Another spin-off from Rivian recently made headlines with a massive contract with Amazon. They’ll provide the thousands of the pedal-assist cargo quads they’ve developed. This Partnership Agreement represents a truly transformative moment for Also. In March of this year, the company spun out of Rivian and raised a $105 million round of funding from Eclipse.
It’s the pedal-assist cargo quad vehicles, the TM-Q—built expressly for commercial use—that will make you weep with joy. Each vehicle has the capacity to hold more than 400 pounds of packages and is small enough to operate easily in bike lanes. This pairing of size and capacity makes the TM-Q perfect for last mile deliveries in busy metro centers.
TM-Q vehicle comes pre-installed with a five-inch round touchscreen that lets users lock and unlock their vehicle with a tap. The design uses handlebars more akin to those found on Rivian’s electric delivery vans. This decision really shows off the closely shared technology, born from both of their companies.
Chris Yu, president of Also, emphasized the importance of the platform powering their vehicles.
“It’s less about what’s on top here and it’s more about the underlying quad platform.” – Chris Yu
The TM-Q vehicle also includes sophisticated software that handles logistics, delivery and vehicle charging to maximize operational capabilities. Along with the TM-Q, is in the process of rolling out battery dock stations. These stations will allow them to battery swap on the fly, improving the efficiency of their fleet’s performance.
Rivian’s CEO, RJ Scaringe, sounded bullish about the partnership when asked about working with Amazon. He acknowledged the deep, deep influence of Rivian’s team, considering how long they had worked with Amazon before forming the partnership.
“There’s no guesswork and Also has benefited from a lot of input from the Rivian team, which has been involved because they’re so close to Amazon.” – RJ Scaringe
Scaringe was effusive about the flexibility to change the design of the vehicles.
“What I love about these, to do a new top hat on a car it’s like a billion dollars; to do a new top hat here, it’s a lot less.” – RJ Scaringe
Rivian are partnering for the long haul. As a team, they will adapt pedal-assist vehicles to best suit Amazon’s parcel delivery requirements across Europe and the US. As Emily Barber, Director of Global Fleet for Amazon explained, that made for a really strategic partnership.
It’s leaving the door wide open for future versions of its vehicles. The company’s vision includes showcasing innovations in the electric vehicle arena. Their small size makes them uniquely suited for urban environments. Thanks to a unique pedal-assist system, they’re able to go places that traditional delivery vehicles can’t.