After announcing that R2 production will kick off in Illinois, Rivian (RIVN) is poised to earn additional incentives with plans to expand its Normal EV plant.
Meet Rivian’s more affordable R2 electric SUV
Rivian unveiled its compact, more affordable R2 electric SUV last week at its new Laguna showroom. Tapping into his inner Steve Jobs, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe had a “one last thing” moment, shocking the crowd with the even smaller and more affordable R3.
Scaringe wasn’t done there. He took it a step further, introducing the rugged tri-motor R3X. The R3X is Rivian’s take on a high-performance electric crossover with wider wheels, more ground clearance, and a tri-motor setup.
Rivian’s R2 is essentially a smaller R1S offered at a cheaper price point. It will be based on Rivian’s next-gen EV platform designed to cut costs with maximum flexibility.
The R2 will be offered in single, dual, and tri-motor setups, with all versions boasting over 300 miles range. Rivan’s entry-level model will start at around $45,000.
According to Scaringe, the R2 is already generating quite a bit of hype. Rivian’s CEO posted on his X Friday that the R2 received over 68,000 reservations in less than 24 hours.
Rivian revealed it would kick off R2 production at its Normal, Illinois plant to accelerate its launch. Despite initial plans to build R2 at its new $5 billion EV plant in Georgia, Rivian said the move will save $2.25 billion while speeding up R2’s launch.
The State of Illinois is working with Rivian for additional incentives as it prepares to build R2 in the state.
According to Automotive News, Illinois looks to double down on the EV maker with new expansion plans at its Normal facility. “The elements of an economic development package are still being finalized,” the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity said.
“Once they are finalized, we will update the public on the details of the incentive package. Although Rivian is delaying its Georgia plant, it’s not expected to be significant.
The move is more to get out R2 quicker. Rivian said it will expand the plant to support up to 215,000 units of annual production capacity, up 43% from the previous 150,000 target.
Rivian has yet to say if it will expand or modify the plant for the added capacity. According to AN, an expansion may qualify Rivian for additional incentives for bringing R2 to Illinois.
Scaringe confirmed Rivian is “absolutely dedicated to bringing our Georgia plant to life with good jobs, economic development, and a product to be proud of” in a letter to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC).
Rivian’s leader clarified, “I want to be absolutely clear we remain committed to building our future in Georgia.”
R2 production will now kick-off at the beginning of 2026. After that, the smaller and even more affordable R3 and tri-motor R3X will begin rolling out.
After slipping over 45% this year and hitting a new all-time low last month, Rivian’s (RIVN) stock is up almost 20% over the past five trading days since unveiling the R2. Rivian shares are now down around 5% over the past 12 months.
Electrek’s Take
The move to begin building R2 in Illinois saves Rivian much-needed capital as it looks to expand the brand.
CFO Claire McDonough said the EV maker was confident its cash and equivalents would fund operations through 2025 last month. By bringing R2 production to Illinois, Rivian now expects to have enough funding through the start of R2 production.
Rivian expects planned upgrades in Normal this quarter to reduce material costs later this year. The EV maker sees a “modest growth profit” in the fourth quarter.
However, due to the shutdown, Rivian expects deliveries to be around 57,000, about the same as last year.
Rivian is following in Tesla’s footsteps as it looks to build its next-gen EVs in Texas, with Gigafactory Mexico running behind schedule.
Like Tesla, the move to begin production at an existing factory can help Rivian get the R2 out quicker while saving money.
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Mining company Vale is turning to Caterpillar to provide this massive, 240-ton battery-electric haul truck in a bid to slash carbon emissions at its mines by 2030.
Caterpillar and Vale have signed an agreement that will see the Brazilian mining company test severe-duty battery electric mining trucks like the 793 BEV (above), as well as V2G/V2x energy transfer systems and alcohol-powered trucks. The test will help Vale make better equipment choices as it works to achieve its goals of reducing direct and indirect carbon emissions 33% by 2030 and eliminating 100% of its net emissions by 2050.
If that sounds weird, consider that most cars and trucks in Brazil run on either pure ethyl alcohol/ethanol (E100) or “gasohol” (E25).
“We are developing a portfolio of options to decarbonize Vale’s operations, including electrification and the use of alternative fuels in the mines. The most viable solutions will be adopted,” explains Ludmila Nascimento, energy and decarbonization director Vale. “We believe that ethanol has great potential to contribute to the 2030 target because it is a fuel that has already been adopted on a large scale in Brazil, with an established supply network, and which requires an active partnership with manufacturers. We stand together to support them in this goal.”
