New Delivery Delay Confirmed - My R1T Delivery Pushed From October to end of February, 2022.

[Guy]

This is from a headline published 6 days ago:
"

• Rivian Automotive (RIVN) says on its website that it will start taking orders for its electric delivery vans in 2022 and will deliver them to fleet customers in the early part of 2023. It is unclear if Amazon formally gave up its exclusive rights to Rivian electric delivery vans to open the door for more sales.

So they WILL have other EDV customers much sooner than 4 years. I would bet Amazon gladly waived any exclusivity from the original 4 years if they saw it as a catalyst to their overall investment in Rivian. I hope they can scale both lines as fast as supply chains allow.

Thanks for this, I agree Amazon should waive the exclusivity as it will help Rivian to have multiple fleet customers. Even if they reach 75k a year (mid way in the estimates) that is over 200000 in the first four years (allowing a ramp next year) so plenty of vans for other customers even if Amazon double their request. That still leaves over 100k a year in the expanded Normal factory from sometime in 2023 (let’s say end of 2023 run rate being 8k a month) so all preorders should easily be finished in early 2023.

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[cc84]

Rivian had a set period for all the employees to order R1T which is closed long time back. Employees cannot order after that period.

I'm not challenging your statement, as it seems to be accepted for fact. However, this is the first I've heard about a cutoff date for employees pre-ordering vehicles. Could you provide where this information can be found? Thanks

 

[mwexler2]

I'm not challenging your statement, as it seems to be accepted for fact. However, this is the first I've heard about a cutoff date for employees pre-ordering vehicles. Could you provide where this information can be found? Thanks

I heard it from a guide in Sonoma who started in June and missed the cut off. The guide didn’t know by how much. Note the cutoff was to order a launch edition and get early delivery. They also can’t get the $1k/month stipend. Although that may start up again.

 

[cc84]

I heard it from a guide in Sonoma who started in June and missed the cut off. The guide didn’t know by how much. Note the cutoff was to order a launch edition and get early delivery. They also can’t get the $1k/month stipend. Although that may start up again.

Thanks Mike. So it's for the LE only. Rivian's trend to date is for employees to receive their vehicle first.......or maybe this trend has changed, now that Ms. Schwab is no longer there. It appears she may have been a factor in promoting employees first. Maybe someone could ask a guide, if employees will still be prioritized when regular production begins, or will everyone now be treated equally.....That said, I suspect there will be fewer employee orders anyway, if the $1K/month incentive is gone.

 

[mwexler2]

The guide I spoke to made it clear that she had no way of getting any preference on delivery time. The window had closed for that before she was hired.
I got the impression that could change. For example I wouldn’t be surprised if R2s or other new R1 variants had a similar program in the future with employees getting them first.

Thanks Mike. So it's for the LE only. Rivian's trend to date is for employees to receive their vehicle first.......or maybe this trend has changed, now that Ms. Schwab is no longer there. It appears she may have been a factor in promoting employees first. Maybe someone could ask a guide, if employees will still be prioritized when regular production begins, or will everyone now be treated equally.....That said, I suspect there will be fewer employee orders anyway, if the $1K/month incentive is gone.

 

[cc84]

I heard it from a guide in Sonoma who started in June and missed the cut off. The guide didn’t know by how much. Note the cutoff was to order a launch edition and get early delivery. They also can’t get the $1k/month stipend. Although that may start up again.

The guide I spoke to made it clear that she had no way of getting any preference on delivery time. The window had closed for that before she was hired.
I got the impression that could change.......

Got it. Just curious. Do you know if she ordered the Rivian, or did the lack of both, no incentive and no early delivery, change her mind? It would be hard for me to take, potentially paying $24,000 more than my fellow worker, especially if Rivian might offer those incentives again.

 

[Zoidz]

I do wonder if the employee owners had to sign a NDA for any problems that arise during the first few weeks/months of ownership. I’d be willing to bet so. We will never hear of any issues I’m sure, but I’m semi-ok with letting them be the test mules for a while before I’m one.

