As of now, the only R1S models delivered belong to company employees
The SUV will have a range of 316 miles (508 kilometers)
This will be the brand’s second model, excluding the delivery vans it builds for Amazon
Rivian recently announced it plans to deliver the first units of its second model, the R1S SUV to their buyers by August or September.
Since it began the production of its vehicles in the second half of 2021, Rivian focussed entirely on the R1T electric pickup, which is why the handful of the R1S models that have been produced to date have only been delivered to company employees.
Since the automaker has been able to increase its production rate enough to build 4,401 vehicles in the second quarter of 2022 alone, it is now able to add models to its build sequence.
Since the current factory in Normal, Illinois has an expected production capacity of 150,000 units per year in the best of times, the company will have to rely on its second factory, which is being built in Georgia, in order to fulfill its orders in a timely manner.
Indeed, the company currently has 100,000 reservations from Amazon for its electric delivery vans and 90,000 customer reservations for the R1T and R1S models, which are lumped together in the automaker’s figures.
The R1S uses the same mechanical elements that power the R1T pickup, which means that it is equipped with four motors that deliver 835 horsepower and a 128.9 kWh battery pack that will give it a range of 316 miles (508 kilometers). A more affordable version powered by a dual-motor setup is expected to arrive in 2024.
This large electric SUV will be offered in the United States starting at $85,575, which is much less expensive than the Tesla Model X, the only other electric three-row SUV on the market.
