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Thread: Rivian Trucks

  1. #1
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    Default Rivian Trucks

    Electric vehicle startup Rivian adds $2.65 billion investment led by T. Rowe Price

    DETROIT (Reuters) - Rivian, an electric vehicle startup backed by Amazon.com Inc and Ford Motor Co that aims to put an electric pickup and SUV in production this year, on Tuesday announced a $2.65-billion investment round led by T. Rowe Price.



    Rivian said it has raised $8 billion since the start of 2019. The California company's new valuation with this latest investment is $27.6 billion, according to a person familiar with Rivian's financials.

    "This is a critical year for us as we are launching the R1T (pickup), the R1S (SUV) and the Amazon commercial delivery vehicles," Rivian Chief Executive Officer R.J. Scaringe said in a statement. "The support and confidence of our investors enables us to remain focused on these launches while simultaneously scaling our business for our next stage of growth.”



    Rivian has said deliveries of pickups would start in June, while those of SUVs would begin in August. Launch editions of the vehicles are priced at $75,000 and $77,500, respectively, with a 300-mile (480 km) driving range for both.

    Amazon ordered 100,000 electric vans from Rivian. The first Amazon vehicles go into production at Rivian's factory in Normal, Illinois in late 2021, with all deliveries to be completed by 2024.

    Rivian plans to follow those products with smaller models targeted at China and Europe, Scaringe told Reuters in November.

    Tuesday's funding round also includes Fidelity Management and Research Company, Amazon's Climate Pledge Fund, Coatue and D1 Capital Partners. Several other existing and new investors will also participate.

    T. Rowe Price led a $2.5 billion funding round into Rivian last July.

    Other previous investors in Rivian include Soros Fund Management, BlackRock and Saudi auto distributor Abdul Latif Jameel Co (ALJ).

    (Reporting by Ben Klayman and Paul Lienert in Detroit; Editing by David Gregorio)

    https://finance.yahoo.com/news/elect...154007294.html

  2. #2
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    If I was confident that they’ll ever actually mass produce these, and if I was confident that this company wasn’t going to fold in a few years, and if they’d get the range up to 500+ miles, I’d buy one. I’ve been watching them and Lordstown and they’ve both been saying “next year” for the last five years.

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    I am hoping that instead of waiting around for battery life to catch up, one of these companies will start focusing on an easily interchangeable battery interface. Instead of worrying about charging time, pull in to a battery station and have it swapped out with a fully charged one in 10 minutes or less. I see Sams/Costco etc offering plans along with the energy companies as oil falls out of favor...

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    Quote Originally Posted by JABIII View Post
    I am hoping that instead of waiting around for battery life to catch up, one of these companies will start focusing on an easily interchangeable battery interface. Instead of worrying about charging time, pull in to a battery station and have it swapped out with a fully charged one in 10 minutes or less. I see Sams/Costco etc offering plans along with the energy companies as oil falls out of favor...
    That's something I never thought about but makes alot of sense. Then you really don't have to worry about them getting outdated either. The cost of ownership will have to trickle somewhere though.

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    I've thought the same thing. I envision driving over a pit (like at an oil change place), robots remove the used battery and slap a fully charged one back in. Make it as fast as filling up a tank of gas.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Geetch View Post
    I've thought the same thing. I envision driving over a pit (like at an oil change place), robots remove the used battery and slap a fully charged one back in. Make it as fast as filling up a tank of gas.
    I've been saying this exact thing for years and I worked with electric vehicles right out of school.

    Until it makes sense for the petro minded American public, it won't make sense for large scale production.

    However, I expect it'll take something along the lines of a subscription to make it work fiscally. Either that or, you know, a multi-billion dollar investment to kick this thing off in a large metropolis like Atlanta, Austin, LA where folks are open minded to something new. The scale up would be easy from there.
    "Freedom Isn't Free"
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dook View Post
    Go tigers!

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    Would be set up like a forklift maintenance contract with battery changing stations along the road.

