Rivian is still on track to launch the midsize R2 next year. The expansion at its Normal, Illinois, plant is quickly advancing as it preps for R2 deliveries in 2026. Rivian says it’s “slightly ahead” on construction. Here’s the latest update on Rivian’s R2 expansion in Normal.
Rivian R2 launch is still on track for 2026
Even during the Illinois winter, Rivian said construction has progressed well. Rivian is building a new 1.1-million-square-foot building on the east side of the plant, which will be the body shop and general assembly for R2.
The Normal plant, where Rivian builds the current R1S, R1T, and Electric Commercial Van, is already 4.3 million square feet. Once the upgrades are complete, the plant will be able to produce up to 215,000 vehicles a year, up from the current 150,000.
Soon, Rivian expects to finish the roof while interior work has already begun. Tony Sanger, VP of production facilities at Rivian, gave us a few updates on its progress.
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According to Sanger, all new buildings are “going vertical.” In other words, the walls, structural components, and roofing are well underway.
Rivian R2 midsize electric SUV (Source: Rivian)
Rivian finished the walls for the new Body, General Assembly, and End of Line building. The structural steel is 70% complete, while the roof decking is about 60% finished.
Sanger said, “We are running slightly ahead on this building.” The Parts Pre-Treat and E-Coat Dip building is nearly completely weather-tight, and Rivian expects its integrator to start landing equipment next month.
Rivian R2 (Source: Rivian)
Rivian’s R2 expansion is still “on track” with the midsize platform set to launch in 2026 as planned. Sanger explained that prefabrication has been key to staying ahead.
Although the new 1.1 million square foot building required Rivian to take down its test track, it’s building a new high-speed track, expected to open this spring.
Rivian’s next-gen R2, R3, and R3X (Source: Rivian)
Earlier this month, CEO RJ Scaringe gave us a sneak peek of the R2 body as it preps for production. Although Rivian will begin building R2 in Normal, it expects output to ramp up significantly at its new EV plant in Georgia.
The Georgia facility is expected to come online in 2028 with up to 400,000 annual vehicle production capacity. Rivian says R2 is just the start, with other variants, like the smaller R3 and sporty R3X, launching shortly after.
Starting at about $45,000, the R2 will be nearly half the cost of Rivian’s current R1S ($77,700) and R1T ($71,700).
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After a rocky rollout of its “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) system in China, Tesla is dropping “FSD” from the name of the system while it faces increased scrutiny from regulators.
Last month, Tesla started rolling out a limited version of its FSD system in China, finally allowing driver assist features to be used on urban roads in the country after a long wait.
Tesla is facing competition from Chinese domestic manufacturers. BYD recently pushed a software update giving smart driving features to all of its vehicles – for free. This is surely part of what pushed Tesla to roll out its FSD system in China in the first place.
But immediately after that rollout, Tesla drivers started racking up fines for violating the law. Many roads in China are watched by CCTV cameras, and fines are automatically handed out to drivers to break the law.
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It’s clear that the system still needs more knowledge about Chinese roads in general, because it kept mistaking bike lanes for right turn lanes, etc. One driver racked up 7 tickets within the span of a single drive after driving through bike lanes and crossing over solid lines. If a driver gets enough points on their license, they could even have their license suspended.
It looks like it’s now making some naming changes, too – and these changes are timed in a way that suggests they might have something to do with that new scrutiny for connected vehicles.
The change in names appeared on Tesla’s website in the last day or so. You can see it below, in both Chinese and translated to English:
Previously, the system was called “FSD Intelligent Assisted Driving” in Chinese. The new name drops “FSD” from the title, and simply calls it “Intelligent Assisted Driving.” It has also previously been called “Full Self-Driving Capability” in China.
Tesla has received plenty of criticism over the years for the name of its system, which, despite being called “Full Self-Driving,” does not actually allow cars to fully drive themselves. Tesla changed the name to “Full Self-Driving (Supervised)” in the US last year, to show that a driver still needs to supervise the vehicle while the system is active.
Despite the name change, the system is still fetching the same price – 64,000 yuan, or about $8,800 USD. Each level of
Tesla also removed the world “autopilot” from the Chinese name for its lower version of driver assist software. This word is meant to evoke airplane systems which can do basic tasks but still require an attentive pilot to take over in case anything goes wrong, but has also been subject to criticism over the years because of the colloquial understanding that suggests drivers can stop paying attention while it’s turned on.
Tesla says that it still intends to offer its driver-assist system in China once it gets the necessary approvals. Perhaps today’s retreat in naming conventions is part of those requirements.
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The 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 SEL is more expensive than the more basic SE, but it’s a better lease deal this month – here’s the lowdown.
The 2025 IONIQ 5 SE Standard Range is the cheapest lease deal right now because it can be leased for $199 per month over 24 months with $3,999 due at signing.
If you want to drive the 2025 IONIQ 5 SE Long Range, which adds an extra 73 miles of range and 57 horsepower, the monthly payment rises to $229 per month over 24 months, with $3,999 due at signing. As CarsDirect points out, that puts the effective monthly cost at $396, and that’s a fantastic deal relative to the SE Long Range’s price of $48,125.
But when we look at the SEL trim, things get interesting: You can upgrade to the $51,075 SEL model for just $10 more per month.
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Hyundai cut $40 off the lease price of the 2025 IONIQ 5 SEL in March, giving it a monthly price of $406. CarsDirect reports that Hyundai is able to offer this great deal on the SEL trim because of the comparably high residual value (65% vs. 63%) and $750 more in lease cash ($12,250 vs. $11,500) factored into the payment than the SE Long Range.
The SEL and SE Long Range have the same powertrain, but that extra $10 a month gets you projector headlights, roof rails, a hands-free power liftgate, a power passenger seat, heated rear seats, rear climate control vents, a heated steering wheel, and other goodies.
These 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 offers are advertised in Los Angeles and are valid through March 31.
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Tesla has been banned from upcoming federal EV rebate programs in Canada as the government freezes the suspicious $43 million in rebates that Tesla claimed days before the program was paused earlier this year.
The move was suspicious as it would have required Tesla to deliver over 8,000 vehicles at just 4 locations on a weekend, which is physically impossible.
It is believed that Tesla preemptively filed for thousands of rebates after being made aware of the pause to ensure it wouldn’t run out in an anticipated surge in demand due to the program’s pause.
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However, this tactic proved problematic. The government told other car dealers who actually delivered EVs before the end of the program that they couldn’t get the rebates, which were already applied to the customer purchases, as Tesla took most of the money for vehicles it likely didn’t deliver.
Today, Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s new transport minister, confirmed that the funds have been frozen until it can investigate precisely what happened with Tesla’s rebates.
Furthermore, Freeland confirmed that Tesla will be banned from future federal rebates for electric vehicles. In this case, it has more to do with the trade war launched by President Trump, whose biggest political donor is Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
She said (via the Toronto Star):
No payments will be made until we are confident that the claims are valid. I also directed my department to change the eligibility criteria for future iZEV programs to ensure that Tesla vehicles will not be eligible for incentives so long as the illegitimate and illegal U.S. tariffs are imposed against Canada.
The federal government is following the same strategy as some provinces. British Columbia has recently banned Tesla products from its EV charger rebate. Nova Scotia just announced that it has excluded Tesla from its $2,000 rebate at the purchase of a new EV.
Quebec just relaunched its own EV incentive program today. It will come into effect next week, and so far, Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y vehicles are still included in the list of eligible vehicles.
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