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DaveA

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I wonder if the "pre-prod" issues are more just that they're trying to save time and money on non-retail vehicles by skipping steps (e.g. QC), doing some things by hand, using different materials in a couple places, etc. Just saying that they're pre-prod would be the most succinct way to address things.

Or maybe the trucks just have quality issues as might be excepted from a first vehicle but we don't want to think about that.
I am anxious to see an "average joe" delivery to see how good the gaps, etc are....
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Lyon

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Thank you for the write-up; it was informative.

The quality control issues you noted will be addressed on production vehicles. So far the team at Rivian has done all the right things and, given that the factory is being run by a guy with experience, I’m confident they will do so in this as well. I hope all the actual engineers are spending their time doing real stuff to get the vehicles (R1S included) ready to go; they probably shouldn’t be out there talking with customers at the moment. I do understand the frustration though.

As others have pointed out the 32a charger is more than sufficient for most people because it’ll charge the vehicle overnight (which is actually more than 8 hours for most).
 
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LeoH

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Since it may not be available in the vehicle itself, it seemed worth pointing out for the benefit of the community that scheduling won't be exclusive to the Rivian EVSE.

It's hard to second guess why Rivian makes certain decisions. Perhaps they decided it was a capability already supported by their EVSE and at least some 3rd party EVSE so why spend the time/money/effort to build that into the car. Or perhaps since it's a capability they could add to the car over time they didn't feel it was a priority to have this from launch. Who knows.
I think your last statement might be closer to the truth, but if they are going through the effort to put hat feature on the home charger component then why not in the car. But as you said, who knows :)
 

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Thank you for the write-up; it was informative.

The quality control issues you noted will be addressed on production vehicles. So far the team at Rivian has done all the right things and, given that the factory is being run by a guy with experience, I’m confident they will do so in this as well. I hope all the actual engineers are spending their time doing real stuff to get the vehicles (R1S included) ready to go; they probably shouldn’t be out there talking with customers at the moment. I do understand the frustration though.

As others have pointed out the 32a charger is more than sufficient for most people because it’ll charge the vehicle overnight (which is actually more than 8 hours for most).
I'm hoping the engineers were at home with their families on a Sunday!
 

Luke42

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3- Not confirmed, but there is a standby list of some sort where you get a ride along but I have not seen that at all on Sunday. Frankly after driving the truck myself, I had no interest seeing other people drive it because it is depressing to watch after you tried it knowing you can't do it again for a while. It was a gateway ride!
There was no standby list at the event in Normal on Sunday. The rides were for reservation holders only.

The unfortunate folks manning the ride-booth had to answer this question every couple of minutes.

People who feel like they can afford $67k-$80k vehicle didn't like being told they weren't special enough to get a test-drive any more than the folks in the booth liked answering that same question every few minutes.

This is something that they'll be talking about during the Monday meeting, I'm sure.

This is as close as I could get to a test-drive:
Rivian R1T R1S (UPDATED) My review: I got behind the wheel of R1T and here are the details if you are interested! PXL_20211003_140101702.MP


Rivian R1T R1S (UPDATED) My review: I got behind the wheel of R1T and here are the details if you are interested! PXL_20211003_144558705.MP


Rivian R1T R1S (UPDATED) My review: I got behind the wheel of R1T and here are the details if you are interested! PXL_20211003_141426259.MP


I have some video of the moose-test at the end of the track, as well, but I need to convert it to be acceptable to the forum software -- so that will have to wait until I have a moment.
 

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Lyon

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I'm hoping the engineers were at home with their families on a Sunday!
There’s that too! (I didn’t see think about the day of the week) My suspicion is that all those folks are putting in massive hours right now. Seems like how it works at start-ups.
 

electruck

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I think your last statement might be closer to the truth, but if they are going through the effort to put hat feature on the home charger component then why not in the car. But as you said, who knows :)
I don't believe Rivian designed their EVSE from scratch, they are partnering with someone. My guess is the scheduling capability already existed in the partner's product allowing Rivian to focus efforts elsewhere.

I believe it is still anyone's guess who they partnered with for the EVSE. The presence of ChargePoint account linking in the Rivian app does make me wonder about the extent of their relationship.
 
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Thank you for the write-up; it was informative.

The quality control issues you noted will be addressed on production vehicles. So far the team at Rivian has done all the right things and, given that the factory is being run by a guy with experience, I’m confident they will do so in this as well. I hope all the actual engineers are spending their time doing real stuff to get the vehicles (R1S included) ready to go; they probably shouldn’t be out there talking with customers at the moment. I do understand the frustration though.

