Invited to Lunch w/ Sr. Director of Customer Engagement Center. Have Questions?

[TheDiaperDaddy]

I have a Tesla wall charger at home. Assuming that most R1T/R1S owners are also higher end EV owners, it makes sense to answer this question for customers looking to participate in EV brand agnostic.

1. What will I need to do to accommodate charging R1T on the same setup? Will adapters be produced?

2. What's for lunch?

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[SeaGeo]

Alright all...thank you for the participation and comments...this all really helps.

I believe that all of this can really be whittled down to one common theme; transparency. Transparency in the information that they do have to share, in the information that they dont have finalized quite yet, and maybe most important, transparency in a timeline when we can all expect information that doesnt involve the word "s00n".

My lunch is set for Monday afternoon and while I cannot commit to finding out the EPA numbers or the order that colors will be produced I can commit that I will communicate the passion (and at times frustration) of their rabid fan base/supporters.

I can also commit that people at Rivian are keeping tabs of forums like this one as this post was mentioned in his confirmation of our lunch.

My hope is to help Rivian understand what it's like from a consumer's view while also understanding/respecting that there is a method to the madness on the cadence and quality of information being passed along from their side.

Recap coming Monday afternoon...

Thanks Ken! Really appreciate you reaching out to us all!

 

[SANZC02]

I have a Tesla wall charger at home. Assuming that most R1T/R1S owners are also higher end EV owners, it makes sense to answer this question for customers looking to participate in EV brand agnostic.

1. What will I need to do to accommodate charging R1T on the same setup? Will adapters be produced?

2. What's for lunch?

There are already adapters on the market for this, it is a Tesla to J1772, there are many of them.

Amazon.com: AKSESROYAL Charging Adapter Tesla to J1772, Max 40A 250V Easy to use with Tesla Wall Box, Mobile Connector, US EV Charger Connector, Destination Charging, Safety Lock: Automotive

 

[paariv]

This is awesome!
I would not come with a long list of specific questions but would focus on the need for transparency in general. For my money, color is a very easy issue to use for illustrative purposes: there’s no question that the configurator is terrible at illustrating it (launch green doesn’t match the configurator in any lighting situation). They have plenty of real world examples and pictures they could be sharing with us, but they’re not.

And instead we get random leaks from posters, that CS reps have to reference, instead of usable official information. What’s more, they are contacting people in an order based on color choices made using a configurator with only a loose connection to reality. Maybe that won’t impact deliveries in the end, but it’s frustrating and hard to justify.

 

[DucRider]

And instead we get random leaks from posters, that CS reps have to reference, instead of usable official information.

The issue most people have is the failure to come to grips with the fact that this type of information release is exactly how Rivian wants to do it.
These are not "random people" or "leaks", but a planned event and the method they specifically chose to release the info. It is most definitely a grassroots approach and no matter how frustrating some find it, it is intentional and not due to a lack of planning or incompetence.
It fits with what we have seen all along with the "Stories", and while some info may be announced formally (EPA ratings?), the real people/owners telling real stories from their personal experience is what we can expect.
Telling them they need to change their entire strategy and philosophy is not likely to be successful. There could be a little movement towards formal emails/announcements, but it is unlikely to be to the level that many here seem to expect.
Embracing their way of connecting with their customers instead of fighting it may be easier said than done, but stress and frustration will be reduced for those that can do so.

 

[Attesan997]

The issue most people have is the failure to come to grips with the fact that this type of information release is exactly how Rivian wants to do it.
These are not "random people" or "leaks", but a planned event and the method they specifically chose to release the info. It is most definitely a grassroots approach and no matter how frustrating some find it, it is intentional and not due to a lack of planning or incompetence.
It fits with what we have seen all along with the "Stories", and while some info may be announced formally (EPA ratings?), the real people/owners telling real stories from their personal experience is what we can expect.
Telling them they need to change their entire strategy and philosophy is not likely to be successful. There could be a little movement towards formal emails/announcements, but it is unlikely to be to the level that many here seem to expect.
Embracing their way of connecting with their customers instead of fighting it may be easier said than done, but stress and frustration will be reduced for those that can do so.

This is what I've come to understand. I said earlier in this thread that there was a pretty straightforward way to resolve a great deal of disappointment and to fix any perceived communication issues. But that assumes Rivian sees an issue, things are going according to someone's plan. That plan just might not look like what this forum and others may expect. Fortunately for me I get to stand on the sidelines and wait until others work out the kinks but that doesn't mean I don't sympathize with those frustrated today.

 

[Diddy123]

This is what I've come to understand. I said earlier in this thread that there was a pretty straightforward way to resolve a great deal of disappointment and to fix any perceived communication issues. But that assumes Rivian sees an issue, things are going according to someone's plan. That plan just might not look like what this forum and others may expect. Fortunately for me I get to stand on the sidelines and wait until others work out the kinks but that doesn't mean I don't sympathize with those frustrated today.

Must be strange to work in a communications team that tells their customers to expect more info in June and a weekly email, and then intentionally not deliver on any of that nor make any additional contact at all.

Must also be tough to work for a comms team that has the CEO admit your team is not doing well at their job, and then intentionally not make any changes or improvements, nor deliver on the promise the CEO made to communicate production updates more frequently.

Edit: I quoted Attesan997, but it's really aimed at all the folks that seem to think communication is going exactly as Rivian intends. I just don't buy it.

