Rivian debut delayed again, Covid ‘cascading impact’ blamed

Rivian has delayed the official public delivery of its R1T electric pickup truck for the second time, pushing the release date to September.

RJ Scaringe, the company’s CEO, announced the delay and also sent a letter to reservations holders.

Similar to many other companies’ woes, Rivian said the “cascading impact of the pandemic” has greatly affected the production of the innovative truck.

Rivian Postponement Complicated

“Everything from facility construction to equipment installation, to vehicle component supply (especially semiconductors), has been impacted by the pandemic,” Scaringe said.

“Beyond these unforeseen challenges, launching three new vehicles while setting up a multi-vehicle manufacturing plant is a complex orchestra of coordinated and interlinked activities where small issues can translate into ramp delays.”

 

Scaringe said the delay also has a positive perspective for at least two reasons. The CEO said more time will now be spent testing the vehicle.

With the delay, the company, according to the CEO, will be able to establish more charging stations and service centers.

“Beyond these unforeseen challenges, launching three new vehicles while setting up a multi-vehicle manufacturing plant is a complex orchestra of coordinated and interlinked activities where small issues can translate into ramp delays,” Scaringe said.

Rivian recently announced customers who made purchase deposits will be offered test drives in July. Public deliveries of the truck will follow within a few weeks.

The all-wheel-drive truck is touted with a 0-60 miles per hour acceleration of 3.0 seconds. The RT1 has a towing capacity of 11,000 pounds. The starting MSRP is $67,500.

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