Talk:Rivian/Archive 1

Archive 1

Archive 2

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 25 August 2020 and 10 December 2020. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Mmh65. Peer reviewers: Muc6, Yfz5256, Acw5507.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 03:08, 18 January 2022 (UTC)

Template idea

I replaced the lengthy list of "other manufacturers" under "See also" with a template Template:Automotive_industry_in_the_United_States - however it includes a lot of non-EV ones and obviously not the non-US EV ones. Does anyone think there's scope for a similar template "Electric-only vehicle manufacturers"? I suggest electric-only because almost every traditional manufacturer produces (or has produced) an EV of some sort, so keeping it to EV only prevents the template from being unwieldy. See also Talk:Lucid Motors -- Chuq (talk) 06:07, 17 August 2020 (UTC)

I think that there is already a category for Electric Vehicles Manufacturers of the United States. From what I have seen, Rivian and Lucid Motors have since been added to those categories as well as the category for Car Manufacturers of the United States. Leiwang7 (talk) 05:25, 17 November 2020 (UTC)

It seems like the "see also" section is, or has become, a catch-all of random other EV manufacturers. Since every car manufacturer will shortly be an EV manufacturer, if they're not already, this seems inappropriate. I think links to directly competing full-sized EV trucks are appropriate, so I'll see if I can trim it down to just those. EVhotrodder (talk) 08:52, 15 April 2022 (UTC)

Agreed. It's just a list of manufacturers that is already covered by being in the category 'Battery electric vehicle manufacturers'.  Stepho  talk  09:15, 15 April 2022 (UTC)

I took a crack at it. Probably still over-long, but at least it now includes most direct competitors, and nothing that's not an electric truck. You're welcome to trim further, if you think appropriate. EVhotrodder (talk) 09:19, 15 April 2022 (UTC)

Looks fine to me.  Stepho  talk  09:20, 15 April 2022 (UTC)

Request to Update CFO in the InfoBox.

 Done

Hello:

As declared on my user page, I am employed by Rivian and would like to propose some updates to our Wikipedia page. My first update is, I would like to request that the CFO in the InfoBox section be changed from Ryan Green to Claire McDonough. The reason is Ryan has taken a new position at the company, and Claire was hired as CFO in January.

I appreciate your time and assistance with this edit. Best, IanRivian (talk) 21:44, 4 March 2021 (UTC)

Done Greglocock (talk) 02:39, 5 March 2021 (UTC)

Thanks so much, User:Greglocock. I appreciate your help. IanRivian (talk) 17:47, 5 March 2021 (UTC)

References

Request to Update Facilities Section

Hello: Please see my requested suggestions to update the company’s facilities section. Material to be deleted is crossed out, and new material is in bold. I am an employee of Rivian and therefore have a COI, so I’m requesting assistance with these edits.

Based in Irvine, California, Rivian has several facilities across North America and the UK. As of 2019, the company had four primary locations. Its headquarters in Plymouth, Michigan are dedicated to finances, engineering, and design. A facility in Irvine, California focuses on batteries, electrical hardware, and vehicle control software, while a facility in Palo Alto, California develops self-driving technology and data. The 2.6- 3.2 million-square-foot factory in Normal, Illinois is the center of manufacturing operations. manufactures vehicle components such as battery packs. The Normal plant has a paint shop, robotics, stamping machines, and other production equipment, such as an injection molding machine. The Plymouth, Michigan facility is dedicated to Engineering and Design Center. The company has additional office locations in Carson, California and the United Kingdom designated for electric power conversion and advanced engineering, respectively. Several retail locations are planned across the country including Chicago, Laguna Beach, California, and in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.

