Official Rivian Email: A Look Ahead to 2023. Rivian Membership cancelled and unbundled into subscription services

[DB-EV]

If they reduce my power and make me pay to get it back I will be pissed. That is a non starter.

Also don’t take away basic functions that don’t cost Rivian a dime such as heated and vented seats, white ambient lighting, etc…

LTE, RAN, roadside (non warranty) and off-road assistance, enhanced gear guard, further enhanced driver+, additional apps (CarPlay, Waze, games, etc…), dash cam, and additional power(don’t take away current) I could see coming at a cost.

I actually think they would get sued if they take away traditional items like heated and cooled seats.

More interesting around issues like enhancements to driver plus etc.

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[Riviot]

There is a RAN location that is almost completed in Aberdeen, WA, in case you are interested. Images for the site can be found here:

There is also one planned for Lynwood, WA that currently appears to be in permitting still: https://dbs.lynnwoodwa.gov/apps/selfservice/#/permit/feaa23ed-7787-4f3d-8009-afd0bf7fc4ca

Aberdeen, I can use! I'll go to the coast more.

Lynnwood, however... The shopping mall isn't exactly an Adventure...

 

[Rivian_Hugh_III]

I think that is a bit harsh. The luxury vehicle industry milks just as bad, if not worse. BMW charges me $50 a year to access the Car Play already built into my car.

Tesla charges for their premium wireless.

Either Rivian gets more cash from customers or they have t raise cash by selling stock (diluting shares) or borrowing at a high interest rate, or selling off equity - which ultimately hurts the company long term a lot more than getting more money out of customers.

As long as Rivian is reasonable - I don't want to pay more than $10 or $15 a month for the things I care about (updates, LTE, navigation) I think this is par for the course for a new company.

Yes that’s fair. ??

 

[Dark-Fx]

If Rivian is smart, they will give full "membership" for like 120 days of ownership. This will show you all of the features available, then you can either pay for all, or go al la carte for the ones you do use.

I hope they add Car Play as an Al la carte. That'd be worth paying for....or even satellite radio

I was planning on just buying a new Rivian every 12 months so I'd never have to pay for the membership. Rivian really shooting themselves in the feet here.

 

[lmr]

Lynnwood, however... The shopping mall isn't exactly an Adventure...

Yeah I hear you there. Though it is interesting to note that many planned RAN locations do seem to be in the parking lots of REIs... I half expect to see an REI edition Rivian at some point.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Yeah I hear you there. Though it is interesting to note that many planned RAN locations do seem to be in the parking lots of REIs... I half expect to see an REI edition Rivian at some point.

Can I get a discount on the REI Basecamp airstream because I own a Rivian??

 

[SASSquatch]

Ugh. Every time I somehow forget about the Rivian communications team being hopeless they somehow pop back up with more knuckle headery.

More service centers!
Great. You already told us about this. And made a map. Nothing has changed on the map in months. Thanks also for reminding us about the change in towing policy - that sure was welcome!

Membership!
What even is this, "membership" you keep vaguely referring to? I have no concept if going ala carte is good or bad or if the, "membership" is crappola or okey-dokey considering there is no pricing associated with it either way. It's literally Schrodinger's Membership. I guess I should just wait 11 days to figure it out?

Meetings!
Cool. I'm so glad that Rivian is being efficient in how it spends customer outreach money. These are both convenient and meaningful to me. I can totally see how these are the differentiating factor on why people choose Rivian over the boatloads of competitors in the market also selling these commodity products.

Charging!
I most-def need to drive 2000 miles away to use the closest one. The destination-equivalent RAN charger on the OBX has had a big bag over it's head for over six months now. I would have rather had free charging KW on EA. They aren't awesome, but at least they have more than 0 fast chargers east of the Mississippi.

Well said!

+1 For the Schrodinger's reference. The continued lack of coherent and meaningful communication is not inspiring confidence.

 

[Yellow Buddy]

I couldn't agree more on this. They keep emphasizing their community and the meetings and the meeting spaces they built. I think more emphases on just about any other deliverable (like RAN chargers, Camp Kitchen, Gear Shuttle, software updates, etc.) would be more appreciated by their customers than these silly community events and meeting spaces.

