Ben & Jerry's goes EV with zero-emission Rivian scoopmobiles
Ben & Jerry's is taking the ICE out of ice cream trucks with two electric Rivian vans that will serve up scoops on the go.
The Vermont sweet treat maker is among the first high-profile customers for Rivian's commercial vans since the exclusive portion of its deal with Amazon ended in February.
The vans will debut at the South by Southwest entertainment festival that starts March 7 in Austin, Texas. The rest of this year, they'll travel across the country to community events for Rivian owners and around Vermont.
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'Collaborating with the Ben & Jerry's team to build the next generation of electric scoop trucks has been an incredible experience,' Brian Gase, Rivian's senior director of prototype development, said in a statement. 'It's one of those projects that just makes the team smile.'
The Ben & Jerry's vans are based on Rivian's Delivery 500 model, which has an estimated range of 161 miles between charges.
Rivian has delivered thousands of vans to Amazon since 2022 and in February opened up sales to other businesses.
'Working with Rivian, an industry leader that is committed to sustainability is an ice cream dream come true,' said Sean Slattery, Ben & Jerry's U.S. integrated marketing project lead. 'Today, Rivian helped Ben & Jerry's reduce our reliance on fossil fuels in a small way, while making things a little bit cooler ... which, as an ice cream company, is extremely difficult to do.'
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