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Adventure Van Anyone?

Coast2Coast

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A couple of times before, I've said how great it would be if Rivian would explore the adventure van segment leveraging its skateboard architecture and Amazon van models (there will be 3 Amazon models, all different sizes). The commercial van segment for carrying people would be another easy entry, new segment for Rivian, and it's quite large.

I'd gladly give up the frunk for a van's greater space and versatility, but not everyone goes for the van look as opposed to a more traditional two box style. I had a VW van a long time ago and came to appreciate its utility and versatility. Here's a Germany company hoping to revive the VW van's utility with BEV underpinings.
https://www.autoweek.com/news/techn...c-brands-ebussy-modular-electric-van-release/

Questions for forum members.
1. Do you prefer a van's one box design or a more traditional two box truck? If strongly one or the other, why?
2. If you were offered the choice as a preorder holder, would you choose a one-box van or two-box truck, all else being equal?
3. Do you feel there's brand inconsistency between Rivians carrying people and Rivians carrying packages?
4. Presumably a package-carrying Rivian wouldn't need air suspension, kinetic hydraulics and a motor at each wheel. If true, should a separate or sub-brand be created so that the "adventure" brand for people-carrying isn't diluted? (Obviously, there's overlap between questions 3 & 4.)
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electruck

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The pictures that have been shown seem to brand the van as "Prime" with a graphic on the side indicating it is "Powered by Rivian". I don't have any problem with this. Even if it said Rivian front and rear, I don't really see this as diluting the brand image. Mercedes certainly doesn't seem to suffer as a result of their Sprinter or Metris vans or semi-trucks and they are all clearly Mercedes branded.

Rivian R1T R1S Adventure Van Anyone? Rivian_amazon2-e1568911418576
 
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Coast2Coast

Coast2Coast

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Yes, it took decades before Mercedes established itself as a leading commercial truck and passenger vehicle manufacturer. We've come to accept Mercedes' dual personality and identity as the way the world is. Rivian doesn't enjoy that acceptance.

The larger question is whither Rivian? That's not as much a question of branding as economies of scale or low volume versus high volume. Adventure branding is a low volume play. A course correction is possible, even likely. The world looks very different now than it did two years ago when the R1T/S were introduced in November 2018. How many new BEV trucks have been announced in the last 12 months? I count 7 for North America alone.

At the outset, we want our Rivians to be reliable and perform well. We know what we've signed up for and what the first couple of years will look like for Rivian. Larger and smaller R1T/Ss & Amazon vans. Beyond that, a vast unknown. Brand identity and vehicle mix are part of that.
 

Rob P

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Absolutely would love a Sprinter style EV van. Currently there are no 4wd Sprinter vans . There are 10s of thousands of skiers chomping at the bit for the ultimate ski safari van.
 

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Absolutely would love a Sprinter style EV van. Currently there are no 4wd Sprinter vans . There are 10s of thousands of skiers chomping at the bit for the ultimate ski safari van.
Huh, there are 4wd Spinter vans been around a while.
 

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bajadahl

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@Coast2Coast - I thought I vaguely remembered this thread from last year and can't believe I never replied. I think I was still in the mindset of learning as much as I could about the R1S last summer. Now with R1T deliveries imminent and R1S's hopefully just a few short months away I am starting to think of the future. I think it's almost a forgone conclusion that a smaller vehicle (R2R ish) will be in the works with higher volume and lower cost while still maintaining that aspirational quality that I think Rivian is aiming for (ala the Patagonia of auto makers)

I also think that an Adventure Van fits very well into this aspirational brand that Rivian is trying to create..... My concern is volume.... Are there enough buyers for them to put any development time into an Adventure Van. I have Very High hopes that due to the fact that they have already developed the Amazon Van it is not as big a leap to put in a little R&D into converting the Van into an adventure vehicle. I vaguely remember that Amazon Van will have several different versions including I think an all wheel drive version for winter deliveries.

Anyway I wanted to answer your questions..... If Rivian is paying attention to these forums I want to make sure they know there are people out there that WANT this! lol

Questions for forum members.
1. Do you prefer a van's one box design or a more traditional two box truck? If strongly one or the other, why? If I understand this question properly I would prefer the Van Design... Hey honey would you go back to the fridge and grab a bottle of water for me... thanks. As opposed to having to pull over any time I wanted something out of the "living quarters"
2. If you were offered the choice as a preorder holder, would you choose a one-box van or two-box truck, all else being equal? One-Box Van
3. Do you feel there's brand inconsistency between Rivians carrying people and Rivians carrying packages? Nope
4. Presumably a package-carrying Rivian wouldn't need air suspension, kinetic hydraulics and a motor at each wheel. If true, should a separate or sub-brand be created so that the "adventure" brand for people-carrying isn't diluted? (Obviously, there's overlap between questions 3 & 4.) Nope, I don't think there is any brand dilution. I don't think any less of Mercedes due to their sprinter van and I don't think any less of Honda due to their lawnmower engines....

My biggest concern with a Rivian Adventure Van -
I fear that the Amazon Vans will have a very short range. I am thinking sub 200 miles in slow city driving. I apologize in advance for not knowing the exact expected range..I'm pretty sure it's been discussed but I didn't commit any of that information to memory. If I were to buy an adventure van I would likely want to tow a small car (maybe an R2R) and I'd want it to go 250-300 miles while towing which means it will either need much more battery or hopefully better battery technology when/if it's introduced.... Where will battery tech be in 5 years.... In my opinion if Rivian is even considering this it's probably in their 5-10 year plan....
 
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Coast2Coast

Coast2Coast

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hi @bajadahl and other interested parties. A lot has changed since this thread was originally started in August 2020, and perhaps it might be good to enumerate the most obvious changes.

1. Rivian raised several billion more in private funding in 2020-2021 and announced its intention to go IPO to the tune of $70-80 billion in late 2021.
2. The competition is heating up. The Big 3 announced their EV intentions, and they include SUVs, trucks and vans. Mercedes Benz and Volvo (both autos and trucks, separate companies) are making similar plans, and Chinese makers are producing both sorts of vehicles for domestic and overseas markets. And there are other players, like the Japanese, who are also in the mix.

What does this mean? Rivian needs to be global if it's going to be a leader and not a follower in the EV motor vehicle industry, and Rivian is following Tesla in this strategy. Tesla now has 2 auto assembly plants (Fremont and Shanghai) with 2 more under construction (Germany and Texas). Tesla has a battery plant in Reno, and we don't really know how much of its auto assembly plants are also dedicated to making batteries.

Tesla's example is what's driving Rivian's IPO strategy, in my opinion. Rivian wants to go global and do so relatively quickly as economies of scale and scope will become crucial once the EV industry begins to consolidate.

We know RJ has said Rivian's new plant in the U.S. will be for vehicles AND batteries. This makes sense. The key variable that ultimately decides an EV maker's success is the quality, availability and performance of its batteries and BMS (battery management system). Like Tesla, Rivian has decided it's going to be both an EV and battery company, a two-prong strategy. GM decided much the same thing, with its Ultium batteries and partnership with LG Chemicals.

How does this relate to Adventure Vans? With so much going on, it's unlikely Rivian has time and resources to develop a brand new adventure oriented van. If the smallest Amazon vans can be converted to an adventure spec with enhanced battery capacity, that might happen, but I can't see this happening unless it's an easy spin-off from existing Amazon vans.

So, an adventure van is a possibility and it could be offered without diluting Rivian's branding and model mix, but it's not likely to be a high priority with everything else on Rivian's horizon. Going global will be a supremely expensive and demanding strategic, managerial and operational challenge.
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