Rivian is an electric vehicle startup. The Rivian R1T is the first electric truck to market. But it seems only Rivian employees with pre-orders have received a truck. Other EV fans are eagerly awaiting their Rivian release date. Many were promised trucks by the end of November. Recently, Rivian told several such pre-order holders that they would not see their vehicles until the spring of 2022.

Rivian has delayed the Rivian release date until March 2022 for some customers

Rivian is an electric vehicle startup. It is one of the buzziest companies in the EV space. Rivian has been perfecting its 4×4 drivetrain for years. It finally unveiled the Rivian R1T electric truck and Rivian R1S SUV. The company announced the Rivian release date for the R1T truck would be sometime in 2021 and the SUV sometime in 2022.

First, COVID slowed production. Then, an international chip shortage shut down multiple factories. Rivian had to push its delivery date back. Finally, in September 2021, the first customer-ready Rivian R1T truck rolled off the assembly line. The 48,390 people with Rivian pre-orders hoped they would see their vehicles soon. But recently, some pre-order holders have received a dreaded phone call.

Many Rivian R1T pre-order holders have connected on Reddit. Previously, Rivian had promised most of these customers a November delivery. Then, on November 4th, one such Rivian fan shared that a company representative had contacted them to push this delivery date back. First, the representative admitted Rivian is struggling with “supply chain issues.” Then, this official added that the company does not want to release any Rivian vehicle that is not 100% ready. Finally, they told the customer not to expect delivery until March or April of 2022. Other Redditors reported they had received the exact same call.

Will Rivian deliver on time?

The Rivian factory in Normal, Illinois, is producing road-ready trucks. It seemed the Rivian release date had finally come. Rivian reports it has delivered 42 vehicles since. But here’s the rub, all of these vehicles have gone to Rivian employees. 

After years with the startup, many Rivian employees have ordered their own R1T electric truck. Now that Rivian is in production, it is first fulfilling employee orders. Once every employee who wants a truck has got one, Rivian will deliver trucks to non-employees. So it is unclear just how many employees have ordered a Rivian. It is also hard to tell when Rivian will fulfill these, and the general public will get trucks.

The Rivian price

Many pre-order holders selected a collectible “Launch Edition” Rivian R1T. These trucks start at $74,145. These trucks are top-trim R1Ts with special interior badging and available in an exclusive “Launch Green” color. Owners of these Rivians can even upgrade rims and tires for off-road-ready rubber at no additional cost. Some may choose to stick with the on-road rubber for better performance.

Now that Rivian has sold all Launch Edition R1Ts, customers can choose two trim levels. All Rivian trucks feature identical quad-motor-drive powertrains. Base model trucks come with the “Explore Package” and start at $67,500. The top-trim “Adventure Package” starts at $73,000. This package includes a premium, vegan-leather interior with yellow accents, ventilated seats, and premium stereo. Exterior differences include body-color side mirrors, a tonneau cover, and Rivian “Gear Guard” security system. Both packages currently list deliveries “beginning” in January 2022. If you order now, your Rivian release date is likely many months away.

Want to know more about the Rivian R1T electric truck? Check out our other articles:

• Learn about Rivian’s quad-motor technology.
• Read the first Rivian review.
• Watch the Rivian off-road in Moab.
• See the Rivian R1T’s interior.
• Or get the scoop on the Rivian company’s IPO.