My Day With RJ Scaringe — A Lucky Encounter & R1T Impressions

[Sean]

Very cool, not jealous or anything Two questions -

Did you happen to ask about Conserve mode?
Did you happen to catch which media outlets were there and any timing on when they will be able to share?

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[Kmann1994]

That sounds awesome, and I am amazed he took the time. That makes quite the impression. My guess is you didn't ask any of my top questions, since you weren't driving the car and mine are all about the driving experience / infotainment experience, but since you are offering, I will cut and paste from my notes on what I want to know that I haven't found answers to on the internet. Yes I have notes on this. I am that kind of person.

Thanks in advance

• Regen Braking:
  • Can it fully coast? or does regen always kick in when you take your foot off the accelerator? (From a physics standpoint an option to coast is the most efficient)
  • Does the brake pedal use regen braking first, and only engage the friction brakes when more braking is needed? or is the only way to engage regen through "one pedal driving" settings? (AKA, does it use blended breaking?)
• Infotainment
  • I have an apple music subscription, can that be used on the car since carplay is not included? If not, is it amazon music built in? or is streaming music all just bluetooth from the phone?
  • Navigation: is it any good? Do maps update for free? or will map updates require a fee? Is it a reskin of an existing map service (like google maps) Without the option to use carplay/android auto, navigation experience is very important.
  • How do the buttons on the steering wheel work? Is it annoying to work both cruise control settings and audio from those general purpose buttons?
  • How hard is it to adjust climate control and vent positioning while driving?
• Driver+
  • What is available on any road? Adaptive Cruise Control? Lane centering? Emergency Braking?
  • What is different on the "select roads"? Lane switching? something else?

I love how optimistically you think that in the 20 minute random encounter he had with RJ, he had time to ask him all of these questions ?

 

[cohall]

That sounds awesome, and I am amazed he took the time. That makes quite the impression. My guess is you didn't ask any of my top questions

You are correct, sorry. We didn't get to that level of detail, especially as I didn't actually drive the vehicle.

 

[Scott]

I love how optimistically you think that in the 20 minute random encounter he had with RJ, he had time to ask him all of these questions ?

Hey I lead off with "I am pretty sure you didn't talk about this stuff" The previous suggestion to email customer support is probably best, but I hate dealing with any companies support line.

 

[Kmann1994]

I didn't sit in the back, but I did put the drivers seat in a comfortable position for me (I'm 6'2" and like to sit/lean way back) and take a look. It's not a Ram 1500, that's for sure. It looked fine for most adults. Having a bunch of 6 foot 200 pound dudes in the back for a few hundred/thousand miles wouldn't be ideal. I came away with the general feeling that it would be fine/good for my purposes.

If you didn't have it in your "sit/lean way back" position, how would you say the legroom is?

The Motor Trend guys did the entire TAT with 4 people in the car and I know their comments were less about legroom and more about rear seat comfort. I don't know how tall their drivers are but it's an interesting comparison.

 

[TessP100D]

I wanted to share a quick story with you guys. It was a lucky chance encounter that made my day/week/month.

TLDR - Got a personal tour of the R1T by RJ. He was amazingly gracious, friendly, approachable, and an all-around great guy. Read on if you'd like the full story.

So as you may have seen, there is a media event happening in the mountains of Colorado at the moment. I knew approximately where they might be, but hadn't had the time to drive from Denver to see if I can find them. But then on Tuesday night, I get a call from my mother telling me she just spotted a bunch of Rivians not 5 minutes from their home in Breckenridge. That's all the encouragement I needed to take a drive up the mountains.

I cruise up, make a quick stop to grab my mother, and have her jump in the car with me to point out where she saw them. 5 minutes later, I'm in a parking lot with no less than 6 shiny R1Ts. Having never spotted one before, I was stoked.

We hop out of the car (Well, I hop out. My mom is in her mid/late 70's, so her exit wasn't quite as 'hoppy'), and started taking a close-up look at a forest green with forest edge interior truck. Beautiful. The window was rolled down, so we were able to get a great view of the interior. There were a few Rivian folks milling around so we tried to stay away and not be a burden or bother. Despite getting a few odd looks, they just let us poke around undisturbed, which was nice.

