[Yossarian]

On Friday, I got the "Get an R1T Sooner" email from Rivian. I'm pleased to get the invitation to work with Rivian to maybe, possibly, potentially have the chance of "getting an R1T in 6 - 8 weeks or sooner." I was a bit surprised to see the invitaton in my inbox since my reservation dates only to mid-2020, so I'm nowhere near the front of the line.

For a variety of reasons, it's unlikely that I'll make my Rivian purchase via this route, but I appreciate the opportunity to have a look at what's in the R1T Shop.

 

[John Corringer]

It's because later orders will have their truck sooner. That simply comes down to the chosen configuration. They have the parts to do trucks with the 21" wheels, the black interior, powered tonneau and no underbody protection. If you're good with that they can start making your truck. If you're not you'll have to wait.

It is cool that they are reaching out and letting people know, because I see them getting a lot of flack from early preorder holders that people are skipping them in line. The thing is, Rivian needs to build trucks and they don't have the parts for all the options thanks to our supply chain problems everywhere. So they are going to go with the first orders and fulfill what they can and then they are going to go with the orders they can do now with the parts they have.

The configuration I outlined above will get you your truck. It's up to you if that configuration is worth moving up in line, and I'm gad for posts like yours to acknowledge Rivian is trying their best to satisfy preorders with the parts they have on hand.

 

[Louisdeg]

I went to the Rivian "store" picked a color and the Adventure pac with the electric Tonneau cover - Red with Green interior I don't want instead of the explore pac in LA gray and I am finalizing my order with the help of my Guide who is very responsive if somewhat uninformed on certain aspects plus my insurance agent who is invloved because Rivian doesn't insure in Massachusetts yet. The Truck is in Chelsea MA waiting on post shipping inspection and prep. I am shooting for delivery on the 10th. My VIN is in the 7000 range so I assume this is an order holders truck that was declined. I would have waited but largish pieces of steel continue to fall off my 2000 Tundra and my mechanic advised me to retire it as soon as I can. If you can wait I would do so. The higher your VIN the more time they have to work the kinks out.

 

[ERivTruck]

Yes, see, as I suspected I bet Rivian is trying to move older stock from the parking lot at the plant now. 7000 range VIN is 2000 jobs before mine and I took delivery of mine on Saturday.

 

[Yossarian]

The email from Rivian granting me access to the R1T Shop arrived a short time ago.

There are seven trucks in five colors available: Two Compass Yellows and one each in Red Canyon, El Cap, Forest Green, Rivan Blue and Limestone. All have Forest Edge interiors except for one of the Compass Yellows that has a Black Mountain. As you'd expect, they all are Quad Adventures with the LR battery pack, 21" wheels and the powered tonneau cover.

While the Compass Yellow with the Black Mountain interior is tempting, I'm think I will pass on the early delivery.

I will be towing, so the LR battery pack is marginal, at least for the next couple of years until the charging network gets built out more extensively (and robustly). Since the Rivian also need to accommodate two dogs, along with an occasional passenger, the SUV is really the better choice. Of course, Rivian doesn't yet offer a larger battery pack for the R1S, and it's anyone guess as to when that option will be available. I've already waited more than two years, so what's another year or two, right?

Unfortunately, the new EV tax credit bill adds a wrinkle that makes the decision a bit problematic. A Rivian is real stretch for me financially and frankly, is not viable absent the $7,500 credit. I was hoping to have some clarity on whether the new bill would become law before needing to make a choice since, if it passes, both the R1T Max and the R1S with a "Longer Range" pack will no longer qualify and I'd have to make other choices.

Given that I need the credit to makes things work, I will need to drop back to the 135 kWh pack to stay under the threshold, but only if the new bill passes into law. If things stay the same, I can - and will - wait for the larger battery pack. The delivery window for the R1T Max I have configured is 1H2023, which almost certainly means late 2023 though. The wait for an R1S Longer Range is likely quite a bit longer, my guess is a at least until 2024, and probably late that year. As I said earlier, I've already waited more than two years, so what's another year or two?

Of course, by 2024, and perhaps even by late 2023, the charging network will have grown significantly. That may mean that the an R1S/T LR (135 kWh battery pack) will be adequate. That in turn means I will have waited more than 4 years, and paid a lot more for something (the larger battery pack) that has changed from essental to nice to have. The term "Hobson's Choice" comes to mind.

Of course, there's always the option to just see if there's anyone who wants an R1T Adventure in 6 - 8 weeks and is willing to pay a ridiculous sum for that privilege out there . . .

 

[O. horridus]

You have to check the R1 Shop often. Yesterday evening there were 34 trucks in there. Right now I see 11. The content changes rapidly. As an early pre-order holder, you're going to have access to the R1 Shop for a long time, not just 1 week like they said. I've had access for 6 weeks now, but I'm waiting for my preferred Ocean Coast interior.

The R1S with the "longer range" pack may never happen, and if it does I highly doubt you will be able to buy it at a pre March 1 price because that is not a configuration that was offered pre March 1.

