[tdsmyers]

I just changed my R1T delivery address to the factory in Normal, Illinois so I can tour the factory and consummate my new truck relationship with a road trip back to Texas.
Any advice from those who've done it? I'm sure charging will be the primary issue.

 

[ERivTruck]

You can do this? I didn't know that was even an option. Only for a few select "celebrities". LMAO

 

[FirstStateR1T]

You can do this? I didn't know that was even an option. Only for a few select "celebrities". LMAO

100% doable so long as your give them enough time notice!

 

[tdsmyers]

You can do this? I didn't know that was even an option. Only for a few select "celebrities". LMAO

Yeah, I called my Rivian Guide right after I configured and set it up.

 

[Mf66]

Hello all. I took delivery of my R1T in September of last year. I was spending a lot of time in Chicago and didn’t want to wait for the car to get delivered. I also believed that being able to pick it up at the factory would give me the quickest time to get the vehicle. All I did was set factory address as delivery point. I think it worked out to be the fastest way to get the car.

The process is pretty basic and straightforward and I was able to get a plant tour. A buddy of mine drove me down from Chicago to Normal. and we met our tour guide at the front door. First things first. The building is massive. There is an employee parking lot and they use electric buses to shuttle people to the main building. It is a huge complex wits so much stuff going on as they are building cars and doing construction to expand the already giant building.

Before we started the tour we were able to stop and get a coffee at the small coffee shop there. Looks like a lot of the employees and contractors use that as well as there was quite a line.

Then were able to go up the stairs by where all of the offices are, and then walk out on a catwalk over the production line. No photos allowed. The tour guide was very knowledgeable. You are able to see the R1 products being made as well as the EDV vans. While we were there, we probably saw 50 or 60 EDVs roll off the line. We were able to see most of the process though you can’t see anything with the battery assembly and paint. The plant is organized and very clean but it looks like there are several pinch points where lines come together and there were several places were cars were jammed up, waiting for one car to be driven to another spot. All cars get tested for water tightness and are then checked for things like headlight alignment.

As you walk further into the catwalk, you were able to see the welding line where the stampings for the body are put on jigs and then welded by robots. Very impressive process and looks amazing though it is clear there are a lot of small metal parts that are welded together, as opposed to what Tesla is doing with castings. I have been to Subaru and GM factories and the pace at Rivian was reasonable but much slower than other factories I’ve seen. They are still ironing out lots of kinks.

After the tour we went out in front of the building and my truck was parked there. The delivery specialist walked through everything with me and we signed the paperwork. I felt comfortable with the car so the handover was actually quite short and I was able to drive back home. Worth seeing the factory and very nice to see where your car is made

 

[tdsmyers]

Hello all. I took delivery of my R1T in September of last year. I was spending a lot of time in Chicago and didn’t want to wait for the car to get delivered. I also believed that being able to pick it up at the factory would give me the quickest time to get the vehicle. All I did was set factory address as delivery point. I think it worked out to be the fastest way to get the car.

The process is pretty basic and straightforward and I was able to get a plant tour. A buddy of mine drove me down from Chicago to Normal. and we met our tour guide at the front door. First things first. The building is massive. There is an employee parking lot and they use electric buses to shuttle people to the main building. It is a huge complex wits so much stuff going on as they are building cars and doing construction to expand the already giant building.

Before we started the tour we were able to stop and get a coffee at the small coffee shop there. Looks like a lot of the employees and contractors use that as well as there was quite a line.

Then were able to go up the stairs by where all of the offices are, and then walk out on a catwalk over the production line. No photos allowed. The tour guide was very knowledgeable. You are able to see the R1 products being made as well as the EDV vans. While we were there, we probably saw 50 or 60 EDVs roll off the line. We were able to see most of the process though you can’t see anything with the battery assembly and paint. The plant is organized and very clean but it looks like there are several pinch points where lines come together and there were several places were cars were jammed up, waiting for one car to be driven to another spot. All cars get tested for water tightness and are then checked for things like headlight alignment.

