EVwire brief: Caltrans has quietly ordered 524 more Rivians, pushing its total commitment to 977 vehicles worth about $97.1 million.
The second batch, placed between April and May, covers 201 R1S SUVs and 323 R1T pickups worth a combined $52.7 million. That makes Caltrans Rivian's largest known fleet customer outside its Amazon delivery-van program.
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Neither Rivian nor Caltrans announced the deal. The numbers come from state procurement records and both orders sit under one standing agreement: contract 1-25-23-01J, an "Alternative Fuel Vehicles" framework between Rivian and California's Department of General Services.
Caltrans bought 453 Rivians in June 2025, comprised of 138 R1S SUVs and 315 R1T pickups worth $44.3 million. The confirmed two-phase commitment now sits well beyond that at 977 vehicles.
It would not be surprising if Caltrans also purchases Rivian R2 units.
Context:
California is what keeps the orders coming. State law requires zero-emission vehicles to make up at least half of light-duty fleet purchases from the 2024-25 fiscal year, and an executive order commits the state fleet to going fully zero-emission. Caltrans, which runs one of the largest public fleets in the country, says nearly 10% of its light-duty vehicles are already electric, backed by 567 workplace charging ports.
Rivian has sold about 700 vehicles to public agencies in the three years through August 2025, roughly 0.5% of total sales. This single 524-unit order is about three-quarters of that, and the combined 977 tops it outright.
Source: EV
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