[FI Spyder]

Starting up a car company has never been easy. There have been over 1800 English car companies that have produced cars (at least a prototype with the intent on manufacturing). How many are there now? I don't know the North American numbers but how far off can they be? There are far more than the names we usually associate with failed companies.



RivianOwnersForum.com - The Largest Rivian R1T And R1S Forum, Community And Owner's Club

 

[Tacoma]

Starting up a car company has never been easy. There have been over 1800 English car companies that have produced cars (at least a prototype with the intent on manufacturing). How many are there now? I don't know the North American numbers but how far off can they be? There are far more than the names we usually associate with failed companies.

I will be the first to admit I thought it was impossible to start a new car company when I heard about Tesla.
Now I have to admit I was wrong.
And I have come to realize this is a disruptive moment for that industry.

 

[sosmerc]

I just hope they can figure out a way to meet their financial challenges without depending upon some unrealistic high volume production number. Start small and shoot for perfection (the early ones are going to be expensive, but I think that is expected). Build the support system carefully as you go. Consider it a specialty product and grow with it. Concentrate on doing it for the US first and don't get distracted. Build it and they will come.

 

[KenC]

Just read at Teslarati, that 7 of the top people at Rivian are from McLaren's supercar program. So, they've got that going for them. I hope the 200kW DCFC network gets built out over the next few years, then all of these other EVs become viable alternatives to

 

[KenC]

According to an excellent article at Teslarati, Rivian has $500M already raised from Sumitomo and a Saudi-associated with ties to Toyota. The Saudi investor also graduated from MIT, like the founder. They've got another 4 vehicles under development. 7 of their top people are from McLaren. They bought the Mitsubishi factory for $16M, kinda like Tesla's deal in Fremont. Factory renovation is budgeted at $150M. Pilot battery modules are assembled in Irvine, with production units to be assembled in the Illinois factory. The batteries will use 2170 cells. Does anyone besides Panasonic make those? The 105kWh truck will be over $60k, and the 180kWh truck, less than $90k.

https://www.teslarati.com/rivian-electrify-american-truck-suv-market-challenges-detroit/

 

[scottf200]

Just read at Teslarati, that 7 of the top people at Rivian are from McLaren's supercar program. So, they've got that going for them. I hope the 200kW DCFC network gets built out over the next few years, then all of these other EVs become viable alternatives to

Don't know if you read this from my previous post as well.

Also the design had Jeep input:

Rivian’s R1S design was led by Jeff Hammound, who joined Rivian in May of 2017 as VP of Vehicle Design. Hammound previously spent 13 years at Fiat Chrysler, where he was
Chief of Design for the Jeep division. His most notable design during his tenure
with Jeep was the Jeep Grand Cherokee. In addition to recruiting Hammound from Jeep, Rivian also brought on Nick Malachowski as Director of Advanced Design.

via: https://www.teslarati.com/rivian-r1s-suv-tesla-chief-designer-franz-von-holzhausen/


Also I suspect this Wiki page will be updated regularly (not by me if anyone is thinking that!)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivian

 

[Ladogaboy]

According to an excellent article at Teslarati, Rivian has $500M already raised from Sumitomo and a Saudi-associated with ties to Toyota. The Saudi investor also graduated from MIT, like the founder. They've got another 4 vehicles under development. 7 of their top people are from McLaren. They bought the Mitsubishi factory for $16M, kinda like Tesla's deal in Fremont. Factory renovation is budgeted at $150M.

Well, that's good. As we saw with Faraday Future, the primary determining factor for EV startup success appears to be capital.

Pilot battery modules are assembled in Irvine, with production units to be assembled in the Illinois factory. The batteries will use 2170 cells. Does anyone besides Panasonic make those? The 105kWh truck will be over $60k, and the 180kWh truck, less than $90k.

If they can manage to produce at least 5 GWh a year to start, they should be in okay shape.

To answer your other question, yes, both LG Chem and Samsung also make 2170/21700 cells. Samsung is one of Tesla's go-to companies when they run short of battery production capacity.

And, if rumors are correct, the 60 kWh Nissan LEAF might be using LG Chem 2170 cells, which explains why it's able to charge at ~100 kW. That's an eerily similar 1.5-1.6 C charging rate that we see from the Tesla Model 3.

 

[scottf200]

Rivian R1S Electric SUV & R1T Electric PickUp Truck - World Exclusive: Inside Rivian | Fully Charged
Nov 6, 2019


Reporting for the Fully Charged Show from Michigan, USA, Chelsea Sexton gets a world exclusive, behind the scenes tour of the Rivian headquarters, takes a look around the their ground-breaking electric pick-up truck the Rivian R1T and the Rivian SUV R1S. She chats to Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe and gets the low-down on the amazing Rivian technology from Chief Engineer Charles Sanderson.


