Is this the first look at the inside of Rivian's Illinois plant?

I'd be surprised if Rivian was giving plant tours while it's still being configured. I suspect it was an unofficial tour as he knew someone at the plant.

None the less, good to see the plant coming along unlike at the end of last year. Rivian was required to spend $10 million improving the plant by the end of 2018 to receive a property tax abatement, but due to equipment delays pushing the work into 2019, it ended up costing Rivian a $650k tax rebate.

Getting closer to Rivian rolling out its first EAV off the production line.

R99 said:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1143576538325114882

We might finally have our first look at the inside of Rivian's plant in Normal, Illinois. This photo was tweeted by a person who is based in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois and apparently received a tour.

While there isn't much to clearly look at, it appears like the plant is starting to fill up with stuff which is exciting to see.

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Looks like the photo was deleted. I guess someone from Rivian found out about it.

JimmyEV said:

Looks like the photo was deleted. I guess someone from Rivian found out about it.

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The twitter link no longer works ("Sorry, that page doesn’t exist!") but the picture above in the OP still exists. It must be a copy versus an indirect link to the source.

Considering the low height of which the picture was taken combined with the obstruction on the right, I get the feeling the picture of the R1T was covertly taken.

Here are some really cool renderings of what Rivian's plant could look like inside. They were originally posted on the website of an Illinois contractor that lists Rivian as a client.

Love how everything is coming together. Rivian should hold factory tours for owners.

eHauler said:

Love how everything is coming together. Rivian should hold factory tours for owners.

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That would be a nice touch for their initial release. It'd also be cool if they offered public tours.

R99 said:

That would be a nice touch for their initial release. It'd also be cool if they offered public tours.

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I'm hopeful Rivian will offer tours to pre-order holders. Though I have no expectations of public tours until they go to production, ya know, the whole competitive thing. Plus, right now it's a construction zone with all the remodeling and retooling going on. Think of the liability and insurance costs, staffing, people getting in the way, etc. Best they focus on getting the plant ready and operational.

EyeOnRivian said:

I'm hopeful Rivian will offer tours to pre-order holders. Though I have no expectations of public tours until they go to production, ya know, the whole competitive thing. Plus, right now it's a construction zone with all the remodeling and retooling going on. Think of the liability and insurance costs, staffing, people getting in the way, etc. Best they focus on getting the plant ready and operational.

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I'm definitely not saying public tours right now, that would be a very bad idea. I just mean that down the road when they have production established then why not have some public tours.

But I do agree that for people with pre-orders, tours would be a great idea at some point to reassure them of their deposits not going to waste.

IMO, only owners deserve the tour, not people who can pre-order, then back out.
A series of Rivian organized owner events following that too

eHauler said:

IMO, only owners deserve the tour, not people who can pre-order, then back out.
A series of Rivian organized owner events following that too

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Interesting, so at what point would you consider someone an "owner?" When they take possession of their EAV? Or perhaps earlier when they convert their pre-order to an order assuming there will be such a designation? And if so, when would that be? (rhetorical)

As for pre-order holders that back out, I would agree, but there is no way to know if they will back out until they do, at which time they are no longer a pre-holder. So by default they would have been excluded for a the tour, right?

That leaves people who are currently pre-order holders. Again, since there's no way to know if they will back out or not (unless there will be some future step in this process where additional financial commitments or otherwise is required) it only makes sense to offer them a tour - good relations and all. Consider it part of their swag packet for pre-ordering. I think Rivian needs to keep their pre-order holders engaged to minimize canceled pre-orders.