Latest Rivian news

[BlindPass]

Just my opinion. Tesla has grown very fast without resorting to expenses like this. Sure you can write it off as a marketing expense, but every dollar spent on marketing is one less dollar spent on building a charging network in the US that lots of customers will use. IMHO, Rivian is using an old school auto company playbook of glitzy and expensive advertising videos rather than spending the money on the product, like what Tesla does. The auto companies have huge sales volumes to amortize marketing spends against. Rivian does not.

I disagree, this is a classic Tesla-like marketing ploy. Does free unlimited SuperCharging and referral program ring a bell? Even Musk said the former promotional expense was unsustainable, alluding to the cost. You’re greatly overestimating the production costs of glitzy online videos.

People said similar things about Tesla’s out-of-the-box approach to motivate buyers. Free Supercharging, referral, free mobile service, treating cars like tech (which at one point was viewed as competing for funds in developing a mass production car).

 

[Cosmacelf]

You post a Debbie Downer at every Rivian development.

I do not. I was the first to post about Rivian’s recent $2.5B raise and the first to post about updated delivery timelines. Please refrain from ad-hominems please. I am also a Rivian R1S reservation holder if that matters. Just because I disagree with how they spend marketing $$ doesn’t mean I don’t like them overall. I hope they do well, and I really hope the CCS charging network gets up to snuff if they are gong to be relying on it. But I will continue to give my opinion on what they do, regardless if you like that or not.

 

[MXLRplus]

Raise your hand if you've driven out west in a CCS car in the last 12 month.

crickets...

<<<<Pick ME!! Pick ME!!

The CCS network is not as dire as the web might have you believe. Unlike Tesla's SC network on the same loop, I never had to wait in line for a charge. Typical charging time was 40 minutes on CCS, but the chargers tend to be closer to the highway so it's a wash. Both the Tesla and CCS car like to drive about 150 miles between stops when driving 75-80 mph.

I drive a Tesla Model X because it's the closest thing to an EV pickup. I use it mostly for work. But if the Rivian pickup can deliver on it's claims, I might have one of the first batch (crossing fingers).

 

[redalf]

Really? Sounds like an mis-allocation of resources to me. Shouldn't you be building a charging network where you plan on selling the most vehicles?

I suspect the costs for that were (at least to some extent) offset by the show's production, since they're focusing on doing an electric road trip this season they'd need charging regardless.

Or if you were referring to me hoping they'd build charging stations in more off the beaten path locations, I don't think that's a misallocation either, charging station are a plenty in all the usual places. Having a company take the initiative to build them where they weren't is a good use of resources, let the chargepoints/EAs/greenlots take care of the rest.

 

[Cosmacelf]

Rivian just posted a new video showing people hand building manufacturing intent vehicles. No robots in sight. Is this a normal auto manufacturing process for being about a year out from high volume production?

https://twitter.com/rivian/status/1304246152741740549?s=21

 

[ohmman]

Rivian just posted a new video showing people hand building manufacturing intent vehicles. No robots in sight. Is this a normal auto manufacturing process for being about a year out from high volume production?

https://twitter.com/rivian/status/1304246152741740549?s=21

They're preproduction, which I'm guessing is what you mean when you say "manufacturing intent vehicles." But they're a year out from the first deliveries, and I think the first year target is no more than 20,000 vehicles. I don't know much about timing, but I assume these are hand fit because they're ensuring fit and finish of possible production parts. I also know they have multiple lines in the factory, and that one of them was just recently cut. So it's entirely possible they're behind.

 

[rhumbliner]

Again, I’m no automotive engineer, but it seems to me that watching the background of this video is most revealing — just an empty building. It’s obviously a marketing piece designed to show how Rivian is paying attention to quality and I can’t fault them for that, but I’m a little disappointed. Scaringe was known for flying below the radar, quietly building his company, but now it seems he’s more interested in hyping it.

 

[mikes_fsd]

Scaringe was known for flying below the radar, quietly building his company, but now it seems he’s more interested in hyping it.

Shame, we need quality competition in the EV space.

 

[Cosmacelf]

Shame, we need quality competition in the EV space.

We do. But it isn’t the end of the world. Tesla famously can get an empty factory churning out production cars with a fully automated production line in, what, six months or less? It’s just that Rivian doesn’t have Tesla’s experience doing that. RIvian is doing all of this for the first time. I would just feel more comfortable if I saw some robots in there since RIvian has to learn how to use them effectively.

 

[BlindPass]

Again, I’m no automotive engineer, but it seems to me that watching the background of this video is most revealing — just an empty building. It’s obviously a marketing piece designed to show how Rivian is paying attention to quality and I can’t fault them for that, but I’m a little disappointed. Scaringe was known for flying below the radar, quietly building his company, but now it seems he’s more interested in hyping it.

