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The First Rivian R1T Electric Pickup Truck Hits the End of the Assembly Line

Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe was ecstatic as the first R1T electric pickup hit the end of the assembly line at the company’s factory in Normal, Illinois to the cheers of the workforce and their families.
First Rivians Completed at Normal Plant 10 photos
Photo: Rivian Automotive
Rivian R1SRivian Automotive plant in Normal IllinoisRivian Automotive electric pickup truckRivian Automotive factoryRivian Automotive factoryRivian Automotive Normal plantRivian Automotive Normal plantRivian Automotive Normal plantRivian Automotive Normal plant
It represents the first production Rivian R1T electric pickup which will be delivered to a customer, and the first truck to come out the end of the plant in the under three years since the company announced its plans at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show.

Rivian has made huge strides since that moment, such as the refitting of a former Mitsubishi plant in Normal, Illinois, raising enormous piles of cash from heavy-hitting backers Amazon and Ford, and passing EPA range estimate certification that say their truck will be capable of 314 miles (for the R1T) and 316 miles (for the as yet delivered R1S utility vehicle) on a single charge using a standard midsized battery pack.

It’s pretty much been all good news for Rivian lately. A while back, Motor Trend team came out of their evaluation of the R1T and called it “the most remarkable pickup” they ever drove.

Rivian also announced their intent to build yet another plant in Texas which they say will result in the creation of 7,500 jobs by 2027. The factory in Illinois has two separate production lines for vehicles. One is dedicated to the R1 and another line focused on commercial vans. Amazon ordered 100,000 of the Rivian electric vans and deliveries are starting in 2021.

To date, the upstart EV automaker has raised upwards of $8 billion from heavyweight backers, including Ford Motor Company, Cox Automotive, Fidelity Management, and most critically, Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund.

Next on the horizon is an IPO (initial public offering) which might generate a valuation of more than $50 billion for the company.
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