Rivian was hoping to begin deliveries of the first R1T electric pickup trucks in July. Unfortunately due to the global chip shortage and the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, deliveries were delayed until September.
In the latest update to R1T reservation holders, Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe has confirmed his company is still on track to deliver their first vehicles next month.
Written from their manufacturing facility in Normal, Illinois, Scaringe says the company is working hard to perfect their production processes in stamping, body, paint, assembly, and propulsion (battery and drive units).
He added they are also working to build-out their service network to support the first deliveries.
“It’s inspiring to see how the entire company is coming together for us to start deliveries – everything from dialing in our production process to ramping up our service network to managing our supply chain. I am happy to report we are on track to begin deliveries in September.” he said.
Scaringe also provided an update on the company’s charging network, called the Rivian Adventure Network. He says the company is working to secure locations for their chargers, and they should start popping up “over the next few months.” Scaringe added the number of installations will expand “quite rapidly” in 2022.
The company plans to install over 3,500 DC fast chargers at 600 sites and 10,000 level 2 ‘Waypoint’ chargers across the US and Canada by 2023.
Other updates in the letter included information about the online vehicle purchasing process, and the mobile app which will be available for both iOS and Android devices in early September.
A full copy of the letter is included below courtesy of The Kilowatts.
HI THERE,
Hi from Normal, IL. I’m here at the plant working closely with our team as we continue building more and more vehicles every day. It’s inspiring to see how the entire company is coming together for us to start deliveries – everything from dialing in our production process to ramping up our service network to managing our supply chain. I am happy to report we are on track to begin deliveries in September.
I’ve included a few updates below and a link to a recap and Q&A video from our recent customer drive event at the plant.
Normal Production Plant
Over the last several months we have been focused on not only ramping our production rate, but also dialing in our quality across each of the five areas of our plant: stamping, body, paint, assembly and propulsion (battery and drive units). This challenging process involves multiple build phases – many of the vehicles from these non-customer build phases have been seen out testing across a range of environments during the last year. These validation, tooling tryout and pilot build vehicles are critical for our ongoing mileage accumulation program that has helped us drive refinements to the product. With all of this, I am excited to report we have started producing vehicles that reflect all of our quality iterations and design refinements. We are currently working with various governing agencies on the final approvals needed for us to make the first deliveries to preorder customers in September.
Charging Network
We also remain focused on building out our charging network – this includes our fast DC chargers that are part of our Rivian Adventure Network as well as our Level 2 AC chargers/connectors that are part of our Rivian Waypoints network. Key to delivering on our goal of more than 3,500 DC chargers (at 600 sites) and 10,000 Waypoints is securing a portfolio of great locations for these chargers. You will start to see more of these pop up over the next few months, and by the end of the year the buildout will start expanding quite rapidly.
Service Centers
Rivian Service Centers are now in operation in Brooklyn, NY; Bellevue, WA; Normal, IL; San Francisco and El Segundo, CA. This is just the beginning of our growing Service Center network, which also includes a large fleet of mobile service vans for performing onsite vehicle repairs. We are planning to open over 100 Service Centers by the end of 2023.
Vehicle Purchasing
Our online ordering and transaction process will be ready to complete customer purchases next month. This online process allows us to provide you with a convenient and transparent way to complete your purchase and can be completed in as little as 15 minutes. We’ve spent countless hours refining each step to make the process seamless and efficient. We look forward to your feedback as you use this platform to complete your purchase!
App
We’ve also recently finalized the initial version of the Rivian App for both iOS and Android. The app will be your go-to portal for all things Rivian. In addition to serving as a vehicle key, our app also allows you to monitor charging, manage service appointments and easily contact your Guide. More functionality will roll out with planned updates. The app will be available for download in early September in advance of deliveries.
A couple weeks ago, we were lucky to host some of our earliest preorder holders for drives and a tour of our plant here in Normal. It was a thrill to have future customers drive the R1T for the first time. After taking drives on the track, cooking on the Camp Kitchen, answering questions and getting feedback, our time together finished with a Q&A roundtable where I was able to answer questions directly and offer insight into many aspects of products, business and upcoming plans. You can see a recap of the event and watch a video of the roundtable on our Stories page.