 

[Attesan997]

Must be strange to work in a communications team that tells their customers to expect more info in early June and a weekly email, and then intentionally not deliver on any of that nor make any additional contact at all.

Must also be tough to work for a comms team that has the CEO admit your team is not doing well at their job, and then intentionally not make any changes or improvements, nor deliver on the promise the CEO made to communicate production updates more frequently.

Edit: I quoted Attesan997, but it's really aimed at all the folks that seem to think communication is going exactly as Rivian intends. I just don't buy it.

I'm not disagreeing with you at all. It's more me looking for the simplest solution and that could very well be a bad choice on my part. This isn't the first ground up product launch. Social Media exists, community managers exist, this forum and others exist. There's plenty of ideas in this thread alone to improve things and with respect not much of it breaks new ground. They could stream a factory tour and interior and exterior walk around on someone's cell phone for $0 in production costs today if they so chose. I'm not trying to be salty or anything but I struggle to believe they're racking their brains confused as to how to approach improved comms.

Edit: I hope you're right and one day soon this situations falls closer in line to what many expect.

 

[Blueassassin]

What about drag coefficient? Do we know those numbers yet? Curios how it stacks up to my 0.7 Hummer H1

 

[Gshenderson]

The issue most people have is the failure to come to grips with the fact that this type of information release is exactly how Rivian wants to do it.
These are not "random people" or "leaks", but a planned event and the method they specifically chose to release the info. It is most definitely a grassroots approach and no matter how frustrating some find it, it is intentional and not due to a lack of planning or incompetence.
It fits with what we have seen all along with the "Stories", and while some info may be announced formally (EPA ratings?), the real people/owners telling real stories from their personal experience is what we can expect.
Telling them they need to change their entire strategy and philosophy is not likely to be successful. There could be a little movement towards formal emails/announcements, but it is unlikely to be to the level that many here seem to expect.
Embracing their way of connecting with their customers instead of fighting it may be easier said than done, but stress and frustration will be reduced for those that can do so.

If this were true, then why would RJ post something acknowledging that they are doing a poor job of communicating ?‍

 

[DucRider]

If this were true, then why would RJ post something acknowledging that they are doing a poor job of communicating ?‍

Because they were?

The preorder attendee event was very likely part of that improved communication promise.

 

[PineTree503]

Received an email this afternoon from my guide letting me know that the Sr. Director of the Customer Engagement Center would like to meet for lunch. I was encouraged to ask him any questions in regards to the delivery process or anything else of interest.

That being said, I have a million questions to ask but figured I would throw it out to this group for anything along those lines that you would like asked (can promise what will actually get answered). He is supposed to be reaching out to set up a date/time/location but hoping to hear from him and lock that down ASAP.

Thanks for asking this question and sharing your access. The question I would add to the list is “what federal legislative/ lobbying actions is Rivian and it’s primary investors taking in order to preserve the federal tax credit for EVs?” While we are all excited to take delivery of our Rivian orders the bigger picture is encouraging millions of others to follow and create a better future for everyone. Thanks again.

 

[jjwolf120]

You must ask these questions three.
What is your quest?
What is your favorite color?
What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?

 

[dleewla]

Brochure with colors is nice idea or just update website/configurator with real pictures, not renders. EPA range ratings for all three types of wheels/tires. Safety ratings. Any official or semi-official info on infotainment. We saw bits and pieces from folks who were onsite a couple of weeks back but would like more. How much range or battery life could we potentially save having ventilated seats vs non-ventilated seat (LE/Adventure vs Explore trims)? Production estimates, like how many consumer vehicles in Sep, Oct, Nov, etc. Updates on progress with RAN.

And most important question of all. What'd you do or how did you get a lunch invite with Rivian?

 

[Atlrivian]

The issue most people have is the failure to come to grips with the fact that this type of information release is exactly how Rivian wants to do it.
These are not "random people" or "leaks", but a planned event and the method they specifically chose to release the info. It is most definitely a grassroots approach and no matter how frustrating some find it, it is intentional and not due to a lack of planning or incompetence.
It fits with what we have seen all along with the "Stories", and while some info may be announced formally (EPA ratings?), the real people/owners telling real stories from their personal experience is what we can expect.
Telling them they need to change their entire strategy and philosophy is not likely to be successful. There could be a little movement towards formal emails/announcements, but it is unlikely to be to the level that many here seem to expect.
Embracing their way of connecting with their customers instead of fighting it may be easier said than done, but stress and frustration will be reduced for those that can do so.

Completely agree generating grassroots enthusiasm / free marketing seems to be their shtick. "We are the underdogs and not just another corporate behemoth."

The problem with this is it is tough to generate enthusiasm when only 0.03% of reservation holders (guessing 30,000 total reservation holders because they haven't ever released any numbers) have actually been inside a production model of the truck. And deliveries start in less than a month?

Little to no real information has been revealed over the past 6 months. The puff pieces are a thinly disguised way of keeping community engagement without telling us anything about the actual truck.

I'd like to reiterate I am 100% on board with the R1T. The reason is mostly because it looks like a beast and there are not going to be any other options that fit my use case for at least 2 years. It isn't because I've been sucked in by poorly lit pictures of the camp kitchen (which I won't be getting).

Complaints over.

Thank you Kweimer711! Even if you get no new info, I hope the powers that be hear our request for more transparency.

EDIT:
I also understand they owe me nothing. Nor am I being forced to purchase their product. What I really want is something to keep the dopamine flowing. Keep the masses excited with a more regular flow of more detailed info!

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