In recent times, we have seen many carmakers strike collaborations with Tesla to use the latter’s Supercharging network.
The upcoming Rivian R2 will get a charging port on the driver’s side so that it is able to connect with the Tesla Supercharger easily. The list of car marque signing agreements with Tesla to use its Supercharger is rather long. Tesla has arguably the best DC fast charging infrastructure across the nation. On top of that, the expansion to increase charging stations is rapid. No wonder many auto companies have joined hands with Tesla to ensure their customers get peace of mind. Rivian will offer it on the R2 from the factory itself.
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Rivian R2 Charging Port on Driver’s Side
The information came from RivianForums. This post mentions that Rivian executives confirmed that the charge port on the upcoming R2 will be on the driver’s side. Admittedly, not everyone is happy with this news. At present, the R1T and R1S get the charging ports on the extreme edge of the front bumper. However, since the future models from Rivian will possess the capabilities of using the Tesla Supercharger directly, the charging port be shifted to the driver’s side.
The netizens were not impressed by this news. They claim that they have seen on many occasions, some EV owners occupying two charging spots just because of weird placements of ports. The lack of standardization in this aspect can be cumbersome for EV owners. While the number of EVs at charging stations is not too high at present, things will eventually change. That is when problems could occur.
The Rivian R2 is a mid-size electric SUV which will go into production at Normal, Illinois in early 2026. Its prime attraction will be the relatively affordable price point. Rivian claims that it would start at around $45,000. That is significantly lower than R1S which starts at $75,000. The length, height and wheelbase figures are 4,715 mm, 1,700 mm and 2,935 mm, respectively. For reference, for the R1S, these are 5,100 mm, 1,873 mm and 3,075 mm, respectively.
Rivian’s Vice President of Manufacturing, Tim Fallon, said that the EV startup has already bagged “well over 100,00 pre-orders” and this number is climbing “organically”. As per the official X tweet, Rivian is taking the R2 on a tour across the U.S. at the moment. It will commence from Pasadena on Aug 8 and culminate in Toronto on Feb 23.
Spotted arriving in Pasadena! 👀
— Rivian (@Rivian) August 8, 2024
⁰R2 kicks off an epic, multi-city road show this week with special guest R3X. Come say hi and click the link to find out how you can get behind the wheel of a Rivian.https://t.co/HsJ9xi0IKy pic.twitter.com/2XbsMd8TW3
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Learn Electric Cars Says
The Rivian R2, R3 and R3X are going to be the brand’s foray into the relatively affordable mass market. That will also be the path to profitability. Needless to say, once the masses adopt EVs with full vigor, companies like Rivian will set a great foundation for themselves to emerge as prominent carmakers in the coming decades. The multi-billion-dollar investment from Volkswagen will also go a long way in ensuring that the brand transitions into the mass market smoothly. I shall keep an eye out for more details in this case.
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