? Update from RJ on production & deliveries -- via email letter 12/28/21

[Sgt Beavis]

Now we know why the S1 filing said pre-orders would be done by the "End of 2023".

Communication could have been better, and much sooner, but at least they're heading in the right direction that that front. I'm really looking forward to seeing what they do with the account page next month. I want to see if changing from Green to Blue or White will speed things up. Or perhaps removing certain items like the off road upgrade.

I'm really looking forward to the delivery email.

Sponsored

 

[gd_r1t]

This indicates that you have the opportunity to do just that:

"To Max pack and Explore preorder holders who have been with us since 2018 and 2019 whose delivery windows may push into 2023 — we value your loyalty and commitment and will be reaching out to you in January to gauge your interest in reconfiguring to an Adventure Package with Large pack battery so that you can take delivery in 2022."

My post was probably confusing. To clarify, the email is not explicit about Max/Explore holders from 2020/2021, and whether or not their changing their orders to Adventure+Lg today would move them up. It only mentions that being an opportunity for 2018/19 reservations.

 

[battleborn]

I can't help but think it would have been a better marketing plan for Rivian to offer only one battery pack and wait till 2023/4 to announce a Max battery pack. Also might have been better to only offer the Adventure. For those waiting for the Max battery will the price be locked in? Keep in mind that the Max battery they say gets over 400 miles is not yet certified by the EPA. I hope when they do get the certification for the Max battery is exceeds expectations.

 

[KiloV]

Source?

Email update from Rivian, sent today.

 

[buddha2lotus]

My post was probably confusing. To clarify, the email is not explicit about Max/Explore holders from 2020/2021, and whether or not their changing their orders to Adventure+Lg today would move them up. It only mentions that being an opportunity for 2018/19 reservations.

I see, however, I think if you change to the Large Pack, your delivery time will most likely decrease because they are probably just starting to refine their manufacturing process for Max and who knows when that can be finalized.

 

[KiloV]

Now we know why the S1 filing said pre-orders would be done by the "End of 2023".

Communication could have been better, and much sooner, but at least they're heading in the right direction that that front. I'm really looking forward to seeing what they do with the account page next month. I want to see if changing from Green to Blue or White will speed things up. Or perhaps removing certain items like the off road upgrade.

I'm really looking forward to the delivery email.

This is finally the communication that we had all been hoping for. Not surprising that it didn't happen until after the 1st quarterly call. Hopefully this will signal the beginning of better comms going forward.

 

[Outdoorsman]

At first I was surprised by that, too. Then I recalled that I didnt' have the option to pick a maxpack for my R1S, so it would only be R1T orders that could choose that, and maybe not even LE R1T orders.

I also didn’t get a max pack choice for my R1S… not crazy about 316 mile range…I’m wondering if I’ll get a choice to wait for the max pack?

 

[jjswan33]

Someone please check my math but based on the figures from RJ there is a maximum possible of about 15k Launch Editions.

We can’t check your math unless you show your work… just ask your math teacher

 

[KingTodd]

I also didn’t get a max pack choice for my R1S… not crazy about 316 mile range…I’m wondering if I’ll get a choice to wait for the max pack?

Back in Nov 2020 when we could configure, I asked CS that question. They told me to configure my R1S with the only pack available, and I could update it before my order was put into production....back then they were saying there woudl be news on the R1S max pack in January 2022, so we know how that turned out.
So, I think you have the opportunity to adjust your configuration up until they begin building it...but what is available to change at the time and how that effects delivery is still unknown (at least to myself)

 

[Zoidz]

...I was just commenting that it's a cash grab to get desperate people to pay more to get a truck and it wasn't "nice" of them given that no orders are currently locked in. Plus if they were prioritizing the most expensive models, I would have a delivery window for my Max Pack already...

I don't think this is the reason. Purely a guess, but it's an educated guess from my engineering experience in factory startups, which frequently includes us in production planning meetings with senior management, production planners and supply chain staff.

I think some (much or all?) of it comes down to MAXIMIZING the NUMBER of vehicles they can produce. That keeps people employed, the production line running, etc. etc. As a production planner, if I know that I have a finite supply of battery cells each month, and the max pack requires approx 20% more cells, I can either build 10,000 large pack vehicles, or I can build 8,000 max pack vehicles. The answer is obvious. I think those here with production planning experience have been through meetings like this themselves.

Looking at it from this viewpoint, it's the proper decision for almost everyone - employees, production quotas, Wall Street, investor satisfaction, cash flow and 80% of the customers. The ONLY ones it's not good for are the 20% max pack customers. Tough decision, yes, but the right decision for the company and the majority of it's customers.

 

[sub]

My post was probably confusing. To clarify, the email is not explicit about Max/Explore holders from 2020/2021, and whether or not their changing their orders to Adventure+Lg today would move them up. It only mentions that being an opportunity for 2018/19 reservations.

Possibly because 2020/2021 orders are going to be in 2023 anyway.

 

[KiloV]

I don't have an explore package preorder. I was just commenting that it's a cash grab to get desperate people to pay more to get a truck and it wasn't "nice" of them given that no orders are currently locked in. Plus if they were prioritizing the most expensive models, I would have a delivery window for my Max Pack already...

Rivian has made it clear that they are constrained by battery supply right now. This isn't surprising and will likely get worse for a while. While battery supply remains a constraint, vehicle manufacturers like Rivian will prioritize shipping more vehicles with smaller battery packs, rather than fewer vehicles with more batteries per vehicle. This sucks for those who ordered a max pack, but it's a logical decision for Rivian and most of the pre-order customer base - make the most out of the supplies you have, deliver more vehicles to more customers, drive more revenue, etc.

 

[ja_kub_sz]

Looking at it from this viewpoint, it's the proper decision for almost everyone - employees, production quotas, Wall Street, investor satisfaction, cash flow and 80% of the customers. The ONLY ones it's not good for are the 20% max pack customers. Tough decision, yes, but the right decision for the company and the majority of it's customers.

You're right... But damn it! Why couldn't you be wrong instead! ?

 

[Matt D.]

We can’t check your math unless you show your math… just ask your math teacher

71k preorders. “Vast majority are Adventure with large pack”. So let’s assume conservatively that it’s 40k. 20% are max pack preorders or about 14k. Add them together and you get 54k. 71k minus 54k equals 17k for Explore trim and Launch Edition. 2k conservatively for Explore trim and that leaves 15k for LE.

 

[ja_kub_sz]

Yeah I just can't swing a 300 mile range when one leg to work in the winter would drain 156 miles of battery (125 miles one way, more at highway speeds).

Or I'll be really pissing off the Rivian extraction team for all the needed charging rescues.

Sponsored