Can you elaborate on why you think he’s more interested in hyping it?

In my opinion, they’re still significantly quieter than nearly every other automaker set to deliver cars at some point in 2021? I nearly forget I have an order they’re so quiet. Wouldn’t you expect as a company nears production and selling cars, hype increases?

Did anyone see the “Gravity” by Lucid? My first thought was Rivian needs to ramp up getting to production and marketing, as the space is going to get competitive.

 

[strider]

Let's remember that although Tesla had the robots in place early for factory tours, the first couple thousand MS's were built by hand because the robots didn't work properly.

I was hoping that Rivian would be able to leverage some of Ford's expertise to help them with this stuff. Maybe they are?

I think the Rivian is ugly so I won't be buying one. I think Atlis has the best looking truck (granted they are only renders). I could be interested in Ford's version of the Rivian drivetrain. My brother in law has a new F-250 and it's a pretty nice looking vehicle, inside and out.

 

[Cosmacelf]

Let's remember that although Tesla had the robots in place early for factory tours, the first couple thousand MS's were built by hand because the robots didn't work properly.

Ah, I didn't know that. Interesting.

I think the Rivian is ugly so I won't be buying one. I think Atlis has the best looking truck (granted they are only renders). I could be interested in Ford's version of the Rivian drivetrain. My brother in law has a new F-250 and it's a pretty nice looking vehicle, inside and out.

I'm interested in Rivian's SUV. AFAIK, it is the only full sized electric SUV shipping or announced.

 

[XLR82XS]

I think the Rivian is ugly so I won't be buying one. I think Atlis has the best looking truck (granted they are only renders). I could be interested in Ford's version of the Rivian drivetrain. My brother in law has a new F-250 and it's a pretty nice looking vehicle, inside and out.

A friend of mine works for Rivian and advised there is an exterior redesign/refresh after initial model year.

 

[Merrill]

I would love an F-150 type ford that is all electric.

 

[mikes_fsd]

A friend of mine works for Rivian and advised there is an exterior redesign/refresh after initial model year.

lol, so ~5 years after they start delivering R1T and R1S?

 

[garrett5688]

Hot Weather Towing - Rivian Stories

In light of recent events, I’m gonna need some rock solid proof this is under its own power, not just rolling down a hill, and confirmation it’s definitely not a pusher

 

[ohmman]

Hot Weather Towing - Rivian Stories

In light of recent events, I’m gonna need some rock solid proof this is under its own power, not just rolling down a hill, and confirmation it’s definitely not a pusher

They had backup if necessary:

In all seriousness, this is at least a bit more transparency than Tesla gave us with the towing capacity of the X. And it's the right test with a BEV tow vehicle, as cooling the cabin and pack under high strain in heat is about as tough as it gets. I am also pleased to see the weight distribution hitch, showing that the truck is compatible with such systems.

 

[XLR82XS]

lol, so ~5 years after they start delivering R1T and R1S?

Ha - probably!

 

[MXLRplus]

We do. But it isn’t the end of the world. Tesla famously can get an empty factory churning out production cars with a fully automated production line in, what, six months or less? It’s just that Rivian doesn’t have Tesla’s experience doing that. RIvian is doing all of this for the first time. I would just feel more comfortable if I saw some robots in there since RIvian has to learn how to use them effectively.

Tesla put Fremont (NUMMI) into operation Oct 2010. The first production car to roll off the line was June 2012.
But Tesla cut a lot of corners, such as a very limited Captured Test Fleet cycle.
Consequently, much like every new Tesla model, they had design flaws, assembly flaws, and poor training.

Using robots for automaking is a very old skill with immense amounts of research widely available to automakers. Ever wonder why most automakers have extremely similar construction techniques? They share information and subs.

Something to ponder about new EV startups: Tesla will probably be unique for the foreseeable future. No other automaker has ever absorbed 17 consecutive red years (12 years of retail sales annual losses) no matter how large or small. Rivian will probably not be able to survive 5 retail red years, so they need to get it right quickly.

 

[uujjj2]

"No other automaker has ever absorbed 17 consecutive red years"

For some reason, people seem to think Henry Ford built the Rouge with bootstrap money or something. Wrong. I'll bet ya a signed dollar that if we applied today's GAAP rules, Ford would have been cash flow negative (in terms of OCF - Capex) at least until the mid 1920s, if not well into the 1930s. In fact, before Glass-Steagall, self-funding industrial expansion wasn't even a thing. GM, Chrylser, and Ford spent decades wolfing down capital from the big investment banks to build out their businesses.