The elephant in the room (battery replacement)

[BigSkies]

While I'm no expert on the topic, I've heard there are some laws on the book that mandate automotive replacement parts be made available for a certain time period.

This provides some level of protection on the parts availability question, if not the price question. At lease assuming that Rivian stays solvent over the time period.

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[Dark-Fx]

The battery industry is shifting towards less expensive and easier to obtain battery materials. The majority of the rare stuff in cells is almost 100% recyclable, meaning there is tremendous value still in worn out batteries.

Right now the main problem is batteries are lasting longer than originally anticipated and the recycling industry doesn't have a lot to work with yet.

 

[Arky]

While I'm no expert on the topic, I've heard there are some laws on the book that mandate automotive replacement parts be made available for a certain time period.

This provides some level of protection on the parts availability question, if not the price question. At lease assuming that Rivian stays solvent over the time period.

As much as I'd like this to be true, I don't think it is. Tesla basically doesn't offer parts either (unless you count things like a wheel or floormats) and people have to strip them off of salvaged vehicles to do repairs. Most big auto companies have parts available because they're subcontracted to so many different companies, Tesla and Rivian will be primarily in-house, and probably have some legal means to lock down those designs.

I can see the most likely scenario for long-term use is Rivian offering an extended warranty at some point in the future. They'll get their recurring revenue and its likely the vehicle has enough useful life after the standard 8 years to be worth it since they get everything at cost.

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