"Design Yours" link on R2 website

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

It has taken so long. Like I still can't fathom that they are expecting to deliver next month with no configurator yet. Kind of a big deal considering we don't know the price for the add ons and options will be. I guess they got really burned last time and are being as conversative as possible with timing releases. I get it but also I'm impatient lol

That's only your emotional response, due to your status in waiting. Customer production (AND deliveries) has already started—to customers who are also employees. Evidence to which is plain in their recent social posts. And an internal-facing configurator already live, because they have already started customer production and deliveries.

They. Are. On-schedule.

Period.

Just because it isn't your turn yet, doesn't mean they are late.

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[Jeremy3292]

Please remind me, how many "influencers" got to buy a R1 before everyone else?

This time around, all the Rivian "influencers" have very early reservations, just like many of the rest of us. And yes, you'll be hearing from them early on, because they are in need of attention. That doesn't equate to them getting bumped to the front of the line.

But Rivian does not have any history of selling the first hundreds or even thousands of vehicles to "influencers" like you suggest. That's an entirely different thing than having a small fleet available for loan to various outlets for review and publicity (which is already happening, BTW).

I think it's simply the influencers already own R1 vehicles and placed their reservations first on the first day, so they'll end up with one first.

 

[Great Gatsby]

That's only your emotional response, due to your status in waiting. Customer production (AND deliveries) has already started—to customers who are also employees. And an internal-facing configurator already live.

They. Are. On-schedule.

Period.

Never said they weren't? lol My issue is just with the delay in releasing a configurator the public. Obviously a matter of opinion and you can feel how you want, but to ME, it feels like the configurator is arriving last minute.

I don't care that internal employees have a configurator available. That literally does nothing for me. Good for them?

 

[Jeremy3292]

RJ has addressed this in several online videos. The development of the tech stack had to remain on its own timeline, supply chain not an insignificant factor - to the point they couldn't delay R2 any longer. Ideal? No - but, given the other recent announcement about next-gen development of LIDAR, just as well that R2's horse isn't hitched to that wagon if LIDAR dev takes even longer.

Yeah for sure it's more just the timing is wild to me. Ship out a few months of R2 and then all of sudden Gen3 hardware and software is ready only a few months in lol. Just wild how that timeline worked out

 

[Mos Eisley]

Yeah for sure it's more just the timing is wild to me. Ship out a few months of R2 and then all of sudden Gen3 hardware and software is ready only a few months in lol. Just wild how that timeline worked out

Yup- not by choice. Personally FWIW, I think they know LIDAR deliverability will be at least a year out - maybe midyear next year. It certainly doesn't "obsolete" the R2's LE

 

[srkz]

That's only your emotional response, due to your status in waiting. Customer production (AND deliveries) has already started—to customers who are also employees. Evidence to which is plain in their recent social posts. And an internal-facing configurator already live, because they have already started customer production and deliveries.

They. Are. On-schedule.

Period.

Just because it isn't your turn yet, doesn't mean they are late.

For what it's worth, they have never once said that non-employee customers will take delivery in June. The schedule is that in late June they will begin inviting customers to start the ordering process. Maybe they're just sandbagging but it sounds to me like the first real deliveries will be in July/August after those first orders are placed in late June. It's usually a 4-6 week window from configuration to delivery.

 

[Jeremy3292]

For what it's worth, they have never once said that non-employee customers will take delivery in June. The schedule is that in late June they will begin inviting customers to start the ordering process. Maybe they're just sandbagging but it sounds to me like the first real deliveries will be in July/August after those first orders are placed in late June. It's usually a 4-6 week window from configuration to delivery.

Their website still says coming Spring 2026. Spring ends on June 21st. We will see.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

For what it's worth, they have never once said that non-employee customers will take delivery in June. The schedule is that in late June they will begin inviting customers to start the ordering process. Maybe they're just sandbagging but it sounds to me like the first real deliveries will be in July/August after those first orders are placed in late June. It's usually a 4-6 week window from configuration to delivery.

And some of that duration will be both employees and non-employees. I have spoken to employees who have configured. So a configurator is live, just not public.