Thank you so much! IanRivian (talk) 15:49, 1 April 2021 (UTC)

User:Doug Grinbergs and User:Greglocock given that you have recently edited this article or helped me with requested edits, I was wondering if you could review my latest request regarding the facilities section. Things have changed since the current content was posted. Many thanks for your time. IanRivian (talk) 14:59, 12 April 2021 (UTC)

Hello User:Doug Grinbergs, User:Greglocock, User:Mariordo, and User:N2e: I wanted to follow up on my request from a month ago regarding improvements to the Rivian page. I've added some content that might improve the article and update some old information on our facilities section. I’ve formatted the content along with already-formatted third-party sources as I felt this would make it easier for volunteers to review. However, N2e suggested I provide bullet points for improvements, which I will try for future edits. I wanted to reach out again and invite you to take a look and see if you might then find that improving the article would be a good use of your time. If you prefer I change up this request in a different format, please let me know, and I’m happy to comply. Thank you in advance for your time. Best IanRivian (talk) 16:42, 14 May 2021 (UTC)

IanRivian, where, specifically, is this information of which you speak?

"I've added some content that might improve the article and update some old information on our facilities section."

And which sources of those many listed are you recommending would be most fruitful for editors to consult? N2e (talk) 17:13, 14 May 2021 (UTC)

Planned retail locations would not typically be included in an article per WP:CRYSTAL.Dialectric (talk) 17:43, 14 May 2021 (UTC)

Thank you for your responses and User:N2e and User:Dialectric. I see now that some edits have been made since my original post back in early April. In answer to your question, ‘where is the information’, here are updates for your review that would improve the accuracy of a few things in this section, and make some sentences more concise. I’m wondering if more concise statements are more acceptable than a list of details. I’d appreciate your advice on that. (See questions below.) Formatted sources for the content are also provided.

• Based in Irvine, California, Rivian has facilities across North America and the UK. (The first source for all locations is from our website. I realize this is considered a primary source, but since it is the only source with a comprehensive list, I’m wondering if it would be allowed here?) (The second source, Bloomberg, mentions Irvine as the headquarters and is in the 7th paragraph down.)

• Irvine, California focuses on batteries, electrical hardware, and vehicle control software. (This is more accurate information about this location. Source can also be the Rivian website if acceptable.)
• The Normal, Illinois plant is now 3.2 million square feet instead of 2.6. This location is the center of manufacturing. I’d like your opinion on whether saying ‘this location is the center of manufacturing’ is a better statement than listing all of the things at that location. Source for this
• I have the same question about the Plymouth facility. Is ‘The Plymouth, Michigan facility is dedicated to Engineering and Design’ - better than listing details like prototyping, accounting, etc.? If so, this would be more concise than what is already there. Source

Thank you for your time and attention to reviewing these potential improvements. I’m happy to discuss other approaches, resources and information, too. Best IanRivian (talk) 18:29, 20 May 2021 (UTC)

References

How many names?

 Done

The "History" section currently says, "After being renamed Avera Automotive and then Rivian Automotive..." which implies that there was a third name prior to "Avera." Is that the case? If so, what? If not, this wording should be fixed. EVhotrodder (talk) 22:37, 21 June 2021 (UTC)

A few info box updates

Hi User:EVhotrodder. Thanks again for your recent updates to the Rivian page. I have a couple of suggested edits to the info box section and was wondering if you would have time to review them.

1.  Done

I propose adding Energy Storage Technology to the industry section, listed after Automotive. Accompanying sources are formatted here.

2.  Done (No change as none of the following are at the company as of January 2022)

Under key people, to appear directly following Nick Kalayjian's name, we would like to include Rod Copes, COO and Laura Schwab, Vice President, Sales & Marketing. Formatted sources are as follows:

I welcome any feedback you may have, and as always, thank you for your time and consideration of these proposed improvements. Best IanRivian (talk) 20:33, 24 June 2021 (UTC)

References

History section

Hello IanRivian,

Have moved Amazon out as you suggested. But I think the history section needs condensing. If you agree maybe you would like to draft a new "history" section on this talk page? If not don't be surprised if I delete some bits but feel free to comment if you think I have removed something important.

