Official: RIVIAN MEMBERSHIP Announced [1 year free trial beginning at day of delivery]

[dleepnw]

I don't take it as a reduction, I see this as a potential extension based on the lack of availability of some of the services...

huh? you work in marketing or something?

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[godfodder0901]

huh? you work in marketing or something?

No, but look at it from a practical perspective. What good would it do to give free charging at all of your chargers for a year to your VERY FIRST customers if there are only 3* chargers in the world?!? My gut feeling tells me that they will bring the one-year timer back after they have more of their services online.

*Maybe more than 3, but you get the point.

 

[SeaGeo]

No, but look at it from a practical perspective. What good would it do to give free charging at all of your chargers for a year to your VERY FIRST customers if there are only 3* chargers in the world?!? My gut feeling tells me that they will bring the one-year timer back after they have more of their services online.

*Maybe more than 3, but you get the point.

I take it the same way.

 

[hola29]

I would prefer to buy a car like for most of the last 100 years that does not get UI or performance updates from the company...

Instead I'll buy a Rivian and complain because I like the old broken model...and don't like to pay for future improvements. Too bad young people can't afford Rivians, we'd hear a lot less old person/new tech complaining...lol

 

[SeaGeo]

I would prefer to buy a car like for most of the last 100 years that does not get UI or performance updates from the company...

Instead I'll buy a Rivian and complain because I like the old broken model...and don't like to pay for future improvements. Too bad young people can't afford Rivians, we'd hear a lot less old person/new tech complaining...lol

who's complaining about getting OTA updates?

 

[Ladiver]

who's complaining about getting OTA updates?

?

Give me a vehicle with a certain feature set and capabilities. I can determine if the price paid is worth it to me. This BS about getting something in an OTA update means nothing to me. Especially when Rivian is saying it! Why should I pay for something now with talk about OTA updates improving things?

There are no promises, or timelines, for these updates. There is no guarantee that the user experience gets any better. Hell, they could take away features via OTA updates too (think subscription model). Imagine if Apple or Microsoft had a vehicle. Nobody would expect to have a functional vehicle after “patch Tuesday”.

Yes, it would be nice to fix minor things with OTA updates, but that should only be fixes and not feature updates. if we want to opt out of OTA updates, we should be able to.

 

[hola29]

Buy an AMC, Nokia, or typewriter…

?

Give me a vehicle with a certain feature set and capabilities. I can determine if the price paid is worth it to me. This BS about getting something in an OTA update means nothing to me. Especially when Rivian is saying it! Why should I pay for something now with talk about OTA updates improving things?

There are no promises, or timelines, for these updates. There is no guarantee that the user experience gets any better. Hell, they could take away features via OTA updates too (think subscription model). Imagine if Apple or Microsoft had a vehicle. Nobody would expect to have a functional vehicle after “patch Tuesday”.

Yes, it would be nice to fix minor things with OTA updates, but that should only be fixes and not feature updates. if we want to opt out of OTA updates, we should be able to.

 

[Cavalryscout18]

Buy an AMC, Nokia, or typewriter…

This is probably the same thinking that keeps these old traditional manufactures in business. Make incremental changes to the same tired old models over 10 years and people keep buying them because they added a 8 inch LCD screen vs a 7 inch one. When I got my Tesla, (coming from a 2016 Cadillac CTS), it was like looking at technology from the future (15 years in traditional manufactures timeframe). And that was just the tip of the ice-berg. Every month or so since then, I get a FREE OTA that adds really cool functionality. Not once have they taken anything away and my car has had an astounding amount of upgrades since I bought it. By Comparison, I rented a fully loaded 2021 Cadillac Escalade a few months back, which was newer than my 2019 Tesla, and the technology in it was so old and outdated, it was laughable. And people pay $90,000 for those cars. I guess it’s not until you realize there is a better way to do it that you realize the old static cars are dinosaurs.

 

[r1t_kev]

To me, the OTA updates, whether subscription service or not, are part of the attraction. Some of the additional functionality/features/updates that come through would be impossible or require hardware upgrades in a traditional vehicle. I'm extrapolating from Tesla owner experience, but assume a similar scenario with Rivian. It's a computer with wheels man.

 

[lostpacket]

Having the ability to update over the air is table stakes for car companies these days. But they aren't inherently good or bad. It's the content of the update that determines that.

We've real evidence of companies like BMW and Toyota abusing their OTA functionality to try to squeeze more money out of their customers. Rivian, as a new startup, wont likely be inclined to burn that goodwill for quite some time.

So I am not particularly worried but I can understand the desire for folks to want some level of stability and predictability in something as important to their life as a car.

But folks coming up in this thread posting satire making fun of concerns about OTA updates or calling such concerns antiquated need to check their attitudes.

 

[AllInev]

I don't take it as a reduction, I see this as a potential extension based on the lack of availability of some of the services...

I generally agree with godfodder0901 on this. This wording (Rivian's wording) gives them more wiggle room to extend membership beyond 1 year for those getting their R1 vehicles before many of the benefits of membership are meaningful. I think the wording will probably change back once things like the RAN are in place. Of course, if you want to be pessimistic, it's true that the wording also allows them to reduce membership to less than a year but I don't think that makes sense for them to do right now.

 

[Eeyore]

I just want to know the pricing after the "extended" trial period ends

 

[RideAlong]

Yea, price was the first thing I looked for

If you have to ask...

 

[ads75]

If you have to ask...

I've never bought anything without knowing the price.

 

[MIG]

I just want to know the pricing after the "extended" trial period ends

Their IPO documents listed the membership as a an anticipated $5,500 "lifetime" revenue stream with lifetime estimated as 10 years of ownership. So $5,500/10/12 = $45 per month. (If the free first year is included in their estimate then it's $50/month).

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