    Startup cost of infrastructure would be astronomical.
    Last edited by Jozie & Me; 01-19-2021 at 04:34 PM.
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    Quote Originally Posted by JABIII View Post
    I am hoping that instead of waiting around for battery life to catch up, one of these companies will start focusing on an easily interchangeable battery interface. Instead of worrying about charging time, pull in to a battery station and have it swapped out with a fully charged one in 10 minutes or less. I see Sams/Costco etc offering plans along with the energy companies as oil falls out of favor...
    The way I understand it is the battery packs are as large as the car. Rows of them... in serial.
    https://qnovo.com/peek-inside-the-ba...tesla-model-s/

  9. #9
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    Would people push the limit like they do with a propane tank? Trying to get every last drop of power out of it? This is something the subscription idea would answer for sure.

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    So, how much would said battery swap cost? You pay $60-$80+ for a fill-up on a combustion engine truck for 500 miles or so of travel. Would it be comparable? More? Less? What happens to all the old used up batteries? What happens if you get a bad charge and are left stranded? If a battery melts down and burns up your car, is this charging station responsible? It may be the wave of the future but there’s a long way to go. I know a few folks with Tesla’s, 1/2 have been flawless, the other 1/2 have had charging or battery issues.
    Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal? I wouldn't go so far as to call a dog filthy but they're definitely dirty. But, a dog's got personality. Personality goes a long way.


    You might take out a dozen before they drag you from your home and skull fuck you to death. Marsh Chicken 6/21/2013

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    I’d be good with a 4-500 mile range and a decent infrastructure of charging stations. They claim to be able to recharge in 30-60 minutes which would be tolerable, especially if it was a fraction of the cost of a tank of gas.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jozie & Me View Post
    Would be set up like a forklift maintenance contract with battery changing stations along the road.

    Startup cost of infrastructure would be astronomical.
    The startup cost is actually not as bad as one would think when you put pen to paper.

    There's not a lot out there that would need this at the moment. It's an ease in business model.

    The problem is that our aging electric grid would get punished, but the power authorities have the benefit of ease in, as well.

    Quote Originally Posted by YoungBuckTX View Post
    The way I understand it is the battery packs are as large as the car. Rows of them... in serial.
    https://qnovo.com/peek-inside-the-ba...tesla-model-s/
    This is a simple design problem.

    Why a standard set of batteries hasn't been discussed by ASME and/or SAE, I'll never understand. I was part of the initial charge port standardization conversations and that was an absolute clusterfuck. I can't imagine talking about battery packs.

    Think of it like this:

    In cars/SUVs, you have the following options: 4cyl, 6cyl, 8cyl (luxury/performance).... we'll ignore the 10cyl/ultra-performance factory stuff for the time being as it's such a small percentage of what's out there.

    In trucks, you have the following options: 4cyl (micro trucks), 6cyl, 8cyl, 8cyl diesel (tow rigs)

    I can boil this down to basically two car setups and three truck setups.

    That's 5 battery bank platforms for all vehicles.

    Motor/controller calibrations and installations will dictate the performance (and range).

    Tow rig?... Until something revolutionary hits, you're not going to see a ton of range with a truck that looks like or is setup anything like what we currently see in the 3/4-1ton market while actually pulling a load.

    Everything else?... It's totally doable.

    Quote Originally Posted by Saltydog235 View Post
    So, how much would said battery swap cost? You pay $60-$80+ for a fill-up on a combustion engine truck for 500 miles or so of travel. Would it be comparable? More? Less? What happens to all the old used up batteries? What happens if you get a bad charge and are left stranded? If a battery melts down and burns up your car, is this charging station responsible? It may be the wave of the future but there’s a long way to go. I know a few folks with Tesla’s, 1/2 have been flawless, the other 1/2 have had charging or battery issues.
    What type of battery do you prefer? Ultra-light exotic shit with medium range?... You pay the ultra exotic subscription fee. Regular old flooded cell battery bank with vapor/corrosion issues and less than ideal range?... You pay the peasant subscription fee. Standard setup with maximum range?.... You pay the commuter subscription fee.