If the Sonoma report from Rivian that they are experiencing tonneau cover problems is accurate and they need revised components, delivering to employees only is a good thing IMO. They can continue to assemble some trucks, work out production issues, and get some on the road. Presumably the employees would agree to have the tonneau cover replaced later. I would not want Rivian shipping to end customers knowing that there would be a tonneau recall.

 

[Tim-in-CA]

If the Sonoma report from Rivian that they are experiencing tonneau cover problems is accurate and they need revised components, delivering to employees only is a good thing IMO. They can continue to assemble some trucks, work out production issues, and get some on the road. Presumably the employees would agree to have the tonneau cover replaced later. I would not want Rivian shipping to end customers knowing that there would be a tonneau recall.

I have been saying this all along. For all the people complaining about "where's my truck!", let the employees test vehicles and work out issues (looks like the tonneau is one of them, but I'm sure there are others). This "internal beta" will result in a better vehicle for all of us.

 

[mwexler2]

Got it. Just curious. Do you know if she ordered the Rivian, or did the lack of both, no incentive and no early delivery, change her mind? It would be hard for me to take, potentially paying $24,000 more than my fellow worker, especially if Rivian might offer those incentives again.

She had not ordered yet. Was hoping subsidy would resume at some point.

 

[cc84]

She had not ordered yet. Was hoping subsidy would resume at some point.

Thanks Mike. She made a wise choice I believe.

 

[cc84]

I have been saying this all along. For all the people complaining about "where's my truck!", let the employees test vehicles and work out issues (looks like the tonneau is one of them, but I'm sure there are others). This "internal beta" will result in a better vehicle for all of us.

I agree with you to a certain point and I'm certainly not arguing your point of view. I would like to present the way I see it. The R1T will never be perfect. Rivian seems to be striving to achieve that goal, which is what they should do, but they'll never reach it. They've driven it from South America and all across the U.S, in all type weather conditions. It comes to a point when enough is enough. They have been testing for over 3 years. How much longer they will continue to test, I have no clue. The longer they test, no doubt the better the vehicle will be, but wait much longer and we'll be buying an outdated vehicle.........and I doubt the price will go down.

The tonneau cover should have been tested long ago (IMO), in all type weather conditions. Surely they've tested the pop out ext. door handles. I hope it doesn't become a problem in freezing rainy weather.

Just like the stock market, each has their own tolerance. I'm pretty close to being in for 3 years. Like placing a stop limit on stocks, I have a limit on purchasing a Rivian. IOW, my tolerance point is quickly approaching. Those that have only been in for a short while are the lucky ones. They still have a lot of patience left, but eventually, if they have to wait three years, they'll most likely start losing patience too, or will probably have moved on.

I see you have a R1S pre-order. Are you a recent reservationist, or an early pre-order holder? I hope it doesn't appear that I'm complaining, but rather presenting my point of view. We can't make Rivian deliver to us, on our time schedule, it will be on theirs. We can't even make them sell us a vehicle. We just wait.....but not nearly as patiently as we did three years ago. One final thought, older age plays a big part in patience too......really big.?

 

[Tim-in-CA]

I agree with you to a certain point and I'm certainly not arguing your point of view. I would like to present the way I see it. The R1T will never be perfect. Rivian seems to be striving to achieve that goal, which is what they should do, but they'll never reach it. They've driven it from South America and all across the U.S, in all type weather conditions. It comes to a point when enough is enough. They have been testing for over 3 years. How much longer they will continue to test, I have no clue. The longer they test, no doubt the better the vehicle will be, but wait much longer and we'll be buying an outdated vehicle.........and I doubt the price will go down.

The tonneau cover should have been tested long ago (IMO), in all type weather conditions. Surely they've tested the pop out ext. door handles. I hope it doesn't become a problem in freezing rainy weather.

Just like the stock market, each has their own tolerance. I'm pretty close to being in for 3 years. Like placing a stop limit on stocks, I have a limit on purchasing a Rivian. IOW, my tolerance point is quickly approaching. Those that have only been in for a short while are the lucky ones. They still have a lot of patience left, but eventually, if they have to wait three years, they'll most likely start losing patience too, or will probably have moved on.

