Rivian has closed another funding round, with the electric vehicle company adding a further $2.5 billion to its coffers as it readies its first EV pickup. The new round - which brings Rivian's total raise to roughly $10.5 billion so far - saw Amazon, Ford, and others increase their stake in the automaker, along with some new names.
The Rivian R1T electric pickup has been delayed again, with preorder customers being informed that it'll be another two months before their truck is ready. The Amazon and Ford backed startup had told buyers that the R1T would ship this month, that itself a delay from the original timeline; now, Rivian has admitted that it won't be ready to ship the pickup EV until September.
If I was picking a vehicle to go camping in, I think I'd want to take the keys to a Rivian R1T electric pickup. It's hard not to watch Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe's walkthrough video of the EV truck's slide-out camp kitchen and not start imagining great food in the great outdoors.
With most of the world pushing consumers to go to electric vehicles rather than traditional combustion-powered engines, electric automakers are coming out the would work. While almost every traditional automaker is getting into the electric vehicle game in some form, there are several new companies that are electric from the get-go, such as Tesla and Rivian.
Rivian may be starting deliveries of its first R1T preorders from July 2021, but there'll be a chance for those still on the fence about the electric pickup to take a test drive before they click the order button. While the automaker - which is sitting pretty on billions of dollars of investment from Amazon, Ford, and others - may be taking a direct-sales approach rather than traditional dealerships, that doesn't mean buyers of its EVs will need to order without experiencing them first.
Rivian will begin deliveries of its first R1T electric pickup trucks in July, the automaker has confirmed, a month later than expected, though even those who coughed up for a Launch Edition model may find themselves waiting until early 2022 to get their EV. The announcement comes as Rivian also shuffles some of the standard equipment that its R1T and the R1S SUV counterpart will include, making the Off-Road Upgrade an option on some models.
Rivian's all-electric pickup truck may promise zero-emissions and futuristic styling, but the R1T still has to deliver on practicality. That's just what the Amazon- and Ford-backed startup is talking about today, dropping fresh details on the EV truck just in case you've been wondering quite how much extra flexibility that new electric "skateboard" platform unlocks.
Electric vehicle automaker Rivian has announced Rivian Insurance which will provide buyers of its electric vehicles with comprehensive coverage designed to cover the vehicle on whatever adventures they take it on. The insurance coverage is design using the Rivian connected vehicle platform and suite of safety features built into the truck. The automaker says the insurance plan will cover the vehicle and all accessories even when off-road.
Rivian plans to use predictive maintenance and home servicing for its upcoming electric pickup and SUV, promising an end to waiting for parts and suffering through bad dealership coffee while you wait for repairs. The new servicing commitment comes ahead of deliveries of the Rivian R1T, the automaker's first EV, which - like others in the pipeline - will be a so-called connected vehicle.
Rivian is spilling details on its nationwide DC fast charger deployment, with the Rivian Adventure Network taking inspiration from Tesla's Superchargers, with a twist. Teased last year by execs at the automaker, the network will be exclusive to Rivian owners, and consist of chargers both on highways and main roads, but also in locations off the beaten path.
Amazon has rolled out its Rivian-made electric delivery trucks to their second city, with the custom EVs continuing to stick to California for the moment. After buzzing into action in Los Angeles back in February, Amazon has now expanded the fleet into San Francisco, where it will face some very different challenges.
American EV startup Rivian has begun cold-weather testing for its newest R1T all-electric pickup truck. Situated far north near the Canadian border in Baudette, Minnesota, the R1T is seen frolicking in the largest cold-weather testing facility in North America across acres of ice, snow, and forest, where temperatures regularly dip below -30 degrees Fahrenheit during the cold season.