Rivian has had facilities in many different areas including Michigan, California, Florida, and some overseas. The company quickly made a name for themselves with the all-electric R1S SUV and R1T pickup. Rivian currently has 8 locations, 6 are domestic, with 4 in California. One of the Californian facilities is located in Irvine, where most of the focus is on ‘Battery Systems, Vehicle Dynamic, and Customer Experience.’ Its official headquarters is located in Plymouth, Michigan, known as its design and engineering hub. Although looking at the companies LinkedIn you may think their main facility is in California as they list Irvine as their location. Out of the 2,300 people employed by rivian, 1,000 are in California and 750 employed in Michigan.
According to recent reports, while Rivian will continue to push forward with its Michigan projects, new operations and projects will soon be in the works at the Irvine facility. A Rivian spokesperson told Autoblog:
“Of Rivian’s 2,300 employees, approximately 1,000 are based in California and 750 in Michigan, and we are consolidating some engineering teams to our locations in California to improve workflows and reduce environmental impact from travel. We’ve recently completed an expansion at our Michigan location and it will remain an important presence for us. We are also committed to creating a vibrant and inviting manufacturing presence in Normal, Illinois, where all Rivian vehicles will be produced. As we grow, we’ll keep evaluating and evolving our footprint and geography.”
Perhaps this is an effort by Rivian to strengthen its technological resources in a more central location. It’s not clear how the move will impact Rivian’s refurbished Normal, Illinois factory, once owned by Mitsubishi. However, Rivian’s Motor City location has been quite helpful as it received an investment from Ford and could potentially partner with with OEM in the future. Although Rivian is indeed moving jobs from Michigan to California, the hope is that its Michigan location will continue to operate and remain a ‘important presence’ for Rivian.