I see you have a R1S pre-order. Are you a recent reservationist, or an early pre-order holder? I hope it doesn't appear that I'm complaining, but rather presenting my point of view. We can't make Rivian deliver to us, on our time schedule, it will be on theirs. We can't even make them sell us a vehicle. We just wait.....but not nearly as patiently as we did three years ago. One final thought, older age plays a big part in patience too......really big.?

I completely understand your POV. Waiting for 3 years must be VERY frustrating. There are definitely diminishing returns in testing and perfecting during vehicle development and surprising that the tonneau issue was not caught ... most vehicle manufacturers have temperature controlled chambers where they can stress the vehicle at min and max temps (this is over and above the real world testing performed). I'm a late reservationist (9-21) on the R1S and do not expect to get the vehicle until late 22~early 23. I REALLY hope that all of those that believed in Rivian and committed their reservation deposit long ago can get their vehicle soon.

On the flip side, I can see where Rivian/RJ are obsessing over quality and do not want to replicate the issues that Tesla had. I have FIRST HAND experience on poor build and other quality issues as well as an abysmal service experience (am calling out the Costa Mesa Tesla Service Center) I received on my 2018 Model S. I'm really hoping Rivian has their act together better than Tesla in the quality/service areas.

 

[cc84]

I completely understand your POV. Waiting for 3 years must be VERY frustrating. There are definitely diminishing returns in testing and perfecting during vehicle development and surprising that the tonneau issue was not caught ... most vehicle manufacturers have temperature controlled chambers where they can stress the vehicle at min and max temps (this is over and above the real world testing performed). I'm a late reservationist (9-21) on the R1S and do not expect to get the vehicle until late 22~early 23. I REALLY hope that all of those that believed in Rivian and committed their reservation deposit long ago can get their vehicle soon.

On the flip side, I can see where Rivian/RJ are obsessing over quality and do not want to replicate the issues that Tesla had. I have FIRST HAND experience on poor build and other quality issues as well as an abysmal service experience (am calling out the Costa Mesa Tesla Service Center) I received on my 2018 Model S. I'm really hoping Rivian has their act together better than Tesla in the quality/service areas.

Really good post. Thanks very much!

 

[screamingkarts]

I'm not challenging your statement, as it seems to be accepted for fact. However, this is the first I've heard about a cutoff date for employees pre-ordering vehicles. Could you provide where this information can be found? Thanks

Yes. It is for a LE version. Sorry I missed adding that detail.
I also heard from a person employed in Rivian who missed ordering a R1T LE before the cut off date. They are yet to announce any offer for R1S though.

 

[ironpig]

I completely understand your POV. Waiting for 3 years must be VERY frustrating. There are definitely diminishing returns in testing and perfecting during vehicle development and surprising that the tonneau issue was not caught ... most vehicle manufacturers have temperature controlled chambers where they can stress the vehicle at min and max temps (this is over and above the real world testing performed). I'm a late reservationist (9-21) on the R1S and do not expect to get the vehicle until late 22~early 23. I REALLY hope that all of those that believed in Rivian and committed their reservation deposit long ago can get their vehicle soon.

On the flip side, I can see where Rivian/RJ are obsessing over quality and do not want to replicate the issues that Tesla had. I have FIRST HAND experience on poor build and other quality issues as well as an abysmal service experience (am calling out the Costa Mesa Tesla Service Center) I received on my 2018 Model S. I'm really hoping Rivian has their act together better than Tesla in the quality/service areas.

If you had a bad experience with a 2018 Tesla Model S - You can imagine what it was like with my 2014 Model S over the years. I went through all the early adopter pains, recalls and replacement parts etc. (still loved the car, but that's what you get for being an early adopter) And the wait times for getting the car were long even though my car was built year 2.

Nothing about what is happening with Rivian orders right now surprises me because of my Tesla experience. I went in to this knowing it would take a long time to get and that there would be an "early adopter tax" for recalls, updates etc. But I agree, I hope that they learned from the mistakes Tesla made rushing cars to customers to keep the stock holders happy but delivering a poorly made product.

I'd much rather get my car in 2023 with good build quality than something rushed to market in 2022.

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