By WMBD-TV

PEORIA – Rivian delivered eight of 10 new electric trucks to Ameren’s Peoria Pioneer Parkway facility on Wednesday.

It’s the Twin Cities-based electric vehicle manufacturer’s largest fleet delivery in central Illinois to date.

“For us, it’s very important to present a flagship product that not only showcases performance through the vehicle, but utility that’s doing a whole lot of provision across central Illinois,” said said Zach Deitmeier, senior manage of public affairs at Rivian. “I think when you’re working with your hands day in, day out, it’s nice to see them being driven.”

Each $78,0000 truck will reduce fuel costs and lower overall maintenance costs, said Dan Remmert, senior manager of fleet services at Ameren Illinois.

“It’s really important for us to pave the way, to be good stewards and really lead the way for all things EV and sustainability,” said Remmert. “So we’re really excited about adding these electric vehicles to our fleet,” he said.

Deitmeier likened the trucks to “supercomputers on wheels.” The driver has the option of three driving modes: conserve, all-purpose and sport. Based on the driving mode, the truck can travel 300 to 350 miles on a single charge.

“It’s important to have a very functional product that can get them where they need to be and back, as well as carrying what they need with them,” he said.

These vehicles are part of Ameren’s goal to be 100 percent electric by 2030, as well as supporting the Central Illinois economy by buying from the Normal Rivian facility.

As Ameren is Rivian’s electric supplier, Deitmeier said the trucks bring the partnership full circle.

“It’s important for us to support each other as mobility electrifies over the next decade. For us, its great to see these out and about,” he said.

Remmert said the trucks will be initially assigned to management personnel for feedback.

“We’re going to put them in the field with management, co-workers, field supervisors, and get feedback on them and really understand the capabilities of these trucks,” he said.

Deitmeier said it takes between eight and 10 hours to fully charge each truck. But unlike gas powered cars, electric vehicles can be partially charged at a time.

“You’re not always charging an electric to full, that’s a big change for a lot of people. You’re used to once a week or once every two weeks with your gas station trip. You can charge these pretty much whenever, keep it at about 80 percent,” he said.

Remmert added they are also “working on the charging infrastructure side to be able to handle all the charging stuff.”