After a few minutes of peering around, we were about to leave. But I see a familiar face walking in our general direction. It was RJ! I said hello and he introduced himself, and then he went way above and beyond. He gave us a personal tour of the entire R1T, top to bottom, front to back. Showing us all the different features and functions. Answering my million questions. Put up with me pestering him about when the test drives will start in Colorado, the status of the service center in Denver, when deliveries are going to start, etc. Then he asked me to get in the vehicle and let him know what I thought of the seats, the interior, explained the process for making sure the wood dash looked just right, what he thought about certain interior/exterior color combos. He even was pulling out and showing off the flashlight and bluetooth speaker to my mother.

He spent a good 20 minutes with us, just one on one showing us everything you could imagine about the truck. It was fantastic, and I was truly impressed with how nice he was, how warm he was to my mother, and generally just giving us two randos undivided attention despite needing to get ready for the media event, and having several of his people waiting around to get his attention for what I'm assuming were fairly pressing needs.

After RJ finally had to let us go, he pointed us toward the El Cap truck that had the camp kitchen going, making dinner for the media folks. He instructed his head chef/kitchen designer to stop what he was doing, so that he could give us a full demonstration of how the kitchen worked, what was included, etc. etc. Who does that for a dude just interrupting their big media day?

We were able to see almost all the colors, except LG, Limestone, and Red. RJ kept asking his people where the LG truck was, when it would be back, trying to do what he could to ensure I would get to see it (it's the color I have on order).

We spent another 10 minutes looking at the other trucks that were there, the different interior options, etc. Basically just an awesome chance experience.

Bottom line, RJ is as good a guy as @DuckTruck described him to be. He went way out of his way to make us feel welcome at a time that I assumed we would not be welcome at all.

That's my story...

PS. I tried to see if RJ could move me up on the list...but I don't think I was successful
PPS. Drove by this morning and they had Canyon Red parked out front. It looks awesome.


Updated with impressions of the Rivian R1T:

-The vehicles have an impressive presence and stance, that I wasn't expecting. They're not enormous, but when you stand next to them, you feel like you're next to something very substantial
-The front end looks way better in person than it does in photos
-The front seats are ridiculously comfortable
-I liked silver and white significantly more than I thought I would. Both compete for number 2 on my list of colors
-The roof seemed to let just the right amount of light into the cabin
-The wheels/tires looked really big in person (all of them were on the 20's)

Happy to answer any other specific questions folks may have.

Wow. wonderful story. Thanks for sharing. Really nice.

 

[TessP100D]

Sounds like I just need to go mill about CO.

Awesome story.

Doubt Elon would do that.

Crazy Elon might do that too.
lets see in 12-15 years from now if Rivian is still around, and if they are at least 1/2 as successful as Tesla, and maybe 1% as successful as Musk personally, let’s then see of RJ’s just as approachable.

 

[DuckTruck]

Crazy Elon might do that too.
lets see in 12-15 years from now if Rivian is still around, and if they are at least 1/2 as successful as Tesla, and maybe 1% as successful as Musk personally, let’s then see of RJ’s just as approachable.

Anyone holding their breath until RJ gets high with Joe Rogan, hosts SNL, and flies into outer-space in chase of an orbiting Rivian might turn Rivian Blue before any of those things happen.

Two pretty amazing guys, two pretty amazing journeys.... One strikes me as well-grounded, the other, well, to use your starting point, "Crazy". Good Crazy, but crazy nonetheless....

I'd bet on RJ remaining pretty approachable going forward. True, wealth can change people, but he's in his late thirties, seems exceptionally well-grounded, has a great family, and is enthusiastic about bringing all of his dreams to life. I can't see him becoming a mad scientist recluse.

