For the past several months, the Rivian R2 has existed primarily as an untouchable prototype, drawing massive crowds during its nationwide Block Party tour. These static displays were successful in generating hundreds of thousands of reservations, but when consumers can get hands-on with the vehicle, Rivian will likely see reservations skyrocket.
Demo drives for the Rivian R2 are now live and available to book on the Rivian website and in the latest version of the mobile app.
Booking a Demo Drive
Currently, the availability of these demo drives is fairly localized. Rivian has deployed its first wave of drivable R2 units to a select few high-traffic retail locations, including key hubs in Palo Alto, San Diego, Chicago, and New York.
For the full list and to see if there’s a location near you, head over to Rivian’s demo drive page and enter your zip code.
So far, the response to demo drives has been positive, with slots filling up quickly. The self-scheduling demo booking tool in the Rivian app experienced an immediate rush, with the first few days of 30-minute slots already solidly booked out at many locations.
Expansions Coming Soon
While the initial rollout is limited to a handful of flagship locations, Rivian will expand the number of locations as it produces more vehicles. Right now, Rivian is facing its backlog of reservations and will likely prioritize those vehicles over additional demo vehicles.
For Rivian, the R2 is a make-it-or-break-it vehicle, and so far, it’s already been a runaway success.
