Rivian is opening up its first Service Center in Europe, but it’s not for what you’d hope
American EV automaker Rivian may finally be making its long-speculated trek overseas into new markets in Europe. According to a recent job post from the company, it is looking for a manager to lead its Service Center in Berlin, Germany – which would be its first footprint in the EU. By looking to hire new positions overseas, Rivian’s EV expansion feels all but imminent. However, those EU customers hoping this means they will soon be able to get their hands on an R1T will be disappointed.
Rivian remains a relatively young EV automaker trying its damnedest to navigate the rocky terrain of start-ups and reach profitable scaled production without going under. Its two flagship EVs are already tackling both roads and trails across the US from the company’s current production footprint in Normal, Illinois.
With a second, massive facility under construction in Georgia, Rivian continues to expand its business model while simultaneously working to ramp up production of not only its consumer EVs but its electric delivery vans under a massive contract with Amazon.
While US consumers have been able to experience the performance and intuitive design Rivian EVs are bringing to the table, customers elsewhere have been waiting by the sidelines for their chance to try out a genuine off-road EV. That has previously led people in Europe to speculate that Rivian would be entering new markets as early as 2023, but the American automaker has since shot down such ideas.
A new job posted by Rivian has offered a glimmer of hope for customers in Europe, but it is fleeting.
Rivian seeks to hire service staff in Europe
As pointed out by member DuoRivians on RivianForums, the American automaker recently posted a new position for Service Center Manager in Berlin, Germany. Per the job posting:
This role requires an experienced professional with high levels of energy and initiative, deep understanding of service processes, go-getter attitude, great leadership skills, and cross-team collaboration. To be successful in this role, you must have a customer-first approach, thrive in ambiguous and unexpected environments, tackling all challenges with a creative and flexible mindset.
As a manager of Rivian’s upcoming Service Center in Europe, many of the responsibilities pertain to such, but it’s still difficult to decipher if the role will engage with passenger EVs like the R1T and R1S or just the electric delivery vans (EDVs) for Amazon. Here are some of the listed responsibilities:
- Accountable for effectively managing a P&L, Work in Progress (WIP) and customer experience measured by a Net Promoter Score (NPS)
- Lead and manage all local operations on the ground with a servant-leadership, hands-on mindset
- Ensure that programs and processes are developed, assessed, communicated, and administered in compliance with Rivian’s objectives
- Collaborate with Service Operations, Sales, Retail, and Delivery & Field Operations teams
- Work in partnership with cross-functional teams regularly on implementing and continuously improving field service operations
- Build a strong customer-centric team of Mobile/Service Technicians, Service Advisors, and Parts Advisors
- Develop and maintain a process to track and report on KPIs at the Service Centers
A source with knowledge of the matter told us that the Berlin Service Center won’t (at least initially) be used to support Rivian consumer EVs, so it looks like the automaker’s focus will be on its client Amazon to start.
That isn’t to say Rivian’s Berlin Service Center or any future footprints in Europe won’t eventually also service passenger EVs… just not anytime soon. Still, an expansion to Europe feels all but guaranteed, just not today. Rivian has plenty on its plate in the US for now.
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Slate Auto, a new EV startup backed by Jeff Bezos, has poached a key Tesla manufacturing leader to build its electric pickup truck factory in Indiana.
Napoleon Reyes is a US Marine from Indiana who got a degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue after leaving the force.
He then worked a few years at Subaru and Wabash before joining Tesla’s manufacturing team at the Fremont Factory in 2020.
There, he became part of the Model Y production ramp and was quickly promoted to lead the Model Y General Assembly in Fremont in 2022.
Reyes led Model Y GA, one of the most critical parts of vehicle manufacturing, for more than a year before being promoted again to lead new pilot processes at the factory.
Most recently, he led the launch of the general assembly line for the Model Y refresh.
The new engineering manager announced this week that he is leaving Tesla to join Slate:
A bit late on the post but after nearly 5 years working at Tesla in Fremont, I made the difficult decision to leave the Company and move closer to home with my family. It was an incredible experience being part of multiple line expansions and multiple Model Y program launches. Leading and managing the Model Y Refresh launch for GA in Fremont this year tested me professionally however we ultimately succeeded due to our amazing cross functional team collaboration. It’s been an absolute pleasure working with such great people, and I will forever be proud and thankful for everything we accomplished together.
I will be taking on a new role as Senior Manager, Plant Vehicle Engineering at Slate Auto in Warsaw, In.
Slate emerged from stealth mode earlier this year to unveil a new type of electric pickup truck featuring modular customization and an affordable price.
The company raised over $700 million through two rounds of investments from several different investors, including Jeff Bezos. It is currently raising more, which basically guarantees that it will be able to reach production.
The startup acquired a former printing plant in Warsaw, Indiana. It is currently converting to manufacture its electric pickup with a team from legacy automakers and also several former engineers and leaders from Tesla.
Rich Schmidt, an early Tesla manufacturing director, is the head of manufacturing.
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Genesis is preparing to shake things up with its most luxurious SUV yet, the GV90. Thanks to a new patent filing, we are getting a detailed look at how its Rolls-Royce-style coach doors will work.
New patent reveals Genesis GV90 coach door system
When Genesis first unveiled the full-size SUV at the NY Auto Show last March, it wasn’t the stunning design or advanced tech that caught everyone’s attention. It was the coach doors.
Although we were worried it wouldn’t make it to the production model, like many concepts, the Genesis GV90 will be offered with coach doors.
The ultra-luxe electric SUV was first caught with coach doors earlier this year on a car carrier in South Korea. Just last month, the GV90 was spotted in California with a hinge at the rear to open the coach doors.
After several new patents were filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for new door latching devices, we are getting a sneak peek at how they are expected to work.
The patents, titled “Cinching Device For Door Latches in Vehicle,” and “Door Latch Device for Vehicles,” give a pretty detailed explanation of how the Genesis GV90’s coach doors will operate. The “Door Latch Device” uses a door striker on the lower side of the door, which is opened or closed by a hinge unit.
Unlike traditional doors, which use the B-pillar for support, the device is attached directly to the door itself, allowing for hinge-like movement.
The cinching device works in a similar way. It’s also attached to the door and part of the vehicle. However, unlike most of its kind, Genesis found a way to use a single cinching device to control multiple units. Again, the device is used for B-pillarless doors that swing open.
Genesis already said that B-pillarless coach doors are now feasible in production vehicles. The patent reveals a glimpse into how the luxury automaker could make it a reality.
Although the Genesis GV90 is expected to be offered with coach doors, they will likely not be standard. Other variants, with traditional door handles, have also been spotted testing in the US and South Korea.
Genesis is expected to launch the GV90 in mid-2026. It will be built at Hyundai’s Ulsan plant in South Korea. The flagship Genesis SUV is scheduled to debut on Hyundai’s new eM platform, which the company said will “provide 50% improvement in driving range.” It will also be loaded with the latest technology, software, connectivity, and Level 3 or higher autonomous driving capabilities.
Source: USPTO
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Environment
Podcast: Tesla Model YL, more Tesla probes and lawsuits, new Nissan Leaf pricing, and more
In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss the launch of the Tesla Model YL, more Tesla probes and lawsuits, new Nissan Leaf pricing, and more.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.
Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:
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