    One charger can charge them all. One charger can automatically sense the battery type and change charge curve and voltage accordingly.

    This really isn't that hard of a problem to solve (until you start talking about what flipping the switch to this overnight would do to our country's power grid).

    Americans just don't want (read NEED) it yet.
    "Freedom Isn't Free"
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dook View Post
    Go tigers!

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    Quote Originally Posted by BowfinClassic View Post
    I’d be good with a 4-500 mile range and a decent infrastructure of charging stations. They claim to be able to recharge in 30-60 minutes which would be tolerable, especially if it was a fraction of the cost of a tank of gas.
    What would be a fraction of the cost that would make you want to wait an hour on a trip to charge your vehicle? Maybe put charging pedestals in at the Waffle House? What about busy stations on highways? Think about how many vehicles you see at the pumps for 5 minutes, now imagine the lines when it is 30-60 minutes?
    Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal? I wouldn't go so far as to call a dog filthy but they're definitely dirty. But, a dog's got personality. Personality goes a long way.


    You might take out a dozen before they drag you from your home and skull fuck you to death. Marsh Chicken 6/21/2013

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    Quote Originally Posted by BowfinClassic View Post
    I’d be good with a 4-500 mile range and a decent infrastructure of charging stations. They claim to be able to recharge in 30-60 minutes which would be tolerable, especially if it was a fraction of the cost of a tank of gas.
    Bullshit.

    It's nearly 2hrs to charge a Model 3 at 460V.

    When's the last time you had control of anything requiring 3ph power that's also available to the general public?
    "Freedom Isn't Free"
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dook View Post
    Go tigers!

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    Quote Originally Posted by Saltydog235 View Post
    What would be a fraction of the cost that would make you want to wait an hour on a trip to charge your vehicle? Maybe put charging pedestals in at the Waffle House? What about busy stations on highways? Think about how many vehicles you see at the pumps for 5 minutes, now imagine the lines when it is 30-60 minutes?
    Exactly.

    In and out is what we're now wired for.

    You can't sell someone something that they don't even want for more money unless you IMPROVE their lives in some way (even if only perceived).
    "Freedom Isn't Free"
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dook View Post
    Go tigers!

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    That 75k price is the real deterrent from going electric. Until they fix we ain’t gonna see those things all over the road

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    Just put chicken wire over the roads and energize it. Conductive buggy whip antennae and booyah!

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    Quote Originally Posted by turbo View Post
    Bullshit.

    It's nearly 2hrs to charge a Model 3 at 460V.

    When's the last time you had control of anything requiring 3ph power that's also available to the general public?
    The difference is the majority of charging would happen in homes overnight. The primary user of charging stations theoretically are people traveling more than 500 miles/day which is something I do about four times a year.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Saltydog235 View Post
    What would be a fraction of the cost that would make you want to wait an hour on a trip to charge your vehicle? Maybe put charging pedestals in at the Waffle House? What about busy stations on highways? Think about how many vehicles you see at the pumps for 5 minutes, now imagine the lines when it is 30-60 minutes?
    Considering how seldom I’d actually use a charging station the fraction wouldn’t have to be all that low. And I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t have to completely rethink infrastructure. Maybe conventional gas stations wouldn’t be ideal, maybe charging at restaurants, retail, hotels, etc would be more practical. I’d be all for recharging while I knocked out a Texas patty melt.

  20. #20
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    We have 12 hybrid electric UPS trucks at my building. They run on banks of lithium ion batteries and have an onboard generator to recharge once battery bank gets below 60%. Their range is about 60 miles/ charge around town. They hate interstate speeds and big inclines. They are huge pieces of shit. I drive one every day. Out of the 12 at least 5 are red tagged at any given time. We’ve had them for three years now which puts them out of warranty. Mechanics told me the other day they are all on the crush list. Anything catastrophic and they are done. I believe they take 5-6 hours to completely charge once plugged in.

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