Shortly after the reveal, I discovered that although many enthusiasts were finding the R2, there was a frenzy surrounding the R3. And Rivian’s own executives seemed completely excited about those compact EVs, adding Rivian’s lead designer, Jeff Hammoud.
“What I like most about the R3 is that I asked quite a few people, what kind of car would you call this?Is it a sedan or an SUV? And nobody has an answer, and that’s great,” Hammoud said.
“When I first talked about this with RJ (Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe), we were at the design level and the verbal exchange we had was simply: I don’t need to fall into a segment, I just need other people to do it. Let’s say it’s an R3,” Hammoud recalled in a Q&A with the media. “And I think we’ve done that. “
Hammoud added that with the high-performance R3X version, the lens was really fun. “I look forward to seeing it and I agree I don’t know what it is, but I just need to handle it. “
Rivien R3X
For me, between the two, it was hard to believe that the R2 and R3 share so many non-unusual features (even their frontal appearance) while impressing with absolutely different personalities and design statements. The R3 follows in the footsteps of quirky sedans like the Lada Niva and Golf Country, but they can also capture the hearts of many Subaru Crosstrek owners.
The R3 family measures 170. 3 inches long and sits on a 110. 2-inch wheelbase. This makes it about 15 inches shorter than the R2, which itself is about 15 inches shorter than the R1S three-row SUV.
This represents the center of the European market, or anything that can simply revive a stagnant U. S. market for small cars, especially when it comes to electric vehicles.
Today, these dimensions correspond more or less in duration to those of the Hyundai Kona Electric, the Volkswagen ID. 3, the Renault Mégane E-Tech or the MG4, among the electric vehicles. And likewise, it’s fine in the same length category. such as the Toyota Corolla hatchback, Volkswagen Golf, Škoda Octavia, Ford Focus or Seat Leon. But it looks more exciting than either of them — or, of course, a Chevrolet Bolt EV or a Nissan Leaf from the U. S. market.
We’ll have to wait a bit. If the R2 arrives in early 2026, it’s possible that an R3 will stick around soon after, perhaps in 2027. Unfortunately, the timeline for the next-generation Bolt EV and Leaf rarely looks much better, however, Tesla’s still-unclear timeline suggests a compact Tesla Model 2 will arrive before that. While Rivian has shown that it needs to make the R3, it hasn’t shown when it might accept bookings or in which markets, of course, it could be sold.
Rivien R2
These models share the 4695 format cylindrical cells, grouped in a structural battery. Rivian hasn’t talked about the R3’s diversity yet, but Hammoud has talked a bit about the load. All of the vehicles in Thursday’s demo had their NACS charging ports in the right rear quadrant, under a neat little lid.
“We do a lot of research, especially in left-wing European countries,” Hammoud said when asked why he was there, stating that Europe was really a vital consideration. “We saw a lot of other people charging cars on the street, and it’s possible that we just see anything from charging cables wrapped around hoods to get to the other side, and we look to solve that problem. “
Rivien R3
“The other thing is, depending on our existing charging network, it’s on the front side of the driver,” he explained. “So if you need to put the car back in space, it’s exactly the same place. “
According to Hammoud, installing the port there also means fewer cables, less weight and less cost, for the entire R2/R3 family.
Rivien R2
At first glance, the design of the R3 was fun, while the design procedure of the R2 seemed more complex, as Hammoud describes. The R2 lived up to the expectations of those who liked what they saw in the R1 but were looking for something more. affordable or larger.
The R1 was designed by addition, Hammoud recalled, but the R2 generated much more debate about what to subtract and what were the key elements to keep. This is not a surprise; Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe has continually said that tracking will be less complex than its R1 line and will be much less difficult to build.
Rivian juggled the length of the wheelbase and the placement of the roof and glass pillars to maximise headroom and rear, while European pedestrian coverage criteria also played a role, requiring a line in the bonnet look, which was then incorporated when designing itself.