Since the configuration you want may not be available for several years, I would consider getting an R1T right now that you can use and enjoy for those several years, then if you find you still want that original configuration you can trade in your R1T - you can get the tax credit now and the future trade-in price should be very good because your current pre March 1 price is already well below current MSRP. And if you get an R1T right now and really can't live with it then you can always sell it at a profit - if nothing else you will find out whether it's worth it (to you) to wait a few years for the configuration you think you want.

This choice gets fuzzy when it's not clear how long the wait will be. For Ocean Coast, it's only two months until the start of my (new) delivery window, so if that's real I don't mind waiting. However if they changed my delivery window to 2023, I would jump on something in the Shop right now. But with R1S "longer range" they haven't even said they will be actually producing that, so your wait is unknown - but certainly you will have to wait until after the R1S is released and after the R1T Max is released. I personally think they are going to focus on delivering the current configurations first, before they introduce new configurations into the mix, so I wouldn't hold out for a R1S "longer range" that may never happen.

 

[Louisdeg]

I went to the Rivian "store" picked a color and the Adventure pac with the electric Tonneau cover - Red with Green interior I don't want instead of the explore pac in LA gray and I am finalizing my order with the help of my Guide who is very responsive if somewhat uninformed on certain aspects plus my insurance agent who is invloved because Rivian doesn't insure in Massachusetts yet. The Truck is in Chelsea MA waiting on post shipping inspection and prep. I am shooting for delivery on the 10th. My VIN is in the 7000 range so I assume this is an order holders truck that was declined. I would have waited but largish pieces of steel continue to fall off my 2000 Tundra and my mechanic advised me to retire it as soon as I can. If you can wait I would do so. The higher your VIN the more time they have to work the kinks out.

Although the price of gasoline was also a factor in my decision to buy now. It was $5.20 per gallon last fill up for a total of $112. and that is at the most reasonable station on MVY.

 

[Yossarian]

You have to check the R1 Shop often. Yesterday evening there were 34 trucks in there. Right now I see 11. The content changes rapidly. As an early pre-order holder, you're going to have access to the R1 Shop for a long time, not just 1 week like they said. I've had access for 6 weeks now, but I'm waiting for my preferred Ocean Coast interior.

The R1S with the "longer range" pack may never happen, and if it does I highly doubt you will be able to buy it at a pre March 1 price because that is not a configuration that was offered pre March 1.

Since the configuration you want may not be available for several years, I would consider getting an R1T right now that you can use and enjoy for those several years, then if you find you still want that original configuration you can trade in your R1T - you can get the tax credit now and the future trade-in price should be very good because your current pre March 1 price is already well below current MSRP. And if you get an R1T right now and really can't live with it then you can always sell it at a profit - if nothing else you will find out whether it's worth it (to you) to wait a few years for the configuration you think you want.

This choice gets fuzzy when it's not clear how long the wait will be. For Ocean Coast, it's only two months until the start of my (new) delivery window, so if that's real I don't mind waiting. However if they changed my delivery window to 2023, I would jump on something in the Shop right now. But with R1S "longer range" they haven't even said they will be actually producing that, so your wait is unknown - but certainly you will have to wait until after the R1S is released and after the R1T Max is released. I personally think they are going to focus on delivering the current configurations first, before they introduce new configurations into the mix, so I wouldn't hold out for a R1S "longer range" that may never happen.

Thanks for the feedback @O. horridus.

I thought that I would have access to the RT Shop for only a very brief period; knowing that I have a few weeks may at least be enough time to see what happens with new EV tax credit. There may be a vote in the Senate on it as soon as this week.

As to the larger R1S battery, my understanding is that the "longer range" pack is presently undergoing EPA certification testing. That info is from Rivian CS however, not from anything Rivian corporate has publicly stated. I doubt that the reps would make stuff up, but as we know, they are often misinformed, so I'm not taking it as gospel. I hope that Rivian exec management provides some more information on this at the 11 Aug Earnings Call. Even if there is no Longer Range R1S, there's still an argument for the SUV over the pick-up in terms of towing range. In many/most towing applications, there is a small, but significant efficiency advantage with the SUV/trailer combo than with a pick-up.

Regarding R1S pricing, the only thing I can get from CS is that they will honor the original pre-March R1S quad price. That's a pretty significant discount. From what the reps tell me, I'd need to pay whatever the MSRP is for the "Longer Range" pack since it was not an option back then (despite the Rivian website clearly stating that there would be an R1S Max - that language was quietly removed, something that still rankles me.) The best I can hope for is that it will be no more than the Max, $16,000. That's really no bargain since it will not be the same 180 kWh capacity as the Max pack.

Bottom line is that I now know that I have some time, so I can wait for at least a few weeks to see what happens before officially passing on the R1T Shop offer.

 

[Louisdeg]

Yes, see, as I suspected I bet Rivian is trying to move older stock from the parking lot at the plant now. 7000 range VIN is 2000 jobs before mine and I took delivery of mine on Saturday.

On reviewing my paperwork for insurance I discovered I was mistaken, my vin is in the mid 8000s