With deliveries of the highly anticipated R1T electric pickup and R1S electric SUV inching closer by the day, it is always a treat to see one driving in the wild. Of course this isn’t the first time we’ve seen Rivian’s all electric pick up prior to customer deliveries as the startup hasn’t exactly been diligent on keeping things hush hush. However, the startups transparency is a part of its draw, and it’s great for us as we have gotten to see several images and videos of the adventure EVs testing on public roads.
Rivian was founded in 2009 but it wasn’t until 2018 that the startup introduced the first vehicles it would bring to market, the R1T and the R1S. The fact that the startup was established in 2009 and took almost a decade to bring any vehicles to fruition, made many doubt whether Rivian would be able to get the required funding. The startup quickly proved them wrong as they racked up billions of dollars worth of funding in the past few years with its most recent funding round closing at $2.65 billion. Other major Rivian investments include a $700 million round of funding led by Amazon, a $500 million investment from Ford, a $350 million funding round led by Cox Automotive, and a $1.3 billion funding round led by T. Rowe Price.
Rivian currently has a working factory in Normal, Illinois, which was previously used by Mitsubishi that will house the production of the automakers upcoming electric adventure vehicles come this summer.
Rivian’s transparency has allowed electric vehicle enthusiasts and potential buyers to disect almost every detail of its upcoming EVs by sharing multiple videos and images of the R1T electric pickup truck and R1S three-row SUV. The brand new Apple TV+ series “Long Way Up” specifically showcases the R1T’s capabilities while it conquers a 100-day, 13,000-mile journey from the southern tip of Patagonia in South America all the way to Los Angeles, California. Now, Youtube channel KindelTechAuto caught a pre-production R1T prototype without any camouflage driving down interstate 405 near new Rivian headquarters in Irvine, CA:
Rivian is in the race the see who will bring the first electric truck to market with some huge names like the Tesla Cybertruck and GMC’s Hummer EV. Rivian is expected to start deliveries of the R1T this summer followed by the R1S shortly after.