# Rivian Automotive



## Michael Russo (Oct 15, 2016)

Courtesy of Teslarati, interesting news about yet another somewhat mysterious automotive start-up... As the article said, having a plant puts them one step ahead of FF... yet when will they open up more about the car? 
Coming soon... says the intro clip... 

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/817324933831335936


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## Thunder7ga (May 15, 2018)

This will be a company to watch...they already own a production facility and will be showing their first electric truck and SUV on November 30th at the LA Auto Show.... https://www.rivian.com/


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## TrevP (Oct 20, 2015)

Super impressed with their offerings. Let's hope they're on time and have solid financial footing to bring them to market!


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## AEDennis (Apr 10, 2016)

I'm not a truck guy... And this is definitely a segment that needs to be fully Electrified!


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## The Silverdude (Aug 20, 2018)

I paid to reserve one a few days ago. While I really like my Model 3, I miss the hatchback on my Gen1 Volt (the only way to move my bass cabinets between gigs is in the back seats). Also, I plan on doing the RV-thing within the next few years, but didn't want to get an ICE truck if I could help it. We shall have to see if the reviews of the R1T in 2020/2021 convince me to spend more money or ask for the refund!


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## Gavyne (Jul 7, 2018)

If they launch on time and the final specs are anywhere near what they revealed, then this truck will have a huge impact on the market. They won't be blows to Tesla, as Tesla plans to launch a larger truck more suitable for work and heavy loads. They'll be blows to the legacy automakers hiding behind ICE & hybrid trucks. *ahem GM & Ford*


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## Love (Sep 13, 2017)

Gavyne said:


> If they launch on time and the final specs are anywhere near what they revealed, then this truck will have a huge impact on the market. They won't be blows to Tesla, as Tesla plans to launch a larger truck more suitable for work and heavy loads. They'll be blows to the legacy automakers hiding behind ICE & hybrid trucks. *ahem GM & Ford*


Somewhere, Dodge is crying.


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## PandaM3 (Apr 23, 2018)

I’m very interested in this as well. 400 miles is twice as much range as my FJ Cruiser. 

- If there are DCFS charging spots near many of the trails or if they can use Tesla’s supercharger network then this can be doable as an overlanding adventure vehicle. I wouldn’t do the Rubicon with it however trails like Moab or Ourey would be just fine. 
- Wonder how much range would drop if you had things mounted on the overhead rack or a roof top tent on the bed like the vide (notice they don’t show the truck actually driving with the RTT)
- Wonder how much range you can extend by carrying an onboard generator to charge the battery while parked/ camping or if you carried solar panels with you and left them out for a day while camping. If you can get 50 to 100 miles that should be enough to get back to a main road and charging spots.
- Kinda wish that central light bar was actually a combination offroad spot/ driving LED light bar... I’m sure the aftermarket will have something to stick in there and they can only do an accent light for NHTSA regulations.
- also my wife and I love the Chilewich floor mats... lol
- with individual motors at all 4 wheels... it can be programmed to act as lockers for serious offroading + isntant slow easy torque... thing Toyota’s crawl control.

Wonder if the Tesla Truck or Model Y will just be a CUV or an actual offroader.


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## MountainPass (May 15, 2018)

We ordered one! It will be a worthy replacement for our Nissan Titan tow rig. The Nissan is on its last legs, let us hope the truck comes out in time!


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## PandaM3 (Apr 23, 2018)

MountainPass said:


> We ordered one! It will be a worthy replacement for our Nissan Titan tow rig. The Nissan is on its last legs, let us hope the truck comes out in time!


Does this mean you guys might be doing an overland worthy suspension lift kit on it? Something long travel? if so I'm in


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## MountainPass (May 15, 2018)

PandaM3 said:


> Does this mean you guys might be doing an overland worthy suspension lift kit on it? Something long travel? if so I'm in


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## Thunder7ga (May 15, 2018)

PandaM3 said:


> Wonder if the Tesla Truck or Model Y will just be a CUV or an actual offroader.


Wondering the same, but I "think" that it will be closer to a CUV if it is based on the Model 3 platform (which I think I have seen Elon or someone at Tesla say).


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## $ Trillion Musk (Nov 5, 2016)

TrevP said:


> Super impressed with their offerings. Let's hope they're on time and have solid financial footing to bring them to market!


Rivian now has Amazon as one of their largest investors. Great to see Tesla tech being validated by Amazon!

https://electrek.co/2019/02/15/rivian-electric-pickup-truck-amazon-investment/amp/


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## Mike (Apr 4, 2016)

I had an interesting conversation with someone today while at a supercharger. 

