[pnadeau]

Rivian order holders,
As many of us can't wait to take delivery of our R1, how many of us would take part in a mass delivery event in lieu of the home delivery? Granted, home delivery sounds awesome, don't get me wrong. However, I'm betting that there are many of us out here in California (or any place really) that may think it interesting, fun, and intriguing to take delivery of our R1 in an actual Overland setting. Think about it. This is a rare and unique opportunity to forge new relationships, meet like-minded people and solidly create a physical bond with people once again. I'd love to see how everyone else configured their R1s and know what you plan to do with it. I wouldn't mind doing a bit of Overlanding to christen my new Rivian with other overlanders. Imagine a Rivian rooted Overlanding event that Rivian can use to deliver our R1s to one central location, chat with their new customers and do a mass orientation to our vehicles. Think about it and let me know what you think.

Things to consider:
1. This kind of event may affect your delivery date if Rivian agrees to participate in an event like this. Assuming that blocks of vehicles are delivered together by geography and order priority, there could be an effect of when possible delivery can take place. This could be good as well as bad. Good if you get your vehicle sooner rather than later because you chose to "meet" the delivery driver at a predetermined location, bad if you would have otherwise taken delivery on your vehicle sooner.
2. Consider how you would get there - If you are picking up a vehicle to drive home, how would you get there if you need to drive your new R1 home? Make it an outing with friends or family, and have them drive! Take public transportation and pack light! Carpool... in reality, its an easy problem to solve, but should be considered.
3. We will all need a charge at some point if we go on a trail ride. We would need to consider this as I'm sure charging networks could be scarce.
4. My plan would be to camp for a few days in the area and get to meet fellow Rivian Owners, so I'd need to bring gear, food and etc. We'd need accommodations for campers, glampers, and hotels nearby for less adventurous folks (possibly Tesla owners who haven't muddied their sneakers yet).
5. Rivian representation - It would be great if this type of place could be set up over a longer period of time so folks can take advantage of taking their delivery here until the initial distribution of R1s is out there. If they are interested, Rivian could put a few CS folks on tap to answer questions and hang with their customer base.
6. So much more - There are a ton of things to consider. First of which would be if anyone would be interested in something like this? If so, feed the thread with your thoughts. If it grows legs, we'll walk it!

Cheers,

 

[Jayazusa]

I had a similar concept but at the factory in Normal, IL large group of launch edition. Owners meet T the factory, get a tour and all get some exclusive swag and route plan with the rivian team. CreTe a plan to blanket all corners of the country on the “Long Way Home” the group would have stops along the way home at chargers where potential owners could meet and talk to new owners see the trucks in person. Create a real grass roots marketing event out of it.

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

I had a similar concept but at the factory in Normal, IL.

I'd be more inclined to take delivery at the factory, if Rivian chooses to make that available.

 

[travwill]

Probably just those of ya'll in California, but it would probably not work well since they will likely produce in color batches and trim levels. Finally it seems like an EV will roll out more evenly without focus on CA first for a change being the factory is in the midwest. Who knows quite what order they will pop out in, but the only given is that the launch edition 300 mile packs will beat those of us waiting for the max 400 mile packs...

 

[lg3103]

I had a similar concept but at the factory in Normal, IL large group of launch edition. Owners meet T the factory, get a tour and all get some exclusive swag and route plan with the rivian team. CreTe a plan to blanket all corners of the country on the “Long Way Home” the group would have stops along the way home at chargers where potential owners could meet and talk to new owners see the trucks in person. Create a real grass roots marketing event out of it.

Like that idea...previously did factory deliveries w/ Mercedes and Porsche in Germany...those were great experiences...like the idea to meet potential owners on the way home

 

[Shkelton]

I also like the idea of the Factory vs CA. Being in Wisconsin much closer But to get a tour of the factory, see the folks that built it, the process just seems like icing on the cake.

 

[Bp1601]

I like the idea of meeting at the factory instead of California. It would be awesome to see where my R1T was born and maybe pick up some special launch edition swag. It would be super cool if they did something for us early adopters and I wouldn't mind meeting some of the other owners as well.

 

[eHauler]

I'm all for the factory as well!

I also like the idea of the Factory vs CA. Being in Wisconsin much closer But to get a tour of the factory, see the folks that built it, the process just seems like icing on the cake.

I like the idea of meeting at the factory instead of California. It would be awesome to see where my R1T was born and maybe pick up some special launch edition swag. It would be super cool if they did something for us early adopters and I wouldn't mind meeting some of the other owners as well.

Add yourselves to the New Rivian Order Tracker - Enter Your Configuration Here

 

[R99]

If I was in California I'd be all for doing some kind of a meet up with other owners. But meeting at the factory would be pretty special.

