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Rivian Updated R1S Reservation Holders With a Delivery Window, It's Not What They Expected

Rivian has seen plenty of spotlight in the past months, and not always for the best reasons. Praised for the R1T’s qualities, bashed for delays, price spikes, and miscommunication. Although the feelings are mixed, we expect this new episode of the Rivian saga to land in the latter category.
Rivian updated R1S reservation holders with a delivery window 6 photos
Photo: Rivian
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Rivian made the news last year with the first delivery of an electric pickup truck. The startup got another boost when customers and media testified the truck was a good product. Everyone expected the success to propel Rivian to new heights once the second product, the R1S SUV, would launch.

And launch it did no later than December, as Rivian ended the year with great fanfare. But only two units were delivered, not for real customers but for the company’s CEO, RJ Scaringe, and CFO Claire McDonald. So no real deliveries. The first real-world customer deliveries of the R1S were reportedly delayed until this summer. Nevertheless, with things going awry at Rivian in the past months, it was fair to expect more delays.

Well, this has been confirmed already, as many R1S reservation holders received an email from Rivian informing them of an updated delivery window. As you’d guess, this was not about an early delivery but more delays. According to information shared on Rivian forums, some people got their delivery pushed to October-December 2022. The earliest deliveries, according to the emails received by reservation holders, would be August-September 2022, which is still technically summer.

The reason for the new delays is unclear from the emails, especially as some Rivian R1S customers got luckier than others. Some of them did not receive an email at all, which could be a good thing (their delivery window hasn’t changed) or a bad thing (no estimates just yet, it will take a while). Just like with the R1T deliveries, there are no clear criteria for delivery prioritization, leading people to speculate.

The email Rivian sent to its customers explains the new delays by the supply chain woes but also discusses the service infrastructure. More specifically, the company prioritizes certain build combinations to speed up deliveries. Also, customers living in areas with no service infrastructure would be pushed back.

In the case of the R1T, people who ordered the truck at higher prices enjoyed a speedier delivery than those who secured a more favorable price, years back. It might not be different with the R1S customers. We’ll see how this plays out and if those promised the truck in “August-September 2022” would indeed get their electric SUV by then.
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About the author: Cristian Agatie
Cristian Agatie profile photo

After his childhood dream of becoming a "tractor operator" didn't pan out, Cristian turned to journalism, first in print and later moving to online media. His top interests are electric vehicles and new energy solutions.
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