I think you have a better chance of seeing Bitcoin replace the U.S. Dollar as the world's favorite currency. If you think that's likely to happen, please don't forget my planned IPO for my Beta SuperSheep + line of vehicles. I'll accept cash, but would be more than happy to get crypto in exchange for some shares. As I've said before, "Don't miss your chance to be taken for a ride!".

 

[Friscorays]

Bummer about March 1, 2022.

 

[echerod]

Very cool, not jealous or anything Two questions -

Did you happen to ask about Conserve mode?
Did you happen to catch which media outlets were there and any timing on when they will be able to share?

I follow Transport Evolved on YouTube and the host mentioned she had been to a press event in Colorado that had an embargo for another 10 days or so, which corresponds roughly to September 27 (corrected).

 

[kurtlikevonnegut]

What an awesome story.

I'm a firm believer that you can tell a lot about a person by how they act towards a total stranger. I am also a firm believer in brands (personal and commerical) and one of the things that attracted me to Rivian right from the gun was RJs brand. It's one of the reasons that I became essentially obsessed with these vehicles, not just wanting to own one for myself but to support this brand and be a part of the journey.

 

[jjwolf120]

I follow Transport Evolved on YouTube and the host mentioned she had been to a press event in Colorado that had an embargo for another 10 days or so, which corresponds roughly to October 4.

I had the impression both from Transport Evolved and Inside Evs (Tom Moloughney) that Monday, the 27th would be the end of the embargo.

 

[wicked2112]

I wanted to share a quick story with you guys. It was a lucky chance encounter that made my day/week/month.

TLDR - Got a personal tour of the R1T by RJ. He was amazingly gracious, friendly, approachable, and an all-around great guy. Read on if you'd like the full story.

So as you may have seen, there is a media event happening in the mountains of Colorado at the moment. I knew approximately where they might be, but hadn't had the time to drive from Denver to see if I can find them. But then on Tuesday night, I get a call from my mother telling me she just spotted a bunch of Rivians not 5 minutes from their home in Breckenridge. That's all the encouragement I needed to take a drive up the mountains.

I cruise up, make a quick stop to grab my mother, and have her jump in the car with me to point out where she saw them. 5 minutes later, I'm in a parking lot with no less than 6 shiny R1Ts. Having never spotted one before, I was stoked.

We hop out of the car (Well, I hop out. My mom is in her mid/late 70's, so her exit wasn't quite as 'hoppy'), and started taking a close-up look at a forest green with forest edge interior truck. Beautiful. The window was rolled down, so we were able to get a great view of the interior. There were a few Rivian folks milling around so we tried to stay away and not be a burden or bother. Despite getting a few odd looks, they just let us poke around undisturbed, which was nice.

After a few minutes of peering around, we were about to leave. But I see a familiar face walking in our general direction. It was RJ! I said hello and he introduced himself, and then he went way above and beyond. He gave us a personal tour of the entire R1T, top to bottom, front to back. Showing us all the different features and functions. Answering my million questions. Put up with me pestering him about when the test drives will start in Colorado, the status of the service center in Denver, when deliveries are going to start, etc. Then he asked me to get in the vehicle and let him know what I thought of the seats, the interior, explained the process for making sure the wood dash looked just right, what he thought about certain interior/exterior color combos. He even was pulling out and showing off the flashlight and bluetooth speaker to my mother.

He spent a good 20 minutes with us, just one on one showing us everything you could imagine about the truck. It was fantastic, and I was truly impressed with how nice he was, how warm he was to my mother, and generally just giving us two randos undivided attention despite needing to get ready for the media event, and having several of his people waiting around to get his attention for what I'm assuming were fairly pressing needs.

After RJ finally had to let us go, he pointed us toward the El Cap truck that had the camp kitchen going, making dinner for the media folks. He instructed his head chef/kitchen designer to stop what he was doing, so that he could give us a full demonstration of how the kitchen worked, what was included, etc. etc. Who does that for a dude just interrupting their big media day?

We were able to see almost all the colors, except LG, Limestone, and Red. RJ kept asking his people where the LG truck was, when it would be back, trying to do what he could to ensure I would get to see it (it's the color I have on order).

