American electric automaker Rivian becomes first in the market to release an EV truck
On Tuesday morning, RJ Scaringe, the CEO and founder of electric automaker Rivian, tweeted an announcement that the company’s first customer vehicle left the assembly line at their production factory located in Normal, Illinois. The car model was Rivian’s first pickup truck called the R1T.
Electric automaker Rivian also gained approval from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the California Air Resources Board to begin shipping R1Ts across the United States to all 50 states. Customers are only able to purchase the EV trucks online because showrooms and test drives are currently unavailable, but Rivian had stated that they are hosting events throughout the county where customers can view the electric trucks in person.
By next year, Rivian is projected to be the first of a small group of electric automakers to produce an EV truck. General Motors’ GMC Hummer EV pickup is expected to arrive this fall, followed by EV start-up Lordstown Motors and Ford. Tesla is supposed to complete their Cybertruck by end of year, but have confirmed a delivery of its Cybertruck to late next year in 2022.
A spokeswoman from Rivian acknowledged that their EV trucks being manufactured are for sale. She refused to comment on any of the company’s plans to increase production, such as an official count of completed EV truck builds and information on those who were the first to purchase.
With the uptrends in the EV market, it might be safe to say that EV trucks are becoming more popular in interest than EV cars due to their practicality and usage as a powersource for plug-in tools. Electric automaker Rivian, which is currently privately held, intends to launch their IPO and go public in November, after it generates income.