As you walk further into the catwalk, you were able to see the welding line where the stampings for the body are put on jigs and then welded by robots. Very impressive process and looks amazing though it is clear there are a lot of small metal parts that are welded together, as opposed to what Tesla is doing with castings. I have been to Subaru and GM factories and the pace at Rivian was reasonable but much slower than other factories I’ve seen. They are still ironing out lots of kinks.

After the tour we went out in front of the building and my truck was parked there. The delivery specialist walked through everything with me and we signed the paperwork. I felt comfortable with the car so the handover was actually quite short and I was able to drive back home. Worth seeing the factory and very nice to see where your car is made

View attachment 10446

View attachment 10447

Great info! Thanks for the intel on the tour and the factory delivery process. Expecting it to be a little more challenging than a road trip in our Tesla Model 3, I've planned a route home where I'll just need to rapid charge twice - once at an EVgo station and once at an Electrify America station. Staying overnight in a place with a level 2 charger.

 

[Mf66]

I have road tripped in Tesla and Rivian. The Rivian has a larger battery and is less efficient so the range ends up being roughly the same. The CCS experience is different as you have to deal with payments and things like that but electrify America works reasonably well and despite people talking about lines and other issues most stations in the Midwest are empty when I am at them. I’m sure that’ll be changing soon. You will do just fine.

 

[iansriv]

I just changed my R1T delivery address to the factory in Normal, Illinois so I can tour the factory and consummate my new truck relationship with a road trip back to Texas. Any advice from those who've done it? I'm sure charging will be the primary issue.

This is the first time I've read the word "consummate" in this context. I'm afraid to ask.

 

[tdsmyers]

This is the first time I've read the word "consummate" in this context. I'm afraid to ask.

Yeah, it's metaphorical. I LOVE this truck ... just not in that way.

 

[NAVYV16]

I just changed my R1T delivery address to the factory in Normal, Illinois so I can tour the factory and consummate my new truck relationship with a road trip back to Texas.
Any advice from those who've done it? I'm sure charging will be the primary issue. View attachment 10438

Sounds nice; tell them to get the frunk hood straight, it will save them a ton on service center costs.

 

[John B R1T]

Sounds nice; tell them to get the frunk hood straight, it will save them a ton on service center costs.

Mine got "unstraight" at a couple of thousand miles. The left side latch loosened just enough to cause a gap at the left front edge and slight flutter at highway speeds. My roving Rivian tech (Field technician) fixed it in a couple of minutes.

As for factory delivery...my daughter & son-in-law are wrapping up their medical residencies/chief resident years in Peoria later this year and relocating to Dallas. I suspect I'll be "enlisted" to help with the move. I wonder if the factory would "let me in" for an "after purchase tour"?

I can't help with advice on charging, but my experience has been...figure out if the time saved by driving faster is worth the added time spent at chargers (ignoring charging expense). When I drove my daughter's "stuff" to Peoria (from San Antonio), I was in a Penske truck that had a governor that would have slowed it to 70 mph if dropped off a cliff. I drove for (pretty much) two full days to make that 1,300 miles. My wife drove my Tundra a day afterwards, and the half day she saved by driving faster didn't save an overnight stay at a motel. Moral: 70 mph may be "worth it", particularly if stretching to the next recharge. Don't plan en route recharges over 85% unless staying overnight. Get "A Better Route Planner" and update it immediately before you leave for Normal. It's amazing how quickly things change.

 

[SANZCO2]

Mine got "unstraight" at a couple of thousand miles. The left side latch loosened just enough to cause a gap at the left front edge and slight flutter at highway speeds. My roving Rivian tech (Field technician) fixed it in a couple of minutes.

As for factory delivery...my daughter & son-in-law are wrapping up their medical residencies/chief resident years in Peoria later this year and relocating to Dallas. I suspect I'll be "enlisted" to help with the move. I wonder if the factory would "let me in" for an "after purchase tour"?

