Rivian has temporarily suspended production of its commercial delivery vans used by retail giant Amazon.com due to a shortage of parts, a spokesman for the electric vehicle manufacturer said Friday. Shares of the Irvine, California-based company fell marginally in early trading.
The production freeze is the latest in a series of challenges for Rivian’s supply chain. Like other electric carmakers, the company has faced significant production issues over the past two years due to a shortage of suppliers.
“A shortage of parts has temporarily impacted our Electric Delivery Van (EDV) production. We expect to make up for any missed production,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
The company did not release information about the specific part and supplier involved, and also declined to comment on when the production shutdown began or whether it has since resumed.
Rivian produces all of its vehicles at its factory in Normal, Illinois, with a second assembly plant planned in Georgia. The parts shortage is not expected to affect production of other Rivian vehicles, including its R1S SUV and R1T pick-up models.
Amazon did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Amazon, Rivian’s largest investor with a 16% stake, has ordered 100,000 electric delivery vans that it hopes will be in service by 2030. Last year, sales to Amazon accounted for about 19% of Rivian’s revenue.
Earlier this month, Rivian maintained its production forecast, saying deliveries would be slightly lower in the current quarter after the company closed its factory in April for renovations and retrofits.