R1Thor
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Joe
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2023
- Threads
- 3
- Messages
- 715
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- 906
- Location
- Lancaster, PA
- Vehicles
- 23QM R1T, Limestone + Ocean Coast, 21" & UBS
- Occupation
- Mechanical Engineering Lead
This is one of those things that isn't obvious to the outside observer and companies don't like to admit, because it makes them seem like they don't know what they're doing. The reality is: this is par for the course.
I HAVE NO insider information at Rivian. This is solely based on my experience in manufacturing:
It's easy to make something work once. (And that's even a misnomer and there's a lot more involved than this statement can make up for).
But just because you made it work once doesn't give you autonomy to assume it'll work a million times. This is where they're likely running into assumptions and finding ways to engineer their ways out of those assumptions, or validate their assumptions and move on. I'm at the mercy of what marketing wants to tell our clients all the time. And when it's not steeped fully in reality, we go back to the drawing board because now we made a promise and perception is reputation is future profit.
There are also SO MANY TIMES something gets fully figured out and vendors/suppliers are chomping at the bit "yes, we can absolutely do that for you at that price and at that timeline." Then you place the order and none of that was true. SO often. It's no one's fault at Rivian, but they can't renege, and said vendor is thinking "they don't have time to find and qualify a new vendor." It's a game that's played all too often.
Is it the best all around for product development? No, but honestly, the amount that's changed in the past decade alone is ridiculous. In reality, engineering something new used to take YEARS of development (ideation, calculation, testing, iteration, re-testing, validation testing, NDT, ALT, specification review, industry standard review, safety review, re-iteration, re-testing, re-validation...etc...etc). Now the world wants things delivered in months. And if you're not delivering in months, your competition is and you're already putting out dated tech.
One way to get in front of this is to already be working on Pixel 10 when you've only just released the 7. But more often than not, if you need to be first to market to make an impact; you're making promises based on well-educated facts and experiments before you can show up to market with the product. You're also assuming you can develop the manufacturing of the tech along the way (making the first phone cost you $1.5MM. Now figure out how you can build 1 Million phones for $200 so you can make a profit on them). It's a balance. And so, you're running simulations (well engineered, and I don't want to take away from that), and making well educated speculation based on the best data we have (and we get more every day!), but even that can only take you so far...
I'm not saying it's right or wrong. I'm not exonerating anyone from doing what's right. I'm just telling it like I experience it for myself... I do NOT envy Rivian. I do not envy RJ or his board of directors. I most certainly do not envy their Engineers who are likely being scapegoated for delays and crappy tonneau covers, but then are expected to be developing the R2 and baking efficiency into the design so that manufacturing can build with the efficiency it takes to make a profit on these vehicles...
just my .02
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