Electric truck maker Rivian raises almost $12bn from share sale

Shares in electric vehicle firm Rivian are set to start trading in New York on Wednesday, after raising more than $11.9bn (£8.8bn) from investors.

That's as the shares were priced at $78 each, well above the company's target range.

That flotation ranks among the top 10 initial public offerings (IPOs) of all time in the US.

Yet Rivian only started delivering its first electric pick-up trucks to customers in September.

And the California-based start-up has made losses of over $2bn over the last two years.

But the van and truck maker has drawn significant investor interest, in part because it already has the backing of online giant Amazon.

And it is has beaten rivals include Ford and General Motors to a segment of the market - small trucks, pick-ups and SUVs - which is popular with American drivers.

The shares were priced at $78 each, which is above the target range of $72 to $74.

Rivian is already being compared to Elon Musk's Tesla, which transformed the market for electric cars.

Alongside the pick-up truck, Rivian is due to start rolling out its sports utility vehicle (SUV) in December and a delivery van in 2023.

"Rivian exists to create products and services that help our planet transition to carbon neutral energy and transportation," said RJ Scaringe the company's founder and chief executive in the firm's submission to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ahead of the share flotation.

"This is what inspired me to start Rivian, and it's what drives every decision we make as an organisation."