Mercedes partners with Rivian to develop electric vans.

Mercedes-Benz Vans, a supplier of electric private and commercial vans, has partnered withelectric vehiclemakersRivianAnnouncing the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to launch a strategiccooperative partnerRelationships.

The partnership will enable the two companies toElectric truckscooperation in the production of the

Subject to the parties reaching a final and binding agreement and obtaining the relevant regulatory approvals, the two companies intend to form a new joint venture manufacturing company with the purpose of investing in and operating a plant in Europe for theMercedes-Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-Benz make large electric vans. - Benz Vans and Rivian, launching in a few years. The goal is to build a new all-electric production facility utilizing Mercedes-Benz's existing plants in Central/Eastern Europe.

The two companies envision producing vehicle designs optimized for efficient manufacturing on a common assembly line. They aim to produce two large vans, one based on the Mercedes-Benz Van's all-electric platform, VAN.EA (MB Vans Electric Architecture), and the other based on the second-generation electric van, the Rivian Light Van (RLV) platform. Additional options to enhance the synergies of the joint venture will also be explored.

The joint venture reflects a common goal shared by Mercedes-Benz Vans and Rivian: both companies plan to rapidly scale up production of electric vans to help the world transition to cleaner transportation. By working together, they will be able to capitalize on operational synergies and significantly improve costsefficiency, helping commercial customers driven by total cost of ownership to buy vans more affordably.