I can't help with advice on charging, but my experience has been...figure out if the time saved by driving faster is worth the added time spent at chargers (ignoring charging expense). When I drove my daughter's "stuff" to Peoria (from San Antonio), I was in a Penske truck that had a governor that would have slowed it to 70 mph if dropped off a cliff. I drove for (pretty much) two full days to make that 1,300 miles. My wife drove my Tundra a day afterwards, and the half day she saved by driving faster didn't save an overnight stay at a motel. Moral: 70 mph may be "worth it", particularly if stretching to the next recharge. Don't plan en route recharges over 85% unless staying overnight. Get "A Better Route Planner" and update it immediately before you leave for Normal. It's amazing how quickly things change.

Contact Rivian about the tour when the time comes. When I picked mine up at the factory the guide said they were probably going to open for public tours this summer.

 

[tdsmyers]

Mine got "unstraight" at a couple of thousand miles. The left side latch loosened just enough to cause a gap at the left front edge and slight flutter at highway speeds. My roving Rivian tech (Field technician) fixed it in a couple of minutes.

As for factory delivery...my daughter & son-in-law are wrapping up their medical residencies/chief resident years in Peoria later this year and relocating to Dallas. I suspect I'll be "enlisted" to help with the move. I wonder if the factory would "let me in" for an "after purchase tour"?

I can't help with advice on charging, but my experience has been...figure out if the time saved by driving faster is worth the added time spent at chargers (ignoring charging expense). When I drove my daughter's "stuff" to Peoria (from San Antonio), I was in a Penske truck that had a governor that would have slowed it to 70 mph if dropped off a cliff. I drove for (pretty much) two full days to make that 1,300 miles. My wife drove my Tundra a day afterwards, and the half day she saved by driving faster didn't save an overnight stay at a motel. Moral: 70 mph may be "worth it", particularly if stretching to the next recharge. Don't plan en route recharges over 85% unless staying overnight. Get "A Better Route Planner" and update it immediately before you leave for Normal. It's amazing how quickly things change.

Thanks for the insightful advice. My wife uses ABRP when road tripping in her Tesla Model 3. She swears by it!

 

[Jkocis]

Hello all. I took delivery of my R1T in September of last year. I was spending a lot of time in Chicago and didn’t want to wait for the car to get delivered. I also believed that being able to pick it up at the factory would give me the quickest time to get the vehicle. All I did was set factory address as delivery point. I think it worked out to be the fastest way to get the car.

The process is pretty basic and straightforward and I was able to get a plant tour. A buddy of mine drove me down from Chicago to Normal. and we met our tour guide at the front door. First things first. The building is massive. There is an employee parking lot and they use electric buses to shuttle people to the main building. It is a huge complex wits so much stuff going on as they are building cars and doing construction to expand the already giant building.

Before we started the tour we were able to stop and get a coffee at the small coffee shop there. Looks like a lot of the employees and contractors use that as well as there was quite a line.

Then were able to go up the stairs by where all of the offices are, and then walk out on a catwalk over the production line. No photos allowed. The tour guide was very knowledgeable. You are able to see the R1 products being made as well as the EDV vans. While we were there, we probably saw 50 or 60 EDVs roll off the line. We were able to see most of the process though you can’t see anything with the battery assembly and paint. The plant is organized and very clean but it looks like there are several pinch points where lines come together and there were several places were cars were jammed up, waiting for one car to be driven to another spot. All cars get tested for water tightness and are then checked for things like headlight alignment.

As you walk further into the catwalk, you were able to see the welding line where the stampings for the body are put on jigs and then welded by robots. Very impressive process and looks amazing though it is clear there are a lot of small metal parts that are welded together, as opposed to what Tesla is doing with castings. I have been to Subaru and GM factories and the pace at Rivian was reasonable but much slower than other factories I’ve seen. They are still ironing out lots of kinks.

After the tour we went out in front of the building and my truck was parked there. The delivery specialist walked through everything with me and we signed the paperwork. I felt comfortable with the car so the handover was actually quite short and I was able to drive back home. Worth seeing the factory and very nice to see where your car is made

View attachment 10446

View attachment 10447

Hi,

Did they still charge you the $1000 destination/delivery fee?

 

[tdsmyers]

Hi,

Did they still charge you the $1000 destination/delivery fee?

I'll let the poster answer for themselves, but I did ask my guide if this would be something they would waive and was told no.