Is rivian a model year or continuous improvement company?

[Jabbahop]

I know Tesla differs from most car companies in that they are constantly modifying/improving their vehicles independent of model year designation. Some are smaller running changes and others are packaged together as a new release (see 2021 Model S refresh). Aside from ongoing software updates, has Rivian said what their process is? As a 2nd half 2023 Max pack customer, just wondering whether it is likely that there will be substantial changes from what is being delivered today.

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[Attesan997]

Nothing has been released as far as I can recall so it's probably only Rivian leadership who know. But in the current environment where you have the Lucid team ordering parts off of Amazon I'm thinking Rivian is focused on getting their operations tightened up first. So there will likely be improvements in the name of operational efficiency or reduced cost. With the current constraints I can't see working like Tesla and switching to Ryzen from Intel Atom for example with only a relative handful of vehicles in customer hands.

 

[ironpig]

I don’t think they have said. I suspect they will have be closer to the Tesla model while they are rolling out the initial order fulfillment for all the current preorders. So the model will be the same for 2020-2023 etc.

 

[zipzag]

For this year Rivian is likely only upgrading problem items and substituting unavailable parts where possible.

It's possible that what can be seen won't change for 3-4 years. But the trucks built this year will not be as good as trucks build in following years. The early employee trucks in particular will be used to reveal rattles, unexpected wear and other problems that will be corrected. But it takes time for problems to be revealed and corrected.

The lesson from the Model S is that as long as demand exceeds supply trading for a new vehicle every 3-4 years is not expensive.

 

[the long way downunder]

Rivian's production line is "let's see what happens this week … " : )

 

[dleepnw]

i've asked the same question numerous time to CS and never gotten a clear answer. but then again CS doesnt know much... of course not of their own fault.

if i read the tea leaves, i would say they will adopt a hybrid model. i dont think they are as efficient as Tesla where they've nailed production and so can focus on R&D and continuous improvements. so, they are probably going to ride the current designs for a while and not make incremental improvements. however, its clear they want to emulate Tesla so i imagine in a few years, once they figure out production, they will be able to introduce more incremental improvements. from a s/w pov, i think we will see continuous improvements

 

[zipzag]

https://www.autonews.com/manufacturing/rivian-supplier-bos-automotive-products-invest-11-million

 

[SeaGeo]

https://www.autonews.com/manufacturing/rivian-supplier-bos-automotive-products-invest-11-million

Paywall...

 

[electruck]

Paywall...

bypass with the browser's Reader View

 

[SeaGeo]

bypass with the browser's Reader View

Didn't work for me...

 

[electruck]

Didn't work for me...

Sometimes you have to refresh after entering Reader View.

 

[electruck]

https://www.autonews.com/manufacturing/rivian-supplier-bos-automotive-products-invest-11-million

Interesting but don't see how it's relevant to this thread....

www.autonews.com

Rivian supplier BOS Automotive Products to invest $1.1 million
Kurt Nagl

3 - 4 minutes

BOS Automotive Products Inc. is planning to invest $1.1 million and create 50 jobs to expand production at its plant in Rochester Hills, Michigan, about 30 miles North of Detroit.
The expansion will support a contract with Rivian Automotive Inc., which tapped the supplier to make a retractable, metal tonneau cover for its R1T electric truck, according to a briefing memo from the Michigan Economic Development Corp.
The state is supporting the project with a $225,000 performance-based grant. The city of Rochester Hills is pitching in by expediting plan review services and waiving fees. The MEDC said incentives were needed to lure BOS from Mexico and Illinois, where the company operates plants that could have accommodated the expansion.
The incentives also help offset the increased cost of doing business in Michigan as opposed to Mexico, the state said.
"The company is attracted to expanding in Michigan to be more responsive to the increased demand they are seeing from Rivian, cutting logistics costs by decreasing the distance to the OEM located in Illinois, and to target an increased customer base in the Northeast," the briefing memo said.
Expansion will include additional production square footage, more dock access, a metrology lab and warehouse space. BOS and the state did not provide details about how much square footage is being added and when construction is expected to be complete.
"Today's business expansion investments will help us continue growing Michigan's economy, creating good-paying jobs, and building on our manufacturing strengths," Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement.
The fully retractable, electric tonneau cover for the bed of the R1T is the EV maker's first to market. Rivian rolled out the R1T, its first truck, last year.
Rivian welcomed media earlier this week to its production plant in Central Illinois, where CEO RJ Scaringe told reporters he's optimistic about the company's future even though the supply chain crunch is hurting business. Rivian expects to make about 25,000 vehicles this year, about half what it could do with a smooth supply chain, Scaringe said.
Rivian moved its base from metro Detroit to Irvine, Calif., two years ago, but still employs some 600 people in Plymouth.
Daejin expanding in Adrian
In addition to the BOS expansion, the state announced Thursday that South Korean subsidiary Daejin Advanced Materials USA Inc. plans to invest $12.3 million and create 111 jobs in Adrian, 70 miles Southwest of Detroit, where it will renovate an existing plant to manufacture special polymers for electric vehicle batteries.
That project is backed by a $500,000 performance-based grant from the state, as well as employee recruitment services from the city of Adrian.
BOS is a subsidiary of Stuttgart, Germany-based Baumeister & Ostler GmbH. In 1997, BOS established its North American headquarters in Rochester Hills, where it has 50 employees.
The new jobs are expected to pay $680 per week, with benefits, training and opportunity for advancement, according to the state.

 

[mkg3]

For Tesla, it is just as much as business reason as anything else. Often the design is updated to reduce cost directly or indirectly (by being more reliable, less service or trouble issues).

Some of the design changes had to do with bring vendor supplied items into in-house, for QC or other matters.

Small cosmetic changes don't happen too often on Teslas but material and supplier changes seem to happen rather frequently. The latter changes are almost unnoticed by the public - only by these forums and Tesla focused websites.

Rivian probably will do the same but its too early to tell and they are having enough trouble making what's designed and procured for production. They definitely don't need to introduce new variables. QC and supplier issues aside, I don't expect any changes for couple years.

Things like FE/OC interior may have to do with QC rather than anything else. Also I fully expect things like LTE to change to 5G at some point as LTE parts will be less and less available.

 

[zipzag]

Interesting but don't see how it's relevant to this thread....

glass houses:

https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/death-to-the-longer-range-r1s.3741/#post-135599

 

[electruck]

glass houses:

https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/death-to-the-longer-range-r1s.3741/#post-135599

?? Not seeing your point.

The post you linked was a response to that of another forum member whose post was on topic but warranted further explanation of his decision.

Your post in this thread seemed to randomly inject a new topic. Thought maybe I was missing something. Not a big deal so don't get all butthurt about it. If anything, the article you linked would get more attention in a thread of it's own.

But let's not drag this thread any further off topic. Feel free to PM me if this really needs further discussion.

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