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When will pre-orders end and online orders begin?

EVTrucking

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Rivian chat did not have any information on when or what criteria they will use to end pre-orders (reservations) and begin ordering online. That leaves it open to speculation and I am interested in what other folks think (speculate).

IMO pre-ordering will end once some small number of vehicles are delivered to customers.

What could the impact of online ordering have on pre-order holders, especially those near the end of the line?
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skyote

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I doubt there will be any impact to preorder holders. I believe they'll get through all preorders before taking regular orders, and that it might be a good idea to handle them the same way...refundable deposit & guide contact that helps through the rest of the process.
 

timf

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As long as Rivian is using Guides as their main point of contact, I don't expect much of a change between pre-ordering and regular ordering. The only distinction will be the Guide contacting you within 24-48 hours rather than at an undetermined point in the future.
 
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My current understanding:

- Pre-order is not a purchase order. Pre-order holders are a pool of potential customers with an approximate place in a line to purchase, once production begins. Hence, fully refundable. No resources committed by Rivian.
- Pre-orders are used when the item is not released and is not in production.
- Ordering begins soon after production starts and the deposit is no longer refundable because it is a contract with Rivian to commit resources to building a vehicle for you.

Example:

- Mach-E is in production and there is no option to pre-order. You order the car and make a $500.00 non-refundable deposit.
- F150 Lightning is not in production so all you can do is make a pre-order to be in line to make a purchase once they start production in Fall 2021. The pre-order deposit is fully refundable. Once you order the truck the deposit increases and is NOT refundable.

IMO I don't see why Rivian would continue refundable pre-orders once they have R1T and R1S released to production. (Pre-orders help Rivian understand the market and is a pool of potential customers they can use to flush out the production line and show tangible proof of concept to investors)

To my knowledge Rivian has not committed to filling all pre-orders before shipping vehicles to folks who purchase a Rivian.

In the chat session I had with Rivian regarding this topic they did advise that I keep my reservation until it became possible that I could get a R1T sooner by cancelling the pre-order and simply order a R1T.

The question is what criteria and when will Rivian consider R1T and R1S to be in production?

My speculation is that sometime shortly after Rivian has successfully delivered some small number of vehicles to customers they will give pre-order holders the option to purchase. After that short phase pre-ordering is closed and online purchasing begins (none refundable deposits).

One last item from my chat with Rivian and that is that they would not confirm whether crash test certifications had been completed.
 
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Gshenderson

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One reason to continue preorders until they work down the preorder backlog is that people paying a non-refundable deposit are going to expect some level of certainty on a delivery date and I don’t think Rivian is anywhere close to being able to provide that beyond the preorders right now. Also, if it’s a year or two out, they may want to change pricing and options. All things people would want some certainty on before committing. My guess would be they keep preorders open until their backlog is down to 6 months or less. Just a guess though.
 

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I understand that there are some administrative/ regulatory differences between a preorder and a purchase on backorder however I would assume that Rivian will contact all preorder holders and convert any who wish to a "final sale" prior to opening up "final sales" to non-preorder holders. Might this process involve some minimal overlap of deliveries within a reasonable (30 day) window at the end of 2022 or sometime in 2023, sure.
I can't see a compelling reason why Rivian would open sales to non-preorder customers and deliver their trucks effectively skipping a large que. I have no doubt that we could speculate a bunch of scenarios where this could happen however I will not loose a blink of sleep over it.
 

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I really hope they don't pull a Tesla on this. I had a Model 3 reservation from <5 minutes of when the site went live. By the time I got my email saying I could place my order, anyone could have already placed a new order from scratch and had been able to for weeks. My reservation was completely worthless. The entire Model 3 process definitely soured me some on Tesla. I was certain I would have a Model 3 or Model Y. I keep thinking about it, and I keep deciding to hold onto my 2011 Q5 (~115k miles) until other brands come out with alternatives. Right now the best looking option is the R1S, so I will wait for it as long as I can.

EDIT: To be clear, the Model 3 reservation fiasco is not the only reason. It's not even the main one. It's just the one relevant to this thread. I'm also completely dissatisfied with Tesla's ridiculous quality control issues, especially at end of quarter as well as Elon's arrogance about everything. He was possibly their greatest strength, but he has definitely become their greatest weakness.
 

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One reason to continue preorders until they work down the preorder backlog is that people paying a non-refundable deposit are going to expect some level of certainty on a delivery date and I don’t think Rivian is anywhere close to being able to provide that beyond the preorders right now. Also, if it’s a year or two out, they may want to change pricing and options. All things people would want some certainty on before committing. My guess would be they keep preorders open until their backlog is down to 6 months or less. Just a guess though.
Just as a frame of reference, my neighbor just last week received the F150 he ordered (and paid for) back in December. There are ridiculously long queues for many cars out there, and people are waiting because we don't have a choice.
 

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My current understanding:

- Pre-order is not a purchase order. Pre-order holders are a pool of potential customers with an approximate place in a line to purchase, once production begins. Hence, fully refundable. No resources committed by Rivian.
- Pre-orders are used when the item is not released and is not in production.
- Ordering begins soon after production starts and the deposit is no longer refundable because it is a contract with Rivian to commit resources to building a vehicle for you.

