Rivian R2: Everything We Know
The Rivian R2 is Rivian’s future platform and electric mid-size SUV, which was announced on March 7th, alongside the R3 and R3X. The R2 is supposed to bring Rivian’s performance and capabilities in a smaller, five-seat package optimized for everyday use and adventuring.
Price and Specs
Rivian hasn’t provided complete details on all the build options for the R2 just yet – but it will be starting at $45,000 USD. It’ll have an estimated range of up to 300+ mi, and a 0-60mph (0-100 km/h) in under 3 seconds in select trims. This, alongside the 5-seat capacity, makes the R2 a strong competitor against the Tesla Model Y Long Range in the United States – which starts today at $47,990.
Rivian recently announced the specifications for its R2 AWD launch edition.
Battery Options
We expect Rivian’s offerings to vary widely based on the battery and motor package. Today, Rivian offers a Standard Pack, Large Pack, and Max Pack on the R1S and R1T. For the R2, Rivian will launch two battery packs, and the larger pack will be the one that obtains both the 300+ mi of range and the 3-second 0-60mph acceleration. This could change in the future, but for now, this seems pretty settled, as Rivian intends to offer fewer configuration options to reduce manufacturing complexity.
The R2 will also feature a structural battery based on Rivian’s new 4695 cells, which they say will offer significant improvements in both energy density and output. Rivian intends to focus its efforts on this new cell size going forward.
Motor Options
On the R1T and the R1S, the motor options are a dual-motor AWD, trimotor, and quad-motor variants. However, for the R2, Rivian will be offering it in a single-motor (RWD) variant, as well as a dual-motor (AWD), and tri-motor (two rear, one front) configuration. This is mostly to make the vehicle as cost-efficient as possible.
EV Rebates and Tax Credits
We’re currently not sure if the R2 will be eligible for the United States Federal EV Rebate, or Canada’s iZEV rebate. The Canadian rebate is more flexible but is only $5,000 CAD (~$3600 USD), while the American rebate is a tax credit, and is based on battery material origin and vehicle production. It’ll likely be eligible for the full $7,500 USD (~$10,000 CAD), but we’ll have to wait for confirmation from Rivian.
Charging Capabilities
One of the most important things for the R2 is the inclusion of Tesla’s NACS port, and built-in Supercharger support. Additionally, for the R2 specifically, the charge port will be moved to the rear left quarter panel – matching the location of Tesla’s NACS port – making it easy to fit your Rivian in at a Tesla Supercharger and not worry about blocking any stalls.
The R2 will also be CCS compatible but will require a CCS-to-NACS adapter. At this point, Rivian does not intend to provide an adapter with the R2, so a third-party adapter will be required unless Rivian releases an OEM option.
Rivian has said that the R2 will be able to charge – on the right hardware – from 10% to 80% in less than 30 minutes. That’s expected to be in line with the top EVs in this price range. The numbers may even improve as Rivian fine-tunes their new 4695 cells.
Autonomy
Rivian’s built up an entirely new autonomy hardware system, including 11 cameras, 5 radars, and an updated compute platform. While they haven’t said exactly how many self-driving capabilities they intend to include, this is an upgraded package from the R1S and R1T Gen1’s MobilEye EyeQ4 “Mid” system. This new system, also included on the second generation R1S and R1T, is MobilEye’s EyeQ5 High, or “MobilEye SuperVision”.
Rivian’s custom compute package also includes compute from Nvidia, but supposedly this board will be in training mode and non-functional until Rivian launches its own autonomy solution. The MobilEye hardware will be responsible for Rivian’s autonomy features, including full-surround perception, automated lane changes, and highway and traffic jam assist – which is essentially an advanced highway lane-keeping assist. Rivian intends to eventually phase out the MobilEye hardware, but we’re not sure when that will happen.
Release Date
Rivian’s R2 is currently available for reservation in the US for $100 USD, and Canada for $150 CAD. The estimated delivery date for the United States is expected to be mid-2026, and Canada will follow along at the same time.
Rivian also intends to launch the R2 internationally, following its North American launch. We know plenty of European customers are considering the R2 as their first or next EV, but we haven’t heard any exact dates for its release in Europe yet. Rivian will likely allow reservations outside of North America once the R2 ramp is completed at its Normal, Illinois facility.
We’re excited to see the launch of the Rivian R2 as it’s expected to bring Rivian into the mainstream and make Rivian a household name.
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