Photo: Rivian
Rivian is working on a "simplified battery pack" that would reduce weight and costs, as CFO Claire McDonough announced during Barclay's Automotive Conference. This sounds like its own variant of a structural battery pack. Rivian is also working on a simplified electrical architecture, something that Tesla also launched with the Cybertruck.
It's always cool to have a bigger brother to teach you all the life hacks that would otherwise take years to learn. This is also true in the automotive world and pretty much every domain. In the EV arena, Tesla is the role model every other EV startup is looking up to. Tesla has been the guiding star for Rivian, even though Musk warned it a couple of times that it "will not be long for this world" if it doesn't scale back its ambitions.
This happened when Rivian announced plans to build its second factory while its main production facility was still having trouble ramping up. Rivian indeed went through difficult times, with a rough 2022 that almost made it crumble. Thankfully, the EV startup emerged stronger from this ordeal caused by supply chain issues that affected the entire industry. It's doing much better in 2023 and is now confident enough to make plans again.
Rivian has an ambitious roadmap, which CFO Claire McDonough also discussed during the Barclay's Automotive Conference. Some of the things she brought up were known for some time, but others surprised many industry analysts. For instance, Claire confirmed that the R2 SUV will be unveiled in early 2024, something that we already knew. We're also familiar with plans to upgrade the factory in order to increase production rate, as well as the R1 upgrades planned for 2024.
However, Rivian's CFO revealed plans for a new battery pack that will be easier to manufacture and will save the company thousands of dollars per vehicle. This is different from the Standard battery pack that Rivian plans to deliver in 2024. Claire was most likely talking about Rivian's next-generation battery packs that will be installed in the upgraded R1 vehicles produced later next year.
Although Claire didn't say, this sounds a lot like a structural battery pack, probably similar to the ones Tesla designed for the Model Y and the Cybertruck. At least, this is how I (and others) understand the words "simplified battery pack and module structure." Claire adds that the new battery will be lighter (which is also the case with structural batteries) and easier to build within the vehicles (bingo!).
The R1 vehicles are in for a significant overhaul in 2024, which is why the Normal, Illinois, factory will shut down for several weeks to upgrade the production lines. The upgrade is necessary to introduce newer technologies and increase the production pace. As part of the refresh, Rivian R1 vehicles will switch to an updated network architecture, allowing the company to reduce the number of electronic control units (ECUs) by 60% and the wiring harness length by 25%.
This is another page taken from Tesla's book. The Cybertruck is also using a simplified network architecture and distributed controllers. Another detail puts Rivian closer to the EV market leader in terms of manufacturing: the R1 might also adopt megacastings with the upcoming refresh, further reducing manufacturing complexity and costs.
This happened when Rivian announced plans to build its second factory while its main production facility was still having trouble ramping up. Rivian indeed went through difficult times, with a rough 2022 that almost made it crumble. Thankfully, the EV startup emerged stronger from this ordeal caused by supply chain issues that affected the entire industry. It's doing much better in 2023 and is now confident enough to make plans again.
Rivian has an ambitious roadmap, which CFO Claire McDonough also discussed during the Barclay's Automotive Conference. Some of the things she brought up were known for some time, but others surprised many industry analysts. For instance, Claire confirmed that the R2 SUV will be unveiled in early 2024, something that we already knew. We're also familiar with plans to upgrade the factory in order to increase production rate, as well as the R1 upgrades planned for 2024.
However, Rivian's CFO revealed plans for a new battery pack that will be easier to manufacture and will save the company thousands of dollars per vehicle. This is different from the Standard battery pack that Rivian plans to deliver in 2024. Claire was most likely talking about Rivian's next-generation battery packs that will be installed in the upgraded R1 vehicles produced later next year.
Although Claire didn't say, this sounds a lot like a structural battery pack, probably similar to the ones Tesla designed for the Model Y and the Cybertruck. At least, this is how I (and others) understand the words "simplified battery pack and module structure." Claire adds that the new battery will be lighter (which is also the case with structural batteries) and easier to build within the vehicles (bingo!).
The R1 vehicles are in for a significant overhaul in 2024, which is why the Normal, Illinois, factory will shut down for several weeks to upgrade the production lines. The upgrade is necessary to introduce newer technologies and increase the production pace. As part of the refresh, Rivian R1 vehicles will switch to an updated network architecture, allowing the company to reduce the number of electronic control units (ECUs) by 60% and the wiring harness length by 25%.
This is another page taken from Tesla's book. The Cybertruck is also using a simplified network architecture and distributed controllers. Another detail puts Rivian closer to the EV market leader in terms of manufacturing: the R1 might also adopt megacastings with the upcoming refresh, further reducing manufacturing complexity and costs.
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