Vale will test a 240-ton Cat 793 battery-electric haul truck at its operations in Minas Gerais, and put energy transfer solutions to a similar tests at Vale’s operations in Pará over the next two-three years. Caterpillar and Vale have also agreed to a joint study on the viability of a dual-fuel (ethanol/diesel) solution for existing ICE-powered assets.
During its debut in 2022, the Cat 793 haul truck was shown on a 4.3-mile test course at the company’s Tucson proving grounds. There, the 240-ton truck was able to achieve a top speed of over 37 mph (60 km/h) fully loaded. Further tests involved the loaded truck climbing a 10% grade for a full kilometer miles at 7.5 mph before unloading and turning around for the descent, using regenerative braking to put energy back into the battery on the way down.
Despite not giving out detailed specs, Caterpillar reps reported that the 793 still had enough charge in its batteries for to complete more testing cycles.
Electrek’s Take
Electric equipment and mining to together like peanut butter and jelly. In confined spaces, the carbon emissions and ear-splitting noise of conventional mining equipment can create dangerous circumstances for miners and operators, and that can lead to injury or long-term disability that’s just going to exacerbate a mining operation’s ability to keep people working and minerals coming out of the ground.
By working with companies like Vale to prove that forward-looking electric equipment can do the job as well as well as (if not better than) their internal combustion counterparts, Caterpillar will go a long way towards converting the ICE faithful.
Argonne National Laboratory is building a new research and development facility to independently test large-scale hydrogen fuel cell systems for heavy-duty and off-road applications with funding from the US Department of Energy.
The US Department of Energy (DOE) is hoping Argonne Nat’l Lab’s extensive fuel cell research experience, which dates back to 1996, will give it unique insights as it evaluates new polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell systems ranging from 150 to 600 kilowatts for use in industrial vehicle and stationary power generation applications.
The new Argonne test facility will help prove (or, it should be said, disprove) the validity of hydrogen as a viable fuel for transportation applications including heavy trucks, railroad locomotives, marine vessels, and heavy machines used in the agriculture, construction, and mining industries.
“The facility will serve as a national resource for analysis and testing of heavy-duty fuel cell systems for developers, technology integrators and end-users in heavy-duty transportation applications including [OTR] trucks, railroad locomotives, marine vessels, aircraft and vehicles used in the agriculture, construction and mining industries,” explains Ted Krause, laboratory relationship manager for Argonne’s hydrogen and fuel cell programs. “The testing infrastructure will help advance fuel cell performance and pave the way toward integrating the technology into all of these transportation applications.”
Speaking of Moog, we talked to some of the engineers being their ZQuip modular battery systems on a HEP-isode of The Heavy Equipment Podcast a few months back. I’ve included it, below, in case that’s something you’d like to check out.
Velocity truck rental is doing its part to help commercial fleets electrify by energizing 47 high-powered charging stations at four strategic dealer locations across Southern California. And they’re doing it now.
The new Velocity Truck Rental & Leasing (VTRL) charging network isn’t some far-off goal being announced for PR purposes. The company says its new chargers are already in the ground, and set to be fully online and energized by the end of this month at at VTRL facilities in Rancho Dominguez (17), Fontana (14), the City of Industry (14), and San Diego (2).
45 120 kW Detroit e-Fill chargers make up the bulk of VTRL’s infrastructure project, while two DCFC stations from ChargePoint get them to 47. All of the chargers, however, where chosen specifically to cater to the needs of medium and heavy-duty battery electric work trucks.
At Velocity, we are not just reacting to the shift towards electric mobility; we are at the forefront with our customers and actively shaping it. By integrating high-powered, commercial-grade charging solutions along key transit corridors, we are ensuring that our customers have the support they need today. This charging infrastructure investment is a testament to our commitment to helping our customers transition smoothly to electromobility solutions and to prepare for compliance with the Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) regulations.
David Deon, velocity president
Velocity plans to offer flexible charging options to accommodate the needs of different fleets, including both managed, “charging as a service” subscription plans and self-managed/opportunity charging during daily routes. While trucks are charging, drivers and operators will be able to relax in comfortable break rooms equipped with WIFI, television, snacks, water, and restrooms.
Electrek’s Take
While it feels a bit underwhelming to write about trucking companies simply following the letter of the law in California, the rollout of an all-electric, zero-emission commercial trucking fleet remains something that, I think, should be celebrated.