To protect that person's position, I'll keep the conversation details to a minimum. 

Ford has siloed the folks working on the real EV stuff.

They and assets from Rivian are "isolated, independent and like a tech upstart".

Ford "realized that building EV F150s has rendered any corporate mechanical engineering experience in making ICE F150s (obsolete).


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## Feathermerchant (Sep 17, 2018)

Well maybe for the drivetrain. I would think that suspension and vehicle dynamics could transfer. One thing Ford is very good at is isolating the cab from the frame so it is very quiet. Not just from drivetrain noise but also from road vibrations and non-flatness. Overall packaging is very different but I would think greatly simplified. There are no high temperature components to deal with and moving parts only within the suspension. They already have electric power steering, Led lighting, and other similarities. My 2011 has fuses but also FET control of circuits like headlights. Electric power brakes will be a little different but Tesla uses a Bosch booster so there are OEM suppliers. 
If they do buy the skateboard from Rivian, they will have most of the drivetrain complete.
I guess engine and transmission guys will be looking for jobs.


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## MarkB (Mar 19, 2017)

Olds442 said:


> being able to go through ~3' of water would be pretty awesome.
> 
> looking forward to the unveil.


Saw a YouTube video interviewing a Rivian rep.






Can go through 3 feet water depth. Says could go deeper, except flotation happens.

i suppose the rubber still needs to meet the "road."


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

MarkB said:


> Saw a YouTube video interviewing a Rivian rep.


It's relatively easy for a company to spend millions of dollars to make a handful of awesome vehicles.

We _really_ need Rivian to come up with a manufacturing plan. They're sitting on an absolute GOLD MINE of a concept, and they're taking forever to actually start producing and selling it.


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## Madmolecule (Oct 8, 2018)

It looks like Rivian will need to focus on the Amazon Delivery Van to meet their commitments. That should take up a lot of their resources. It hasn't been easy for Tesla to develop a spec vehicle to be sold to the masses. The demand is there but I am also a sceptic they they can come close to pulling it off. There is still distribution, charging and service. These things Tesla is still struggling with. I imagine that Rivian will just partner with and ICE dealer/distribution network which will fail miserably. Every time I take one of my Dodge "Eco"-Diesels in for repair they have no clue what they are looking at or how to troubleshoot or repair. They just say I should have bought the Cummins.


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## CoastalCruiser (Sep 29, 2017)

With the introduction of the game changing Tesla Cyber Truck, I was reflecting on the fate of the Rivian pickup. Clearly the CT is promising far more bang for the buck, and many Rivian lovers will jump ship to the CT. I did.

But is the Tesla CT a Rivian killer? That is the question.

Will populating an Amazon fleet help carry Rivian to profitability and sustainability?

Will expected lower market share for the Rivian Pickup be offset by significant sales of the Rivian R1S SUV?

Who will buy the R1S? Will the R1S in-turn siphon off Model X sales? Will luxury SUV buyers (Range Rover, Porsche Cayenne, Mercedes GL series, or maybe even the Mercedes G?) jump on the 3-row capable R1S?

I personally feel the same way I did upon first viewing the Rivian pickup.... It's a winner. People will buy this brand. A lot of people.

New funding round: https://ww.electrek.co/2019/12/23/rivian-funding-tesla-investor/


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

CoastalCruiser said:


> But is the Tesla CT a Rivian killer? That is the question.


I disagree. The Cybertruck and Rivian weren't designed to take on each other. They were designed to compete against combustion vehicles.

The question is, are the Cybertruck/Rivian/other EV trucks going to be combustion truck killers?


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## CoastalCruiser (Sep 29, 2017)

Perhaps that's a better way of looking at it. Which does make it a tough question to answer. Yes, but when? But I also have to say I've talked to a couple of people that switched their preference from the Rivian pickup to the CT. Including myself. So it's not exactly black & white.


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## Needsdecaf (Dec 27, 2018)

Rivian R1T and R1S configurators live now:

https://rivian.com/configurator/r1t

Seems very compelling at that price. I really am digging these.


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## FRC (Aug 4, 2018)

Needsdecaf said:


> Rivian R1T and R1S configurators live now:
> 
> https://rivian.com/configurator/r1t
> 
> Seems very compelling at that price. I really am digging these.


I'm curious to see if their delivery estimates are reasonable; is Rivian time akin to Elon time?


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## GDN (Oct 30, 2017)

FRC said:


> I'm curious to see if their delivery estimates are reasonable; is Rivian time akin to Elon time?


