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Production 2+ years out?

Kel

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I think it may be 2 or more years before anything is produced. A friend of mine worked for Mitsubishi and has done some work for Rivian. As of a few months back nothing had been done in the plant but clear out a room. All of Mitsubishi's equipment was still in place. I think the truck is awesome but curious to see what their top model goes for.
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EyeOnRivian

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I think it may be 2 or more years before anything is produced. A friend of mine worked for Mitsubishi and has done some work for Rivian. As of a few months back nothing had been done in the plant but clear out a room. All of Mitsubishi's equipment was still in place.
That may or may not have been the case "few months ago." IMHO what matters is where they are at today. Rivian recently posted a YT video on April 1st recorded "just before temporarily shutting down of their facilities to help slow the spread of COVID-19," would imply they are further along.
 
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Kel

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I hope your right, I want to see this built in my backyard. I'll ask if he has been over lately but I would think it would take many months if not a year or more to get all the equipment in and building this trucks,
 

johnking

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Looking at how Tesla ramped-up production in Giga_China is impressive and that could become the benchmark for companies to meet.

  1. Jan 2019 - Breaking ground for construction.
  2. Aug 2019 - Exterior completed and machine fitment complete.
  3. Oct 2019 - Assembly of Model 3 starts.
  4. Dec 2019 - China produced Model 3s come out of the factory.
  5. Jan 2020 - Customer delivery of Model 3s from Giga China.
The video from Rivian shows that there has been a significant progress. Going by that, I think Rivian is in the process of the second step as they continue to fit the machines in the factory. Depending on how much they are impacted by the pandemic delay, I think we are not too far away from seeing test vehicles come out from the factory. Suppliers and the SCM impact for the components of the car would play a bigger role in the delivery timelines.
 
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Kel

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I hope they are close to being ready. Curious what their high mileage one will cost. I heard in the 90 thousand range
 

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According to the Tesla timeline in Shanghai, provided by johnking, there's a six month interval between completing the plant exterior, fitting machines and start of production. That's awfully fast but it is China where things can get done quickly if you have money and the right connections.

Rivian hasn't completed the plant exterior and fitting machines. Some of the last video available, March and early April, shows construction of a 400,000 square foot addition, supposedly earmarked for battery assembly, and interior machine fitting. In short, once work begins again, add six months, if you're able to match Tesla's Shanghai timeline. If not, add 7-8 months.

If Rivian goes back to work in June, it's possible the first vehicles might roll off the line in late December. But it's late December and it's not China, so it's not likely to happen. January-February 2021 are more likely, assuming there are no hiccups after a two month hiatus.
 

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Coast2Coast

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Yes, but we can still apply Tesla's Shanghai timeline to Rivian. Once operations begin again, add a minimum of six months. 7 or 8 is more likely.
 

barsaec

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I just hope the fit and finish is consistently good. Tesla still has quality control issues. I hang out on their forums, and have a Model Y ordered, and delayed acceptance of it. The Model Y is a $65k vehicle, Mercedes, BMW, Lexus don't have fit issues for their vehicles in this price range. I'm hoping Rivian is just consistent leaning towards quality. What tesla has done is fantastic, especially in efficiency, but I'm willing to be a little more inefficient for a quality ride.
 

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I'm sure Rivian's fit and finish will be better than Tesla's. RJ is an auto guy from an early age; Elon was not. RJ has a Ph.D. from MIT in Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis on automotive engineering. MIT is home to numerous global auto industry research projects. One of those culminated in the publication of the best selling, The Machine That Changed the World. The machine in question was the Toyota Production System. A couple leaders of those research projects, authors of many publications, and RJ's MIT professors sit on Rivian's board.

RJ is steeped in quality, lean production, fit and finish knowledge.

The challenge is converting book learning into outstanding performance. Fortunately, RJ doesn't have to do it on his own; he's hired a wealth of auto industry professionals from McLaren, Ford and Faraday Future as well as folks from Tesla and Apple. These are just the well known places from which he's hired. None of this guarantees things will go smoothly, but there's little doubt RJ knows what to do. It will be in the execution where all that knowledge and knowhow are put to the test.
 

barsaec

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I'm sure Rivian's fit and finish will be better than Tesla's. RJ is an auto guy from an early age; Elon was not. RJ has a Ph.D. from MIT in Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis on automotive engineering. MIT is home to numerous global auto industry research projects. One of those culminated in the publication of the best selling, The Machine That Changed the World. The machine in question was the Toyota Production System. A couple leaders of those research projects, authors of many publications, and RJ's MIT professors sit on Rivian's board.

RJ is steeped in quality, lean production, fit and finish knowledge.

The challenge is converting book learning into outstanding performance. Fortunately, RJ doesn't have to do it on his own; he's hired a wealth of auto industry professionals from McLaren, Ford and Faraday Future as well as folks from Tesla and Apple. These are just the well known places from which he's hired. None of this guarantees things will go smoothly, but there's little doubt RJ knows what to do. It will be in the execution where all that knowledge and knowhow are put to the test.
Agree completely. At the Fully Charged event in Austin, I asked about the finish bed material of the R1T, as it was very plastic-y, as if it wouldn't hold up to basic pickup use. I could never find the engineer who was present to answer my question. They were pretty busy. My brother, who drives a new Ford Raptor, was sold on the spot. The Raptor is a nice ride, and fun to drive. I'm hoping for an electric Raptor. Agree with RJ isn't Elon. Stay Well.
 

Kickaha

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One thing Rivian has the Tesla never did is the partnership with a major automobile manufacturer (Ford) to help them with production. Tesla is an unquestioned leader in automotive tech but production has always been their weakness. Rivian has good tech (unknown exactly how good quite yet) but no production experience and thats where the partnership with Ford comes in. Rivian will help Ford get into the modern technology era (Ford Sync, anyone?) and Ford will help Rivian learn how to actually build a car on a mass scale.

I am not worried about the timeline (yet).
 

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I hope they are close to being ready. Curious what their high mileage one will cost. I heard in the 90 thousand range
They were saying 90k way back. In a January Reuters article they said there would be a price drop and 69k was more the price of a loaded mid-range. I think it's going to be around 50, 60, and 70k for base models. About 10k more for loaded models not counting special packages like a camping edition that would include extra not-specifically-truck-enhancing stuff. Event rep rumors are that base prices would be about 20k less than the originally announced prices.

Edit: Of course it remains to be seen whether a base version of each trim will even be available or if it will be exclusively this "launch edition" that's badged on all demo truck interiors at first.
 

EyeOnRivian

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They were saying 90k way back. In a January Reuters article they said there would be a price drop and 69k was more the price of a loaded mid-range. I think it's going to be around 50, 60, and 70k for base models. About 10k more for loaded models
Good reminder. FWIW though I don't believe the $69k is for a "loaded" mid-range R1T. Articles I've seen indicate RJ mentioned the $69k is for a mid-range R1T with the electrochromatic roof. No reference to loaded, unless that will be the only way to get the electrochromatic roof ... hmm ... Ehh, it's still all a guessing game at this point. :facepalm:
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