We spent another 10 minutes looking at the other trucks that were there, the different interior options, etc. Basically just an awesome chance experience.

Bottom line, RJ is as good a guy as @DuckTruck described him to be. He went way out of his way to make us feel welcome at a time that I assumed we would not be welcome at all.

That's my story...

PS. I tried to see if RJ could move me up on the list...but I don't think I was successful
PPS. Drove by this morning and they had Canyon Red parked out front. It looks awesome.


Updated with impressions of the Rivian R1T:

-The vehicles have an impressive presence and stance, that I wasn't expecting. They're not enormous, but when you stand next to them, you feel like you're next to something very substantial
-The front end looks way better in person than it does in photos
-The front seats are ridiculously comfortable
-I liked silver and white significantly more than I thought I would. Both compete for number 2 on my list of colors
-The roof seemed to let just the right amount of light into the cabin
-The wheels/tires looked really big in person (all of them were on the 20's)

Happy to answer any other specific questions folks may have.

This story is what it is all about!!! THANK YOU for sharing!!! Hope your Mom enjoyed it as well!!

 

[Moonjock]

@cohall great story. Tell your mom thanks for getting you to make the drive over.

 

[Lmirafuente]

Cohall, I love your experience and story.

I want to contribute as well to RJ's character, brand, and the Rivian mission. I don't have the ability to answer specific questions about the R1T or R1S that this forum has already ask you as I met RJ in early 2019.

I went to Flagstaff for the 2019 Overland show as you can see from my RivianForum's image I use, it is the patch they gave us at that event. My wife and I wanted to see Flagstaff (never been there before the event) to see the truck. I never expected RJ to be there, and to my surprise he was there as well as other VP's like Charlie (from Mclaren who is responsible for technology integrations at the time--he talked well over my head when I asked him what the ride quality would be like, when compared to a BMW, Mercedes, etc...).

When I told one of the Rivian employee's I was a reservation owner, they immediately introduced me to RJ and RJ took us behind the ropes (totally surprise) and spent almost an hour with us. Talking about the truck and camp kitchen. He also talked about vehicle autonomy driving and that the Rivian

My wife was not so interested in Rivian until she met RJ. He was so open, spoke to my wife directly with absolute attention to her and not speaking down to her. You guys know what I mean

He was so enthusiastic and his management style was evident by all the Rivian employee's at any of the events I have been at...they all love working there and none of then felt hesitant around RJ.

RJ also told us about there mission, as you all know from the website. Not sure if you know these bits:

• He talked about every employee has a voice in the company. He said that if a person on the assembly line had a better way to do things or an issue with a part that could be better built...he wanted to know about it. There was no distinction between your job title and your voice---everyone had equal footing!!
• As far as protecting the planet, did you also know they have a farm at or near the Rivian plant so they can provide farm to table produce for their employee meals?
• I think he mentioned the plant was also using clean energy.
• Each Rivian vehicle can support up to five homes for storing energy
• Rivian had plans to donate batteries from test vehicles to Puerto Rico after the hurricane in 2018/2019.
• Rivian planned around the "secondary" market too from the onset of building the R1T/R1S, meaning if the vehicle has expired (RJ's words) either totaled or no longer drivable, the batteries will still have the ability to store energy. Each module can be pulled out and can directly connect to an energy system (apparently their is a standard plug)

Just some of the things RJ was willing to share about the company that convinced my wife this was a great person, company, and vehicle...basically RJ helped me get the wife's approval (wink).

So I can see RJ being RJ with Cohall. He was like that at the SF event too.

Just a smart, nice guy, very approachable, and the culture he has built at Rivian exemplifies his leadership.

If I could find a way to work there, I would! I will invest when they go IPO!

Great experience Cohall, thanks for sharing it. I wanted to reinforce your experience with mine...and candidly I think many of us here have experienced a form of his kindness at some point---whether it is through CS reps and your individual experiences at events with Rivian employee's or RJ himself!

Go RJ, and Go Rivian!!!

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