 

[travwill]

Doesn't buying and taking delivery directly in California also have some odd laws I recall. I think if you have a trade-in they have to charge sales tax on the entire price - not difference? You have to pay CA state taxes on taking delivery which might be a pain when back in your home state, etc? Would want to check your local incentive/rebates for EVs also to make sure you don't lose any by taking a CA delivery - maybe CO still has some at state level, etc? Rivian will probably only delivery nearest the registration address likely anyway, but worth double checking those things if considering non-resident CA delivery.

 

[timesinks]

I think if you have a trade-in they have to charge sales tax on the entire price - not difference? You have to pay CA state taxes on taking delivery which might be a pain when back in your home state, etc?

Yes on both of those. Most states will give you a credit paid for sales tax in another state toward their own sales tax (WA waives it entirely if you paid any to another state), but yeah, definitely in for some weirdness, red tape, and possibly extra $$$.

 

[pnadeau]

I'm always surprised in the ways posts grow into conversation threads that I didn't anticipate. When I wrote this post, I was merely thinking of us on the West Coast that couldn't take delivery at Normal if that was even an option. I have 20 years of experience in transportation logistics and it had just dawned on me that trucks moving across the nation and then delivering to individuals will take longer (a lot) than if customers opted to meet at, say, a dealership or storefront or pop-up point of sale. Then I got to thinking about the Rivian community and how cool it would be that if that point of delivery was at some really cool spot like an overland destination, or someplace usually choked by smog emissions. This doesn't have to even be just California. Seeing that many (if not all) replies here are non-Californians, think of a location in your state that could host a mass delivery event. Trucks could meet many customers there in one day, vastly reducing the miles driven, logistics about many neighborhoods that will be no doubt challenging. Think of it this way:
You get an email from RJ Wonka... err Scaringe, informing you that the day is near! Your R1 is off the line getting ready to be delivered. You are presented with a choice. Option 1: Pick-up your vehicle at one of 3 locations: Death Valley, Big Bear or Lake Tahoe on September 22nd. Option 2: Take delivery in your own driveway between September 30th and November 1st (exact date to be determined closed to deliver date). I was just thinking that this could be a win-win for all parties no matter the geographical location. Even if Rivian offered delivery at their storefront locations in Chicago, Irvine, Normal and everywhere else they choose to create a brick and mortar presence, that accomplishes the same thing (although I would assume less fun than meeting fellow R1ers at Joshua Tree ).

I do assume that Rivian's logistics team has thought through the various options and has developed the best options for the masses. Creating something like this would really have to be customer-driven for the most part as they are really in the 11th hour of their plans I'm sure and this would not be the easiest thing to create. However, if they simply had the same address to deliver to for many customers, that would be a boon for their efficiencies.

Thoughts?

 

[Bob O'Connor]

I like the idea of meeting at the factory instead of California. It would be awesome to see where my R1T was born and maybe pick up some special launch edition swag. It would be super cool if they did something for us early adopters and I wouldn't mind meeting some of the other owners as well.

I'm closer to California but would much prefer a factory event. Being able to tour the manufacturing site is an awesome idea. I also like the idea of a sort of caravan home with other owners..

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

Something else to consider is that Rivian may not do the deliveries themselves, directly. There are vendors that specialize in vehicle transportation. I shipped my motorcycles across the country, once, and the vendor provided me with door-to-door service. I was talking with one of the drivers while they were unloading and they mentioned they do factory deliveries for HD trikes, since the crates that HD uses for their other motorcycles won't work for the trikes, so they ship them fully-assembled and ready-to-rock via the 3rd party.

Using a third party for in-your-driveway delivery has the advantage of not bogging down Rivian and letting them focus on their core competency rather than logistics of shipping cars to every possible address.

The biggest downside that I can see is it may limit their ability to control the "experience" of delivery... But I think there are ways to mitigate that. For example, regular emails to the purchaser sharing status updates, "how-tos", and information to set expectations as the delivery comes closer. Then a large envelope/packet can be placed on the driver seat, saran-wrapped to the steering wheel, or wedged into the drivers window (whatever) so it's the first thing the customer sees/opens after they do the walk-around to inspect for damage. Opening the packet could present a unique and visually-stunning personalized folder that presents important documents, important quick-start information, extra keys, etc. QR codes could provide links to welcome videos, tutorials, and walkthroughs. The truck could even be shipped in a "transport" mode where minimal functionality is enabled, to reduce power drain and allow the transport company to move the vehicle on/off the trailer. Then when it's on the ground in the owners driveway you tap a button on the screen to begin delivery and all the functionality becomes enabled, perhaps some fanfare is played on the speakers and shown on the display. There could be a welcome video, and a guided registration process and product overview.

I'm just brainstorming, here... But these are highly technical products, designed and built by intelligent and innovative folks. This is an interesting problem and if people put their minds together this can not only be solved, but a truly unique experience can be developed to delight new customers.