Rivian Deliveries Delayed Until 2021

Rivian will delay first deliveries of its electric pickup until 2021 after shutting down its factory as part of coronavirus precautions.

The EV startup hoped to bring an electric pickup and SUV to customers by the end of this year. The vehicles are being built at a former Mitsubishi plant in Normal, Ill.

“It will be 2021,” Rivian spokeswoman Amy Mast told the Chicago Tribune Monday.

Rivian’s products are among the most highly-anticipated EVs coming to market. The company has attracted more than $2.8 billion in funding from strategics like Ford, Cox Automotive and Amazon. In addition to its consumer-focused products, the company is set to produce 100,000 electric delivery vehicles for Amazon.

Photo: Rivian

 

[mswlogo]

I bet other EV's due out will get delayed as well. Like the eMustang.

 

[Darmie]

Well now, that was convenient.

 

[MXLRplus]

I heard Big Oil and Mo' Bigga Pharma bio-engineered SARS-CoV-2 to destroy the EV industry while increasing their stranglehold on the world... MBP calculated that if EVs hit critical mass, that fewer people will need treatment for lung and heart disease.

 

[Cosmacelf]

Well now, that was convenient.

Yeah, I didn't think they were going to make the end of 2020 deadline for the truck anyways. Now it'll be mid 2021 before we see a truck, and mid 2022 before we see the SUV.

Which means it'll be a race to see who ships first, the Cybertruck or the Rivian truck. Cybertruck will follow Rivian now by about 6 months based on current schedules.

 

[MXLRplus]

I believe all new model rollouts of all vehicles made in America will be delayed at a minimum of a full quarter and perhaps a full model year. This is because they will permanently lose some staff and have to rehire. Tesla will be affected less because they will have been open more days than other US automakers so fewer employees will leave for other opportunities.

 

[AlexanderTX]

Yeah, I didn't think they were going to make the end of 2020 deadline for the truck anyways. Now it'll be mid 2021 before we see a truck, and mid 2022 before we see the SUV.

Which means it'll be a race to see who ships first, the Cybertruck or the Rivian truck. Cybertruck will follow Rivian now by about 6 months based on current schedules.

I think it will be more of race to see who can get volume production first. And on that, my bet is on Tesla. Really makes no difference who produces the first truck for sale if most people still cannot get one because only a handful are being produced.

 

[Darmie]

I think it will be more of race to see who can get volume production first. And on that, my bet is on Tesla. Really makes no difference who produces the first truck for sale if most people still cannot get one because only a handful are being produced.

Yes. With that news of the delay, we can agree Tesla trucks may be the first on the streets. I feel that there are a lot that feel the love for rivian though.

 

[caadbrad]

Competition is a good thing let's just hope they can still hit this target now.

 

[ElectricCorn]

The biggest problem I see for Cybertruck releasing on time is the factory. If they need a new purpose built giga factory in central US to produce the CT, they had better get building it pretty quick. They have around a year and a half left to choose the location, get all the necessary permits, build the factory, and then ramp production. If there’s a company that can meet that deadline, it’s Tesla, but it’s still going to be tough.

 

[MXLRplus]

Rivian send out an email that they are engineering from home to assist the scheduling.

And here's tidbit (literally):

Watch how Rivian hand-builds R1T prototypes

 

[mspohr]

Ford and Lincoln cancel Rivian-powered electric vehicle due to the pandemic