Rivian has a lot of expectations on its shoulders after the reveal of its R1T and R1S electric truck and electric SUV. The new electric car company has also struck a deal with Amazon to provide the online retailer with electric delivery vans. As with most companies, Rivian has taken a hit with the COVID-19 pandemic but has reassured us that the company is still moving forward.
The Rivian R1T is one of our most looked forward towards electric vehicles coming to the market. The top tier R1T is promised to have a range of at least 400 miles and overall be a very capable truck with some nifty features, such as a tank turn.
While deliveries were expected to start late this year, with the coronavirus taking its toll and forcing people to stay at work, the launch of the R1T and R1S, along with the vans Rivian was planning to make for Amazon might face a delay.
While the company is trying to “redefine its workflows” and having its employees work from home, Rivian states that a delay might be possible, but to what extent, they do not know yet.
This evolving new reality is not without impact on our program timing. While we expect some level of delay, we are working to minimize the disruption to our launch schedule and as we better understand the extent of the impact, you will be the first to know.
Prior to the virus infecting the whole world, Rivian was hard at work getting its production facility in Normal, Illinois up and running in preparation for the start of production of all its new vehicles. Along with the announcement, Rivian included a little video of the progress that the factory has made.
With the electric truck and SUV initially planned to start deliveries for the tail end of 2020, it is probably safe to assume that both the R1T and R1S will be delayed into 2021. While it looks like Rivian’s facility is making great progress, there is still a lot of things that need to be done and who knows when their facilities can start back up.
How badly do you think the Rivian R1T and R1S will end up being delayed? Let us know down in the comments below.