At a minimum what kind of pain will they have ramping like Tesla did? Their first production $75K truck is sold out - deliveries start June 2021. The next model starts delivery Jan 2022 per their web site. So will be interesting as it looks like they've given themselves 6 months to ramp and build that first production batch.


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## JWardell (May 9, 2016)

Needsdecaf said:


> Rivian R1T and R1S configurators live now:
> 
> https://rivian.com/configurator/r1t
> 
> Seems very compelling at that price. I really am digging these.


It's great to see an American car company actually offer some interesting color choices! I sure wish Tesla would do the same.


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## Needsdecaf (Dec 27, 2018)

FRC said:


> I'm curious to see if their delivery estimates are reasonable; is Rivian time akin to Elon time?


Well, nothing's quite like Elon time, LOL. I think their esimates are reasonably pushed out. Looks like if you order now, 2022 is the earliest as GDN says....



GDN said:


> At a minimum what kind of pain will they have ramping like Tesla did? Their first production $75K truck is sold out - deliveries start June 2021. The next model starts delivery Jan 2022 per their web site. So will be interesting as it looks like they've given themselves 6 months to ramp and build that first production batch.


Yeah, they're going to have some serious ramp issues, just like Tesla.

https://finance.yahoo.com/video/electric-car-maker-rivian-sees-203711567.html

I wonder if GM, with it's huge supply chain advantage, will have similar issues with the Hummer EV's? Or if they can overcome this particular set of problems.


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## AEDennis (Apr 10, 2016)

JWardell said:


> It's great to see an American car company actually offer some interesting color choices! I sure wish Tesla would do the same.


GM does a good job with color...

the Bolt EV has some interesting colors available...


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## JWardell (May 9, 2016)

Rivian released charging details today!


Rivian Adventure Network (RAN): 3,500+ fast chargers at 600+ sites by end of 2023
Network charging sites map
DC chargers for Rivian owners only
RAN to be powered by 100% renewable energy (wind, solar and Renewable Energy Certificates)
RAN DC chargers peak rate 200kW initially and 300kW+ in the future
10,000 L2 chargers planned throughout US and Canada by 2023
L2 charging network available to public using J1772 standard
L2 chargers 11.5 kW
All 42 Colorado State Parks will have 2 L2 chargers. Installs starting in July
Home chargers have wifi for OTA updates


__
https://www.reddit.com/r/Rivian/comments/m7xxhy


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## Feathermerchant (Sep 17, 2018)

By home chargers you mean EVSE's right? Will Rivians be limited to 32A charging on L2 at home to prevent problems like Tesla had with 40A charging at home?
For those younger folks, Tesla originally allowed 40A charging from 50A plugs which were presumably on 50A circuits. Turns out that many were on 40A circuits and there were house fires so they limited charging from plugs to 32A. If you buy a wall connector you can charge at a higher rate presumably matching the circuit size. That's why Gen1 UMC (or EVSE) can charge up to 40A and Gen2 32A.


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

Feathermerchant said:


> Tesla originally allowed 40A charging from 50A plugs which were presumably on 50A circuits. Turns out that many were on 40A circuits


I guess that's allowed since there is no NEMA 40amp-specific plug specification.



Feathermerchant said:


> ...and there were house fires...


Now that simply shouldn't happen unless the breaker is faulty. Were there actually reports of house fires?


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## Feathermerchant (Sep 17, 2018)

I read that somewhere it was common practice to install a 50A receptacle on a 40A circuit. In some cases charging at 40A caused overheating of the wire creating the fire hazard. The NEC requires continuous loads not to exceed 80% of the circuit rating. I'll google around and see.


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

Feathermerchant said:


> In some cases charging at 40A caused overheating of the wire creating the fire hazard. The NEC requires continuous loads not to exceed 80% of the circuit rating. I'll google around and see.


So the 40 amp breakers didn't trip when people tried to draw 40 amps continuous instead of 32amps continuous?
That sounds like a circuit breaker failure.

Reference
_Circuit breakers have an ampere rating (typically marked on the end of the operating handle). This is the maximum continuous current that the breaker can carry without exceeding its rating. As a general rule the circuit breaker's ampere rating should be the same as the conductor's ampacity. In other words we would not want to put a 60 amp breaker on a 10 amp wire. Breakers are tested in open air, with a temperature of some 40 or 50 degrees C._​​_When a breaker is placed within an enclosure, cooling airflow is restricted; this reduces the ability of the breaker to carry a current to 80% of its ampere rating. *When they are installed in an electrical enclosure, breakers will trip when a current in the amount of their rating is placed upon them continuously*._​


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