For something like this to make it in a rare email update is so frustrating and silly. This kind of fluff info belongs on social media where you post weekly. Not in a substantial and rare update about the 2023 year changes.

Plus, it is literally all just fluff info. Not a single hard data point here. No commitment to how many meetings, how many more spaces, how many events they held in 2022 and how many they plan to hold in 2023. It's nonsense.
"More ways to meet
We love meeting our community at events. In 2023, we’re planning to host more of these experiences in cities across the US and Canada. This year we’re also focused on building out additional spaces with several launches planned for the second half of 2023. These locations will showcase our products and team and help us grow deeper roots in cities like Austin, Brooklyn, Laguna Beach, San Francisco and more. "

This info does not belong in this email. I can't believe Tony thought community events was one of the top 4 2023 priorities he should inform customers about. What a joke.

At this rate, those meeting spaces are going to be used to other unintended purposes.

Me: “Hi, I’m Yellow Buddy. “
Group: “Hi Yellow Buddy”

Me: “It’s been 962 days since my reservation. Today, Rivian raised the price of my windshield wiper fluid subscription and my wireless charging pad started leaking water. Still an owner though. Bought a new Rivian thermos today too.”

Anyone else want to share?

 

[Ralph]

I think LTE and hot spot is through AT&T on rivian. I almost bought a lightning and it was 200$ a year service add on through AT&T

I already pay for LTE w/hotspot - from ATT.......just allow the truck to connect please. I don't need more subscription accounts that do the same thing. And most certainly not from the same company.

 

[NY_Rob]

I sure hope they pick a nicer spot for their Brooklyn "meeting center" than they did for their Brooklyn SC.. cause the only "meetings" taking place on that particular corner don't include legitimate business transactions... ?

 

[FrankieJ]

"Covering charging on RAN through April 2023"

Kind of lame considering there's so few sites available at the moment

I totally agree. So free until April the next time I drive to Colorado? LAME!

 

[FrankieJ]

I already pay for LTE w/hotspot - from ATT.......just allow the truck to connect please. I don't need more subscription accounts that do the same thing. And most certainly not from the same company.

I suspect they are looking for a new profit center. If that’s an example of what it takes to survive I suppose I can live with it.

 

[Jac]

GUYS HELP ME.

I just got a guide call - I can take my build EXCEPT IT WILL BE FOREST EDGE AND 2k more and get likely by month end, OR stay with my current build in which case the 'best intel' is my current window of April to June but I get my Ocean Coast. WHAT SAY YOU?

If you slip under the income and MSRP caps for the new EV tax credit, if you take delivery of the Forest Edge interior Rivian by March it seems you will be eligible for the $7500 rebate. The battery sourcing answer may come out by April, likely resulting in either no EV credit or a half credit for the later vehicle delivery. After tax the higher cost interior delivered sooner could be less expensive.

 

[DB-EV]

If you slip under the income and MSRP caps for the new EV tax credit, if you take delivery of the Forest Edge interior Rivian by March it seems you will be eligible for the $7500 rebate. The battery sourcing answer may come out by April, likely resulting in either no EV credit or a half credit for the later vehicle delivery. After tax the higher cost interior delivered sooner could be less expensive.

Yep. I opted for the binding contract for '22 because of some of the circumstances that make the new one not better for me. So I should be able to get the old 7500. (Pre tax law change)

 

[Ralph]

Seems different to me. Most recent vehicles let you use Carplay and AA to do all this for no additional cost. When asked in the past, Rivian was telling us they would do something better (not often said, but implied.... so they justify a charge for it). To date, the Rivian's "live traffic, satellite view on maps, wifi hotspot and music streaming" isn't up to competitor's standards, let alone state of the art. I think Rivian's "claim" that beta testing is complete and its success justifies charging for membership features isn't correct.

Well, you know......customers don't use the 12v in the frunk, so we deleted it. About 8 months into deliveries and 10k total customers.

The point? Rivian's claim of success implies they have listened to customers. They have not. But many hear will replay, "well you know they are a new company. Blah, blah, blah." You don't have to be dishonest if you are new.

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