The same could be asked about the USPS designs custom vehicles, or why UPS has special package cars with changes from a default box van.
The other piece that I think is important and not regarded high enough is that delivering for Amazon is all-in-all a rough job physically and mentally (considering that Amazon is at the height of metrics-driven companies and will shit on you for missing your number by 1), so there is an incredibly high chance that they will use these to boost morale (and already are -- Amazon has different tiers of vans internally that drivers work through as they progress at the company [with the new Rivian vehicles being at the top of the tier list], so surely it's being used as some incentive -- "hey check out this new electric van that we want you to drive, it has heated seats and steering wheel ;)".
Plus, this is the type of company who cares about 1-2% optimization long-term because of scale. Maybe the lower step of the Rivian van causes a 3% decrease in hip-originated workers compensation claims, idk.
Also EVs are so much cheaper to run than gasoline delivery vehicles, especially if your routes are stop and go -- that's worse-case for a gas engine, but EVs love it because of regenerative braking.
The other piece that I think is important and not regarded high enough is that delivering for Amazon is all-in-all a rough job physically and mentally (considering that Amazon is at the height of metrics-driven companies and will shit on you for missing your number by 1), so there is an incredibly high chance that they will use these to boost morale (and already are -- Amazon has different tiers of vans internally that drivers work through as they progress at the company [with the new Rivian vehicles being at the top of the tier list], so surely it's being used as some incentive -- "hey check out this new electric van that we want you to drive, it has heated seats and steering wheel ;)".
Plus, this is the type of company who cares about 1-2% optimization long-term because of scale. Maybe the lower step of the Rivian van causes a 3% decrease in hip-originated workers compensation claims, idk.
Also EVs are so much cheaper to run than gasoline delivery vehicles, especially if your routes are stop and go -- that's worse-case for a gas engine, but EVs love it because of regenerative braking.