General Motors and Amazon may team up to acquire a large chunk of a start-up company that plans to make electric-powered pickup trucks. the company is based in Plymouth.
The deal would give Amazon and GM major stakes in Rivian based in Plymouth. Rivian, formed in 2009, plans to be the first automaker with an electric pickup.
The investment could total more than 1-billion dollars, according to analysts.
Rivian says it’s pickup, named R-1-T, has a skateboard design that puts the drive unit, battery pack, suspension, brakes, and cooling system below the height of the wheels. That would give more storage space and stability.
Rivian needs outside sources for future self-driving technology, and that’s where GM and Amazon come in.
Amazon is already in the hi-tech auto business, investing more than 500-million in Aurora, another autonomous car startup.