Photo: Rivian /Ryder Step on Facebook / autoevolution edit
Rivian is on a roll, and nothing seems to stop the young EV maker from achieving or even beating its estimates. But ramping up production and making speedy deliveries require a joint effort from everybody involved, including factory test drivers. Here's some unexpected proof of that intense collaboration.
Since Rivian began making more R1 vehicles, some people have taken to social media to complain about various issues they found before or after taking delivery. Fortunately, only a few complaints have been submitted online from what we have seen. Even better, most of them can be addressed by the mobile service teams or need just a couple of days in the shop.
The good thing is that Rivian delivered 12,640 units – 14.9% more vehicles than estimates said. It remains on a good trajectory, especially since the R1S production is now being prioritized because buyers love the practicality of the SUV.
While working out esthetic and mechanical issues, the startup is also concentrating on updating its software. The latest version was publicly released on July 17. It improved range estimates, fixed an AC charging bug, addressed lane-centering complaints, and smoothed the user interface. Now the R1 vehicles can also support more phone keys if you share your Rivian.
But since the 2023.26.00 build reached an increasing number of owners, some observed a couple of interesting new developments. They were curious and played around to find out what had changed, but instead got to see videos of their units being tested at the factory.
It's also important to note that similar footage may only be available on some recently delivered Rivian R1 series models. The recordings may be unlocked accidentally by the newest software release, but others might be on the memory disk just because someone forgot to delete them.
An R1T owner published such a video on a dedicated Rivian group and asked if anyone else had suddenly gotten access to new clips that weren't in the Gear Guard submenu before or if they had just noticed them. Fellow owners confirmed they had similar security system recordings as well.
Fortunately, nobody expressed anger because they saw this testing procedure done in a crowded parking lot. Most were curious if that's how every R1 unit is verified.
Photo: YouTube Screenshot/Rivian
The footage shows the driver zooming around in the Normal factory parking lot, sometimes cutting it pretty close. But since these are Rivian's test drivers we're talking about here, they must be used to the layout and probably know their way around the place.
With the hazards on and behind another freshly off-the-production-line R1 vehicle, the test driver puts the pedal to the metal to confirm that the drivetrain is ready for real-world use. He seems to be following a particular route because there's no hesitation while maneuvering the EV.
At the same time, the fish eye lens used to shoot this video captures very wide angles, and it can distort our perception of speed. The test driver might not have pushed the truck to its absolute limits, even though the footage seems like they did speed up quite a bit.
Rivian's Gear Guard shows GPS coordinates when triggered by an unusual event, which can be seen in the top left corner of the screen. We verified them, and they took us to the EV maker's Normal plant in Illinois, specifically the Rivian North Lot parking. Thus, the pre-delivery check theory is confirmed.
Those who saw the footage said the test driver had "a little too much fun," but others claimed it was awesome that Rivian is making sure its trucks and SUVs are verified thoroughly before delivery.
Don't hesitate to share your thoughts about this with us in the comment section below!
Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one. Full profile
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