 

[RivianTrackr]

Please remind me, how many "influencers" got to buy a R1 before everyone else?

This time around, all the Rivian "influencers" have very early reservations, just like many of the rest of us. And yes, you'll be hearing from them early on, because they are in need of attention. That doesn't equate to them getting bumped to the front of the line.

But Rivian does not have any history of selling the first hundreds or even thousands of vehicles to "influencers" like you suggest. That's an entirely different thing than having a small fleet available for loan to various outlets for review and publicity (which is already happening, BTW).

Before I was an "influencer", I managed to get an early R1T in 2022 because living in Orlando helped me get it early. For R2, I ordered as soon as the link went live. I am not expecting any special treatment, but I do want to get my R2 as soon as possible so I can help be able to report on it, the good, the bad, and the ugly!

 

[soysaucing]

Give me 1 day with the configurator and I'll know exact config I want. People are impatient, half of them will take a preconfig R2 anyways to speed up delivery.

 

[Ralph]

RJ has addressed this in several online videos. The development of the tech stack had to remain on its own timeline, supply chain not an insignificant factor - to the point they couldn't delay R2 any longer. Ideal? No - but, given the other recent announcement about next-gen development of LIDAR, just as well that R2's horse isn't hitched to that wagon if LIDAR dev takes even longer.

I'm just guessing you are not a "they shouldn't bring it (LIDAR) in house, it's not their core expertise" kind of guy.

Kind of hard to generate revenue if you can't actually sell vehicles, right? I'm encouraged to see Rivian adapt as they go along.

Investors were very critical of Amazon investing in AWS in the early days. AWS now accounts for near 20% of revenue and nearly 60% of the profit. LIDAR by itself won't do that for Rivian, but if viewed as a part of the autonomy platform, it might contribute to that products continued success. Other adopters of the tech (VW?) don't want experience component delays.

 

[Eric9610]

I think the only reason for the delay is to sort the financial programs they plan to offer. Knowing there have been mentions of leasing on LE models this could be what is holding the release. Once the configurator launches the estimators also need to be loaded.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

I'm just guessing you are not a "they shouldn't bring it (LIDAR) in house, it's not their core expertise" kind of guy.

Kind of hard to generate revenue if you can't actually sell vehicles, right? I'm encouraged to see Rivian adapt as they go along.

Investors were very critical of Amazon investing in AWS in the early days. AWS now accounts for near 20% of revenue and nearly 60% of the profit. LIDAR by itself won't do that for Rivian, but if viewed as a part of the autonomy platform, it might contribute to that products continued success. Other adopters of the tech (VW?) don't want experience component delays.

Rivian is already pondering bringing LiDAR in-house. High degree of vertical integration is one of the primary reasons Chinese OEMs like BYD are able to build low-cost EVs and still be profitable. Doing so you cut out all of the middleman up-charges from suppliers and wholesalers and lower CAPEX in the process.

 

[Blue in NC]

Yup- not by choice. Personally FWIW, I think they know LIDAR deliverability will be at least a year out - maybe midyear next year. It certainly doesn't "obsolete" the R2's LE

I am not saying you are wrong but I struggle to see the motivation here. Why announce that "next gen" hardware will be coming in 6 months when it's really over a year? The most obvious outcome will be that some potential early buyers will wait, whereas if they knew Lidar was 1.5 years out, they might buy a non-Lidar now, which is also mostly an "expensive" version (LE). Why would Rivian want them to wait? Unless you think it's all about misleading investors (which can happen) but in this instance, that runs almost directly against Rivian's bottom line.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

I am not saying you are wrong but I struggle to see the motivation here. Why announce that "next gen" hardware will be coming in 6 months when it's really over a year? The most obvious outcome will be that some potential early buyers will wait, whereas if they knew Lidar was 1.5 years out, they might buy a non-Lidar now, which is also mostly an "expensive" version (LE). Why would Rivian want them to wait? Unless you think it's all about misleading investors (which can happen) but in this instance, that runs almost directly against Rivian's bottom line.

Didn't RJ say "end of 2026" for LIDAR?

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