As Green Car Reports explained yesterday, the Rivian R2 will land in early 2026 with a target value of around $45,000, starting with single-motor rear-wheel drive, but moving to two- and three-motor AWD versions that provide more range. Three hundred miles (less in basic form) and, in some cases, 0-60 mph times in less than 3. 0 seconds. The team finished with a total run of about 185 inches and a wheelbase of 121. 1 inches, with an overall height of 66. 9 inches. and a width of approximately 75 inches.
Rivien R2
According to Hammoud, the R2 is based on the profile of the R1S, the overall proportions of the vehicle are “much more athletic” with very short front and rear overhangs. As noted, it had 32-inch all-terrain tires and the truck’s 25-degree technical angle, 27-degree departure angle, and 9. 8-inch ground clearance gave it a sturdy, trail-ready look.
Meanwhile, shorter cars can cause more aerodynamic problems, so of course it’s a priority to locate the right component to maximize diversity with smaller batteries.
“We did a lot of work with our aerodynamics team, conducting CFD (computational fluid dynamics) research early on,” Hammoud said, to perceive the key attributes needed for autonomy. In the case of the R2, one of them is the drop of the roofline. the rear, bringing airflow through a spoiler.
The elements of great subtraction are the suspension. The hop-on or off-road doesn’t come in R2, Rithrun made sure to give it a setup that worked on and off the road and allowed capacity through the clearance above the floor. The R2 offers a floor clearance of 9. 8 inches, while the R1S, with its adjustable air suspension and up to 14. 9 inches, continues to rely on its most sensible off-road point for the brand.
And there are no plans to have a third row in R2. “Having a third row for R2 would make the package very tight,” Hammoud said.
Rivien R2
That said, there are some serious inventions in the R2’s package, such as the front and rear seats that fold flat completely, allowing for enough non-stop carrying very long workpieces, such as a 16-foot socket edge that rests on the edge of the tailgate (the glass rolls up). Once the window is down, stay away from the small table ideal for a drink or dinner while you prepare for the outdoor activity of your choice. And dogs will probably love the breeze coming from the pop-ups in the back.
On the adventure side, the R2 has an absolutely new type of bike rack formula that a single user can set up and store much more easily. Rivian also plans to offer a bed on that flat lot and a rooftop tent, and an overhauled camp kitchen is in the works.
The complex split tailgate configuration on the R1S was one of the most difficult things for the R2 to solve. Owners like the R1S’s tailgate and “being able to sit there and have a little canopy to cover it if it’s raining,” Hammoud described. however, it is expensive and complex. So Rivian’s solution was a one-piece tailgate with a sliding tray that you can sit on.
When it comes to the interface, the guide wheel and its giant spinning dials have been touted several times. With it, two haptic torque controllers on the wheel use other types and degrees of haptic feedback depending on what it’s being moved on or installed on at the time.
Rivien R3
Rivien R3
Rivien R3
“A lot of paints have been invested in the co-design of R3 and R2 as a platform, a lot of parts are shared, and a lot of the architecture of netpaintings is shared in a notorious way,” Hammoud said, and that extends to production and the origin chain. .
The R2 will be a little more focused on on-road functionality than the R1, Hammoud summed up, while the R3 will be the more road-oriented of the three.
Hammoud pointed to the R2’s rear-wheel dominance and noted that when the vehicle is damaged, it’s just an injection-molded component that’s easy to replace. And, he said, there’s also a lot of commonality between the R2’s interiors. R2 and R3 that make it easier from a production standpoint, such as the same guide wheel, display strategies, center console, and seat frames.
Essentially, just as Rivian unveiled the R2, R3, and R3X on Thursday, the company made a big production announcement. It will suspend construction of its $5 billion plant in Georgia, which was previously set for 2026 and an imaginable production target. 400,000 cars per year. Instead, Rivian favors a “capital-efficient launch” first at its Illinois plant, with deliveries starting in early 2026. Georgia remains part of the plan, only at a later date, to maintain the budget. That would possibly be necessary to keep those models in production.
Of course, the R3 family may be a brilliant marvel to distract attention from some sobering monetary realities within the company, but it deserves all the attention it gets and proves that Rivian still has plenty of inventions to come.
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