The image was taken by Mitchell Clark.
Rivian will not be building R1T pickup trucks with the Max pack battery option until at least 2023, as it will prioritize the standard large battery pack for production throughout next year. The company says it will work on orders for theAdventure Package trucks with the regular battery first, and that theExplorer Package and bigger battery will come later.
The 400 mile range afforded by the 180kWh Max pack was a big point of selling the truck. The EPA estimated range of the large battery pack that comes standard with the trucks is 314 miles, but for the adventurous, off-road crowd Rivian markets to, every additional mile counts.
The email states that 20 percent of the preorders are for vehicles with the $10,000 Max pack option. 14,200 vehicles were affected by the delay, based on the 71,000 preorders cited by the letter. The original plan was for the electric trucks and SUVs to be shipping in 2020, but the R1T didn't start arriving until September 2021. The company plans to build a second production facility, but doesn't expect to start making vehicles there until 2024.
Rivian is not the only customer of the company.
Rivian has obligations to corporate customers, and their consumer vehicles are the most fun to drive up a mountain. The S-1 that preceded Rivian's blockbuster IPO revealed that Amazon would purchase 100,000 delivery vans from the company. Rivian plans to sell the vans and fleet versions of the R1S and R1T to non-Amazon companies. Rivian's attention, manufacturing capacity, and materials are divided between customers and business contracts.
People who want to get their vehicles sooner will be able to change their configurations. The customer's needs and patience will likely determine whether or not they want to. The full letter was posted by InsideEVs and thanked people who placed preorders for Max pack-equipped trucks. The email said that people who hadn't already received their delivery window should get it later on Tuesday.
