US electric vehicle start-up Rivian has produced its first EV model, becoming the first carmaker in the US to market an electric pickup to the consumer market, Kallanish reports.

Ceo RJ Scaringe announced on social media the delivery of the R1T model to customers on Tuesday, after previous delays. In a video at Rivian’s manufacturing plant in Normal, Illinois, the executive thanked workers for the achievement and said this is the first step in building products that will “impact and change the world.”

He later said on Twitter: “After months of building pre-production vehicles, this morning our first customer vehicle drove off our production line in Normal! Our team’s collective efforts have made this moment possible. Can’t wait to get these into the hands of our customers!”

Rivian, which is yet to disclose details on the production ramp-up, has beaten Tesla, GM and Ford in producing a light electric truck. The R1T offers a range of 314 miles and starts at $67,500. Other features include 4G and wi-fi, vegan leather and panoramic roof.

The Amazon-backed start-up has started the paperwork for a proposed public listing, with a potential valuation rumoured at around $70-80 billion. At these rates, the IPO is slated to be a major one – falling behind only Tesla’s IPO.

Tesla's Cybertruck was slated to go into production this fall, but it has been pushed back to at least late 2022. Volume production isn't slated to begin until late 2023.