Rivian formally revealed the R2 electrical SUV throughout a livestream held Thursday afternoon. We knew the followup to the well-regarded R1 was coming, and we even obtained some leaked specs earlier this week, however now we’ve heard it from the electrical horse’s mouth. The corporate additionally shocked view R3 and R3X, nevertheless, got here as an entire shock, harkening again to Steve Jobs and his well-known “yet one more factor” convention enders.
As beforehand suspected, the R2 is a compact SUV that appears fairly fetching. All variations of the five-seat electrical automobile get at the very least 300 miles per cost, because of newly-designed 4695 cell and a a lot bigger battery pack that makes up a big portion of the underside ground. Homeowners may even get loads of refueling choices. It comes with a NACS chargeport, so it’s going to work with Tesla Superchargers. The corporate’s additionally constructing its personal charging community, referred to as the Rivian Journey Community, with plans for 600 areas inside a number of years.
The R2 has loads of rise up and go, with three motor layouts to select from. There’s a typical single-motor rear-wheel drive mannequin, a dual-motor all-wheel mannequin with motors in each the back and front and the beastly tri-motor model, which options two motors in again and one in entrance. That final mannequin can go from zero to 60 in three seconds, although the metric probably shrinks when contemplating the opposite two variations.
There’s a sturdy infotainment heart up entrance, although the structure of those digital components are topic to alter as we get nearer to launch. Additionally up entrance? The R2 sports activities two gloveboxes, whereas the R1 line lacked even one. There’s additionally two scroll wheels on the steering wheel, full with dynamic haptic suggestions. The automobile’s self-driving options have gotten a serious increase right here, because of 11 cameras all through and 5 radars, together with a long-range front-facing radar.
Costs begin at $45,000 for the usual single-motor model, which is according to what firm CFO Claire McDonough has been promising. Although barely smaller than the R1, the R2 remains to be fairly roomy. As beforehand acknowledged, it matches 5 folks and boasts an open-air design with quarter home windows that come out and a rear glass window that drops and opens. Seats on each rows fold flat, so house owners ought to have the ability to transport longer-than-average gear like surfboards. Similar to the R1 line, there is a roomy entrance truck, in any other case referred to as a frunk, for extra storage. The R2 is on the market for preorders now, with deliveries beginning in 2026.
The R3, then again, appears to be like to be much more compact than its newly-announced sibling. It incorporates a shorter wheelbase than the R2 and an total tighter design. It will even be out there in three fashions, together with single-motor, dual-motor and tri-motor variations. There is not any vary information out there, nevertheless it does characteristic the identical battery pack because the R2.
The R3 additionally contains a number of the identical open-air design options because the R2, with an computerized rear raise and a rear-facing glass window that pops open for storage. This window can regulate to a number of heights to accommodate oddly-shaped gadgets. There is a pair of gloveboxes up entrance and an inside design that prioritizes sustainable supplies.
Lastly, there’s the dune buggy-esque R3X. It is a high-performance automobile, with solely a tri-motor design out there. It boasts a wider stance and extra floor clearance than the R3. As a matter of reality, it would not actually appear to be the R3 in any respect, with its “rugged and playful” inside created from cork and anodized steel, amongst different supplies.
Rivian hasn’t introduced any pricing or availability info on the R3 or R3X. It did, nevertheless, tease some forthcoming equipment for the corporate’s total fleet of autos. These embrace a tent that fastens to the roof, bike racks and extra rear storage choices.
Now, the unhealthy information. Rivian itself has been experiencing some points. The corporate introduced again in February that it will be shedding 10 p.c of its salaried workers and job cuts have already began. The EV maker laid off round 100 workers at its Regular, IL manufacturing unit this week.