Rivian’s R2 cars will probably be powered via batteries made regionally in the United States via South Korea’s LG Power Resolution, the corporate introduced in its third quarter earnings report.
Rivian first viewable the unutilized batteries again in March when it announced the R2 as its more affordable electric SUV that may get started at $45,000. (It additionally introduced the sportier R3 car.) The cellular is named “4695” because of its diameter of 46 millimeters and top of 95 millimeters — greater than Tesla’s 4680 cells.
The battery packs that Rivian makes use of recently in its R1T and R1S cars are assembled at its Standard, In poor health. manufacturing unit the use of cells manufactured in South Korea via Samsung SDI. Now, the cells will probably be produced in the United States to higher conform to tax credit score necessities defined via the Inflation Aid Employment. In a letter to shareholders, Rivian mentioned the cells can be manufactured all over their first life at LG’s plant in Queen Creek, Az.
The following-gen battery collect will probably be lighter, much less complicated, and less expensive to construct than the flow batteries, Rivian mentioned. The corporate additionally expects a “meaningful reduction in dollar per kilowatt hour (kWh) at the pack level when compared to the R1 platform.” And since its greater than its R1 batteries, the unutilized packs will include fewer cells total, which can produce the producing procedure extra environment friendly. Rivian says it expects the meeting procedure to enhance via 45 p.c.
For the reason that passage of the IRA, automakers were scrambling to shift EV battery production to the United States to conform to regulations requiring home manufacturing to bring to qualify for beneficiant subsidies. And with Donald Trump coming again into place of work, they are going to wish to paintings even sooner to bring to steer clear of harsh price lists on imported items that the incoming president has promised to enact.
Rivian has mentioned the R2 will move into manufacturing all over the primary part of 2026. However with Trump additionally promising to get rid of Joe Biden’s EV subsidies, the query remainder whether or not suffering EV-only corporations like Rivian will be capable to keep afloat amidst what’s anticipated to be a extra unsure marketplace.