As others have pointed out the 32a charger is more than sufficient for most people because it’ll charge the vehicle overnight (which is actually more than 8 hours for most).
Just to be clear, the vehicles are pre-prod were still fantastic. The concern was more with the answers given rather than the questions. I am sure we want the tech people working on the vehicles, but it would have been wise to put someone in a customer facing event. In general, I am sure they were able to answer 99% of the questions presented to them.

As for the charging, I factor in 10 hours on average based on my use, which I think is fair. Since I do not drive 150miles a day, I am fine. But it might be wise for anyone driving above that threshold ( factor in winter driving ) to invest $500 in the wall charger now, than pay $1000 later.
 
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LeoH

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There was no standby list at the event in Normal on Sunday. The rides were for reservation holders only.

The unfortunate folks manning the ride-booth had to answer this question every couple of minutes.

People who feel like they can afford $67k-$80k vehicle didn't like being told they weren't special enough to get a test-drive any more than the folks in the booth liked answering that same question every few minutes.

This is something that they'll be talking about during the Monday meeting, I'm sure.

This is as close as I could get to a test-drive:
PXL_20211003_140101702.MP.jpg


PXL_20211003_144558705.MP.jpg


PXL_20211003_141426259.MP.jpg


I have some video of the moose-test at the end of the track, as well, but I need to convert it to be acceptable to the forum software -- so that will have to wait until I have a moment.
Checking at the front desk ( prior to even getting into the event ) there were certainly some rude people, so I am sure they took that rudeness all the way to the driving booth.

To be honest, while I was in line, I heard them telling few people they are not participating in the driving event, I was a bit bummed because I thought I misunderstood the email and I just get to watch, but I did not think to impose my disappointment...luckily I got the truck.

And oh, the wristband they give you to ride is seeded, so when you are done, you can plant it and flowers will grow!
 

Temerarius

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I'm not too concerned about using PreProd trucks for these events.

Sure, fit and finish will be "meh" but, let's be honest, most folks just want to play with the toys (smoosh the peddle down, go zoom, drive up the big hill, check out the seating and storage) and probably won't notice most of the PreProd issues.

Plus.. they gotta do something with all of those mules they built earlier, if they are close enough to prod, makes sense to use them there.

That said, I think over time, they will shift away from the mules and start deploying production grade trucks to these events (as the early adopters will have their trucks and now you are trying to bring in the "new buyers" that might notice weirdness).
 

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I picked up on that at the front gate, where the guy checking in mentioned I got to drive. I thought it was a bit weird, but seems like invites might be for different things.

The field event was really aimed towards the average customer. As someone who has consumed almost all the knowledge on this forum, I could answer questions as well as the staff at the different stations.
 

mcatt2264

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I think they run 3 events in at the same time.
1- Field event : You just go around the trucks and press buttons and poke around
2- Drive event: You get behind the truck, but you run a lap, you do not get to go up a slope or anything like that.
3- Not confirmed, but there is a standby list of some sort where you get a ride along but I have not seen that at all on Sunday. Frankly after driving the truck myself, I had no interest seeing other people drive it because it is depressing to watch after you tried it knowing you can't do it again for a while. It was a gateway ride!
Thanks LeoH... wasn't aware of different First Mile event types. Agree with you about not wanting a ride along again. Wanted to drive and told them I was disappointed that I didn't get to. They did not mention anything about Sunday event, just that they were very busy and had to process a lot of people through the trucks.

However, our driver Nick was great and couldn't answer only a few of our tech questions. He took us for a great ride though. Several speed bursts, slalom, turns, braking from speed, etc. We also did the infield off-road run which demonstrated the smooth travel over a rocky causeway and then 45 deg bank left and right with transition to demonstrate AWD and torque vectoring ability, a "swoop" rise and drop, and very rough dirt travel. All good.

Exhibits were great and the culture of the Rivian personnel on site was fantastic... helpful, willing to talk to you about anything Rivian, super friendly but, like was mentioned, mostly marketing/customer personnel. I say mostly because a couple of people on the Rivian team we met had technical backgrounds regarding truck accessories and charging. Two areas we were interested in specifically so that was helpful. Also, no Launch Edition or Canyon Red paint at our Friday event.

All in all a great day at Rivian.
 

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Checking at the front desk ( prior to even getting into the event ) there were certainly some rude people, so I am sure they took that rudeness all the way to the driving booth.
I didn't perceive them as rude.

My read was that the plan for the event put them in a bit of a bind, which lead to some mutual frustration. But, overall, things went pretty well and they got this truck in front of the public.

Hopefully they'll adjust their plan for future events, when possible.
 
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Thanks for taking time to write this up and share your thoughts!
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