Rivian says its Normal, IL plant is close to full production
Rivian R1T electric truck deliveries starting June 2021
R1S electric SUV deliveries expected August 2021
Rivian has announced via its Facebook page that its pilot production line is up and running at its Normal, Illinois plant. The step brings Rivian closer to full production, the company says.
If all goes according to plan, we can expect the Rivian R1T electric pickup deliveries to begin June 2021 while the R1S SUV will follow in August 2021. Rivian had been forced to shut down operations of its plant in April due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Our pilot production line is now running at our Normal, IL plant, bringing us another step closer to full production…
Posted by Rivian on Friday, July 24, 2020
Rivian says more details will be forthcoming about its charging network and vehicle features. An online configurator is also said to be going live.
The announcement comes as Rivian is being sued by Tesla for allegedly stealing employees.
The Rivian R1T pickup features a fully electric quad-motor system that delivers up to 750 horsepower, 11,500 pounds of towing capacity, 400 miles of range and a 0-60 mph time of 3.0 seconds. The Rivian R1S SUV had similar specs with a towing capacity of 7,700 pounds.
Pricing for the R1T pickup was set at $69,000 while the R1S SUV was priced at $72,500 for the US market. The company also has a contract to build 100,000 Amazon electric delivery vans.
Rivian recently secured an extra $2.5 billion in investments, part of which is going towards its Normal, Illinois plant. Last month Rivian announced that part of its 2,300-employee workforce would move to California, but the company remained committed to Normal.