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Anyone worried?

Mjhirsch78

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Torn on the going public thing. Their stock would be a no-brainer. However, it leaves them somewhat at the whims of investors who are often clueless and completely without vision. A company like Rivian will soar because they know their vision and are not hindered by folks locking them down.
It would not surprise me if part of their long-term plan is considering adding home or office battery storage and then possibly wireless charging and fleet focused arms of the company once they are on solid footing with vehicles. Investors would balk at this added risk, thereby limiting Rivian’s ability to chase really big dreams with the incredible passion and thorough planning RJ and his leaders seem to be showing thus far.
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Coast2Coast

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Rivian's well set for the next 3 years or so, not only in terms of what products will be released but also in terms of financing for a full build-out of Normal and a 2nd generation of vehicles. At the end of the cycle, there will likely be 4 passenger vehicles and 3 different van sizes. (The Amazon order calls for 3 different size vans. Normal likely has enough capacity to assemble everything there.)

After that, it gets really interesting. A second N. American plant, a plant in either Europe or Asia, a bigger push into commercial vehicles, another round of passenger oriented vehicles, a tie-up with a battery producer or another vehicle maker? Go for higher volume, mainstream markets or stay focused on smaller, specialized markets? Lots of possibilities and almost all of them will require more financing. Fortunately, for now, with $5 billion in private backing, Rivian isn't required to do a Wall Street song and dance.

A lot will depend on battery prices. If BEV and ICE powered vehicles are priced comparably by 2025, as many predict will be the case (& some say later), it makes sense for Rivian to shoot for high volume, mainstream markets. That's what Amazon and Bezos would do. Grab market share now, and let economies of scale kick in later. That's when RJ will have to decide which way to go, unless of course Rivian's investors have already decided where they want to go.

That's the big question. The flip side of a small number of large investors is trying to keep them happy. Everyone has big enough stakes to think they ought to be heard. This is when we'll see RJ's mettle. We know he's a terrific engineer, but how will he do in the board room?
 

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I wouldn't buy any EV today if it wasn't going to work for 99% of your use cases. But if it does, then there's no point in worrying about what tech will be coming out next because today's is adequate. There's always going to be something better or more efficent coming out in the future. Tomorrow's EVs will still have that problem.
 

Rob P

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I'm sure this has been discussed here somewhere but I am hoping that 5 or 6 years down the road I can do a battery swap with a new tech battery down the road. It makes me more inclined to get the 3rd row seats on the R1s and have the ultimate suv.
 

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azbill

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I bought a first generation Volt, which was new tech at the time. I had no problems with it, except for occasional blank display screen that had to be reset. I traded it in on a Bolt, when I have 80K miles on it. I wanted to go pure electric and was very comfortable with GM's battery technology. The Bolt has also been extremely reliable, but I did have to have the front wheel hubs/bearings replaced under warranty, but that is not part of the new technology.

Obviously Rivian is new at this game, compared to GM, but I am not worried.
 

DucRider

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I'm sure this has been discussed here somewhere but I am hoping that 5 or 6 years down the road I can do a battery swap with a new tech battery down the road. It makes me more inclined to get the 3rd row seats on the R1s and have the ultimate suv.
I consider this to be very unlikely.
New battery tech will almost certainly require different charging parameters, cooling needs, and who knows what else. If Rivian ships with 400V batteries and motors, it makes it even more unlikely that a swap will be possible as almost certainly the next gen will be 800V.
By the time you switch out the pack and all the associated computers, sensors, plumbing, etc it is very likely that you are better off selling and upgrading. There is a remote possibility that you would be able to swap in a bigger "old tech" pack, but that is also likely to be of questionable value unless you must have additional range for the vehicle to be functional for your needs. Even then the sell/trade scenario could very well offer other benefits, such as faster charging.
 

skyote

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I'm sure this has been discussed here somewhere but I am hoping that 5 or 6 years down the road I can do a battery swap with a new tech battery down the road. It makes me more inclined to get the 3rd row seats on the R1s and have the ultimate suv.
If I recall correctly, I believe Rivian has stated there will not be a battery replacement option (not even like for like). Personally, I hope there is...
 

EyeOnRivian

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If I recall correctly, I believe Rivian has stated there will not be a battery replacement option (not even like for like). Personally, I hope there is...
I recall hearing the same thing.
 

Coast2Coast

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It's been a while since we heard anything definitive. I'm not saying specs and options have changed, but I wouldn't be surprised if they have, at least a little.

I think we'll hear, for example, the ranges associated with different sized battery packs have improved. It's been 20 months since they were first announced, and battery tech has improved in the meantime. It would be great if a battery replacement option becomes a reality or, if nothing else, to hear that it's being worked on.
 

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bajadahl

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If I recall correctly, I believe Rivian has stated there will not be a battery replacement option (not even like for like). Personally, I hope there is...

How can this be true? Please understand I am not questioning you just the Rivian mindset on this.... If the battery is not serviceable does the car literally just become scrap if a battery or module fails? I would think support for a like for like module swap would be absolutely essential to support the vehicle (especially during the warranty period)
 

electruck

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How can this be true? Please understand I am not questioning you just the Rivian mindset on this.... If the battery is not serviceable does the car literally just become scrap if a battery or module fails? I would think support for a like for like module swap would be absolutely essential to support the vehicle (especially during the warranty period)
Rivian has also stated that the battery pack can be removed (or was that swapped? can't remember now) in roughly 30 minutes. It's not so much that it can't be serviced, it's that they're not planning to support an upgrade path.
 

bajadahl

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Rivian has also stated that the battery pack can be removed (or was that swapped? can't remember now) in roughly 30 minutes. It's not so much that it can't be serviced, it's that they're not planning to support an upgrade path.
While no upgrade path is disappointing I can deal with that better than a situation where they don't support "like for like swap" of the battery pack or modules
 

DucRider

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Rivian will offer repair of defective packs, but no upgrade options. Similar to an ICE - if Dodge has a more powerful Hemi available in 2025, they will not offer it as an upgrade option to your 2020 Hellcat. they will however, honor your warranty and provide repair/replacement of your original motor after the warranty expires.
In the US, the battery warranty on all BEVs is required to be at least 8 years/100K miles. It will be interesting to see details of the Rivian warranty and specifically what level of degradation is allowed within the warranty period.
 

ajdelange

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In the US, the battery warranty on all BEVs is required to be at least 8 years/100K miles.
I had no idea it was required. Which agency levies this requirement? I'd like to know more so any website links etc would be appreciated.
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