Rivian R1T Electric Truck Postponed Till Early Fall

Rivian R1T electric truck has been postponed yet again, this time by a month from its initial delivery date. Clients will now receive the truck in September.

This delay was caused by both the pandemic and the current chip scarcity, as it did for many other automakers, but those obstacles are likely hitting smaller companies like Rivian significantly more than the automotive beasts like Ford, GM, and so forth.

Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe wrote to reservation owners on Friday: "There are various reasons why our manufacturing ramp is taking longer than projected." The pandemic's cascading effects have had a cumulative effect that no one could have predicted. The pandemic has had an impact on everything from facilities building to equipment installations to automotive component supply (particularly semiconductors).

"Aside from these unforeseen obstacles, launching three new vehicles while establishing a multi-vehicle factory is a complicated ensemble of coordinated and interconnected activities in which minor difficulties can lead to ramp delays.”

The company thus has the issue of creating not only three different vehicles in the same factory, but also vehicles for two separate markets, with the R1T and R1S aimed at regular consumers and the delivery vans aimed at corporations. Even though their two production lines in Normal, Illinois are independent, they nonetheless ensure that the consumer autos satisfy all of the necessary quality control criteria.

“We have now constructed hundreds of vehicles as part of our testing procedure, with many of them observed out in the wild covered in distinctive vinyl wraps,” Scaringe added. I've been questioned why we don't deliver those autos or why we keep testing instead of delivering. We feel that the quality and strength of our launch products lay the foundation for what to expect from us as a brand, which is crucial to both our long-term success and your satisfaction.” Rivian R1T postponement will also influence the launch of the R1S electric SUV, which will start delivery in fall.