is the source of the extra distance.
Rivian’s own wording, relayed by Electrek, is a 30% increase in range over a current EDV 700 that it rates at up to 160 miles. InsideEVs lists the existing vans at 161 miles for the EDV 500 and 160 miles for the EDV 700, with a single 100 kWh pack, front-wheel drive and a base price of $79,000 for the 500. Applying 30% to 160 miles, Electrek estimates the new front-drive EDV 700 at about 208 miles. Rivian has not published pricing for the new variants.
When the plan first surfaced in February, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe told analysts the new variants would “help unlock specific use cases within the Amazon network,” as Eletric-Vehicles.com reported.
The EDV 700 is the larger of the two vans Rivian builds for fleets, with 652 cubic feet of cargo space, and it is the only one to receive the 129 kWh pack and the second motor. The EDV 500 stays on its existing pack and front-wheel drive, and Rivian has not said whether the smaller van will ever be offered the same options. Electrek’s report does not give a price for either new variant, so fleet buyers comparing total cost have only the range claims to work with for now.
All-wheel drive gives back about a third of the range gain
The EPA’s unadjusted lab figures, which run higher than real-world range because they skip correction factors, show the split. Drive Tesla Canada’s reading of the filing puts the current front-drive 700 at 261.7 miles and the new front-drive version at 355.5 miles, a gain of nearly 36%. The dual-motor version comes in at 322.25 miles, about 23% above the old van. Electrek concludes that all-wheel drive costs roughly a third of the range gain and estimates the AWD van at 195 to 200 miles in everyday terms.
The 30% figure Rivian advertises therefore describes the front-drive pack upgrade most directly, and the all-wheel-drive van lands in the low-to-mid 20s in percentage terms on the EPA’s lab basis. Rivian says the variants are “specifically designed to expand route coverage into more rural networks,” the kind of duty where mud, snow and longer gaps between stops decide whether a van finishes its shift. The same Drive Tesla Canada report quotes a post from Rivian’s delivery-van account saying both versions get a 129 kWh pack, with Amazon expecting the vans later this year.
Amazon anchors demand while rival vans thin out
Amazon remains the dominant customer: Autoblog reported in February that the retailer has taken delivery of more than 30,000 of the vans since 2021, and Electrek says its fleet grew 50% in 2025. Kelley Blue Book figures cited by InsideEVs show 2025 U.S. electric van sales of 13,423 for Rivian, against 5,186 for the Ford E-Transit, 4,971 for the Chevy BrightDrop and 738 for the Mercedes-Benz eSprinter.
The field has since narrowed. Electrek reports that GM has ended BrightDrop production in Ontario and that Canoo went bankrupt, leaving Ford’s E-Transit as the main full-size electric alternative. Electrek also spotted a Rivian van in Walmart+ livery, though neither company has announced a deal. Walmart would be the first sign that the longer-range van is meant for customers beyond Amazon.
Rivian’s volume still rests heavily on one buyer. Electrek notes that the competitors who tried to serve other fleets have stumbled, which ties demand closely to how many vans Amazon orders for rural routes. A van that reaches farther and handles low-traction roads could widen that circle, though no new customer has been announced and the Walmart+ sighting remains unconfirmed by either company.
The open question is how much of the 30% survives on a real route. Rivian’s rating for the current van is 160 miles, Electrek’s estimate for the new front-drive van is 208, and its estimate for the all-wheel-drive version is 195 to 200. Until Rivian or the EPA publishes adjusted range figures for the 2027 EDV 700, those numbers remain one reporter’s arithmetic layered on an unadjusted lab test.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
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