Example:

- Mach-E is in production and there is no option to pre-order. You order the car and make a $500.00 non-refundable deposit.
- F150 Lightning is not in production so all you can do is make a pre-order to be in line to make a purchase once they start production in Fall 2021. The pre-order deposit is fully refundable. Once you order the truck the deposit increases and is NOT refundable.

IMO I don't see why Rivian would continue refundable pre-orders once they have R1T and R1S released to production. (Pre-orders help Rivian understand the market and is a pool of potential customers they can use to flush out the production line and show tangible proof of concept to investors)

To my knowledge Rivian has not committed to filling all pre-orders before shipping vehicles to folks who purchase a Rivian.

In the chat session I had with Rivian regarding this topic they did advise that I keep my reservation until it became possible that I could get a R1T sooner by cancelling the pre-order and simply order a R1T.

The question is what criteria and when will Rivian consider R1T and R1S to be in production?

My speculation is that sometime shortly after Rivian has successfully delivered some small number of vehicles to customers they will give pre-order holders the option to purchase. After that short phase pre-ordering is closed and online purchasing begins (none refundable deposits).

One last item from my chat with Rivian and that is that they would not confirm whether crash test certifications had been completed.
While they may deliver a few preorder vehicles with many unanswered questions, I doubt they would force everyone to finalize an order without having the ability to actually see / touch / drive one. I think there are a good chunk of us early adopters for whom a test drive is a must. And given how they are describing the test drives, I highly doubt those will be widely available before sometime next year.

If us early adopters won't commit without kicking the tires, the chance of a Joe Schmo with no EV knowledge doing so is close to zero IMO.
 

timf

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- Mach-E is in production and there is no option to pre-order. You order the car and make a $500.00 non-refundable deposit.
Whether or not the Mach-E deposit is refundable is entirely up to the dealer. The good ones would gladly refund your deposit if you choose not to take delivery.

Rivian has made no indication if or when their deposit would become non-refundable. However, given their 7 day return policy, I see no reason why they wouldn't refund your deposit right up to delivery if you change your mind.
 

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Gshenderson

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Just as a frame of reference, my neighbor just last week received the F150 he ordered (and paid for) back in December. There are ridiculously long queues for many cars out there, and people are waiting because we don't have a choice.
That’s close to the 6 month window I mentioned. I wonder if (a) the timeframe was longer than expected, or (b) if they were clear upfront how long the wait would be.
 
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I should have mentioned earlier that my speculation on when pre-ordering ends is not based on a belief that Rivian is or would be deceitful. It's purely based on empirical observations of how other care manufacturers operate (my own experience) and on what I think makes sense from a business perspective.

I am a Rivian fan and I am new to this type of buying experience. My goal is to be realistic.

Unfortunately given the current post world wide Covid situation, speculation points solidly to a very long wait for any EV that is not currently sitting on a lot.

Patience is a b__ch...........
 
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Atlrivian

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That’s close to the 6 month window I mentioned. I wonder if (a) the timeframe was longer than expected, or (b) if they were clear upfront how long the wait would be.
So he was initially told Fed 12, then Feb 20, then "mid-March" and then "we don't have an estimate." So just like Rivian!
 

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So I think my question fits in here so I won't create a new thread. Sorry if this has been covered, but I have fully moved from the Tesla Model Y/X quadrant to looking at ordering a Rivian. I would like to put down a deposit, but I was curious on everyone's take on when we think someone who pre-orders an R1S now, would get their vehicle?

I am ideally looking at picking something up spring of '22. Would I be wise to pre-order now, or wait? I know it currently says deliveries start Jan '22 for the R1S and I'm sure I'd be way back in line, but just trying to gauge what some of you who know a whole lot more than me, might know.

So I just saw a thread about when people are expecting their Rivians and someone who placed their order for an R1T just this spring was thinking Spring of 2023...

Last update, I just placed a pre-order :)
 
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Cassidy_DM

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So I think my question fits in here so I won't create a new thread. Sorry if this has been covered, but I have fully moved from the Tesla Model Y/X quadrant to looking at ordering a Rivian. I would like to put down a deposit, but I was curious on everyone's take on when we think someone who pre-orders an R1S now, would get their vehicle?

I am ideally looking at picking something up spring of '22. Would I be wise to pre-order now, or wait? I know it currently says deliveries start Jan '22 for the R1S and I'm sure I'd be way back in line, but just trying to gauge what some of you who know a whole lot more than me, might know.

So I just saw a thread about when people are expecting their Rivians and someone who placed their order for an R1T just this spring was thinking Spring of 2023...
If you're wanting to get an R1S, I'd pre-order now. You're probably looking at mid-year next year at the earliest, the way things sound. I doubt we'll slip into 2023, unless the supply chain issues are still ongoing next year. The deposit is fully refundable, so if the date slips further than you can tolerate, or you change your mind, you can always get your money back. I'm in for an R1T, but it doesn't matter when it shows up for me. I have a perfectly serviceable vehicle to hold me over in the meantime.
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