Rivian will be bringing the R1S and the R1T to Fully Charged LIVE North America in February 2020.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-falgJE1xg

 

[scottf200]

TL;DR
The Rivian Adventure Network

• Exclusively for Rivian owners [ CCS1 plugs -- I would guess this will open in the years to come to all vehicles (for a charge)]
• 3,500+ DC fast chargers at 600+ sites by end of 2023
• Up to 140 miles of range in 20 minutes for R1T and R1S
• Automatic charging, just pull up and plug in
• In-vehicle nav automatically plans charging
• Charging rates of over 200kW initially and 300kW+ in the future
• Powered by 100% renewable energy

Rivian Waypoints

• 10,000+ chargers planned by end of 2023
• At shops, restaurants, hotels, parks and more
• Automatic charging for Rivian drivers, just pull up and plug in
• Open to the public for EVs using the J1772 plug
• 11.5 kW charging speed
• Locate, monitor charge status and get notifications through your in-vehicle navigation and Rivian app

We are building the Rivian Adventure Network — a nationwide network of DC fast chargers capable of adding up to 140 miles of range in 20 minutes to the R1T and R1S. The Rivian Adventure Network is designed for quick recharges so you can keep moving. Connecting cities on popular routes across the US and Canada, the network also extends further into more remote destinations.

The Rivian Adventure Network will grow to more than 3,500 fast chargers at over 600 sites by the end of 2023. Each site will have multiple chargers and will be conveniently located on highways and main roads, often by cafes and shops. These DC fast chargers will be for Rivian owners only, with details on pricing and associated programs coming soon.
Rivian Adventure Network will be powered by 100% renewable energy. Through partnerships with electricity providers, we will use wind and solar wherever possible, as well as Renewable Energy Certificates to ensure your vehicle is powered with clean electricity.

Rivian Adventure Network

Tesla Supercharging network

 

[Steverino]

$68k-$78k, more than I want to spend on a vehicle even after the $7500 tax credit. Eventually having lots of dedicated charge stations is a plus, but I'd prefer a more industry-wide public approach.

 

[Jmaj]

Finally, somebody put DCFCs in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Too bad I have to buy a $67,500 vehicle to use them.

 

[hellsop]

Finally, somebody put DCFCs in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Too bad I have to buy a $67,500 vehicle to use them.

Aw be fair. There's a Chargepoint one in Norway up by Iron Mountain that's at least two three miles on the Michigan side of the border.

 

[scottf200]

Eventually having lots of dedicated charge stations is a plus, but I'd prefer a more industry-wide public approach.

Finally, somebody put DCFCs in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Too bad I have to buy a $67,500 vehicle to use them.

From the Rivian Forum thread below, Rivian seems to have put a lot of thought into it for adventure folks and not just highway folks. Check out the 4 states he mapped out and his insight to the area indicates that Rivan is thinking this out and likely getting info from locals that travel to particular places/parks/etc.

GM, Ford, etc, certainly would want "free" work done to sell their EVs trucks/SUVs. They already have a leg up with their many 100K / year sales of trucks (see my first post in this thread). This seems like a strategic move for Rivian just as it turned out to be for Tesla but for some different reasons and have been differentiators.

Most people think it will eventually open up to others for a price (above average charge rate ... who knows). They'll have the CCS1 plug type and the communications at each charger the OTA software updates seem like they would be possible.

Rivian Adventure Network - Deep Dive / Analysis (Four Corners region)

So, I may be a little Rivian obsessed... :) After the announcement of the RAN plan, I wanted to take a deep dive into the region where I live and play. I'm based in Denver, but have family in Arizona and Utah. Some common routes for me are: Denver to Phx (via Albequerque); Denver to Salt Lake...

www.rivianforums.com

 

[scottf200]

"...our first customer vehicle drove off our production line in Normal! ..."

via:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1437842808384233477

 

[Steverino]

Happy to see that old Mitsubishi auto plant being productive again. In a related story, they are claiming to be the first truck EV (except for Ford and GM prior products of course, haha). Regardless, good to see them start shipping.

 

[scottf200]

Happy to see that old Mitsubishi auto plant being productive again. In a related story, they are claiming to be the first truck EV (except for Ford and GM prior products of course, haha). Regardless, good to see them start shipping.

Maybe they mean in earnest (resulting from or showing sincere and intense conviction). They only make electric vehicles.
Ford and GM have made "compliance" vehicles, in most peoples opinions, for EVs thus far with limited intended production and sales. Haha. Real efforts would be comparable to other ICE vehicles they put out.

 

[Steverino]

Maybe they mean in earnest (resulting from or showing sincere and intense conviction). They only make electric vehicles.
Ford and GM have made "compliance" vehicles, in most peoples opinions, for EVs thus far with limited intended production and sales. Haha. Real efforts would be comparable to other ICE vehicles they put out.

Sure, I get it. But it's a bit like China landing on the moon and saying "We are the first to land on the moon" because they mean to stay.

 

[obermd]

Sure, I get it. But it's a bit like China landing on the moon and saying "We are the first to land on the moon" because they mean to stay.

When you can't buy the vehicle nation wide, it's a compliance vehicle. Ford's alleged nation wide EV, before it was cancelled, averaged one vehicle per dealer per state per month over it's production life. Most of those sales went to California. GM's Volt and Bolt weren't/aren't compliance vehicles in this definition.

 

[hellsop]

When you can't buy the vehicle nation wide, it's a compliance vehicle. Ford's alleged nation wide EV, before it was cancelled, averaged one vehicle per dealer per state per month over it's production life. Most of those sales went to California. GM's Volt and Bolt weren't/aren't compliance vehicles in this definition.

I think the mention was talking about the S10 EV that came for 1997 and 1998 model years, concurrent with the EV-1

 

[Bill Step]

I think the mention was talking about the S10 EV that came for 1997 and 1998 model years, concurrent with the EV-1

that was the one I was thinking of.had a chance to buy one cheap many years ago,had a high voltage fault.asked my friends if they could help me out if I got it.I had to pass,no help.
still wish I got it.