Chidgk1 not logged in 88.254.229.226 (talk) 14:08, 7 August 2021 (UTC)

Hello User:Chidgk1: Thanks for your response to my request. I have been on leave for a few weeks, so I appreciate your patience. I am now ready to work with you to update the Rivian page. I want to take you up on the offer to re-draft the history section. Do you prefer I include direct links or format the sources in Wiki syntax? Once I hear back from you, I will put the re-drafted section here, as you recommend. Thanks again, I look forward to your response. IanRivian (talk) 20:21, 2 September 2021 (UTC)

Hope you had a relaxing leave. Definitely Wiki syntax. Except for pdf docs the "automatic" tab of "cite" in the visual editor will often do most of the citation work for you. Occasionally it gets confused with authors but then you can tweak manually. Suggest you do in your sandbox first with "visual editor" then copy and paste here. As N2e says please try and use secondary sources. Chidgk1 (talk) 06:43, 3 September 2021 (UTC)

N2e I see your point but am too lazy to rewrite the history myself - perhaps when Ian has put his draft here on the talk page you can have a look to see whether he has glossed over any embarrassing company history or puffed too much! Or perhaps you have time to do it directly yourself, assuming you agree with me that it has too much detail now? Chidgk1 (talk) 06:49, 3 September 2021 (UTC)

Why no details on the models R1T and R1S?

For a company supposedly going to market with new truck model in September (1 month from now) and an SUV model shortly thereafter, this article is remarkably short on descriptive info about the vehicles, and of specifications.

Both Rivian R1T and Rivian R1S (as of 7 Aug 2021) redirect to a single paragraph of this article. That paragraph has little more in it than very speculative forward-looking info from 2018? Very weird.

Are these truck models being built for crash testing? Usually early models are evaluated by trade press. Or maybe there are articles out there that just need to be used to improve this article; or perhaps start article pages on the Rivian R1T, Rivian R1S very soon. N2e (talk) 16:38, 7 August 2021 (UTC)

Hello User:N2e Thanks for taking the time to provide this input. I've been on leave for a couple weeks and I'm now ready to work with you to get the Rivian page into better shape, if you have the time. There has been some additional, more recent press coverage of the truck, e.g., https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2022-rivian-r1t-electric-pickup-truck-first-drive-review/

If you do have time to update the page, let me know how you would prefer to work. Would you like me to draft content and provide sources or do you prefer it if I just point toward sources? Thanks again for your time, I'm looking forward to your response. IanRivian (talk) 20:31, 2 September 2021 (UTC)

Thanks, IanRivian. I think the best approach is to ensure that the best secondary source media coverage is just left, perhaps in bulleted form, on this Talk page; even better would be to leave the url written into a good citation format <ref>{{ cite news ... }}</ref> that any editor could just pick up if they decide to use a particular source to improve the article.

Other editors may like to have some prose written for them to consider using. But my view is that I find it sketchy to have anyone with a WP:COI writing the paragraphical prose that might go into the article. Hope that helps. Thanks for the Motor Trend source. N2e (talk) 02:13, 3 September 2021 (UTC)

An article has been created for the Rivian R1T truck as of a couple of weeks ago. Multiple editors have contributed to it. It needs a lot more work, but is at least "start" class as is, and now past "stub" level. N2e (talk) 03:30, 28 September 2021 (UTC)

Factory floor pic?

IanRivian‬ Any chance of uploading one to Wikimedia Commons? Chidgk1 (talk) 07:35, 3 September 2021 (UTC)

Concur. This is a very good use of work by a COI editor. Making licensed photographs and images—often already provided to news outlets and such—available to Wikipedia editors in an appropriately licensed format via Wikimedia upload. N2e (talk) 18:21, 11 September 2021 (UTC)

User:N2e and User:Chidgk1 I have uploaded a photo of the factory floor and an up-to-date photo of the R1T to Wikimedia Commons and I've submitted license release, as well. I'm still working on getting photos of the van and the R1S, and I'll update here when I do. Best IanRivian (talk) 20:29, 17 September 2021 (UTC)

An R1T rolls off the assembly line at Rivian's plant in Normal, IL

The 2022 Rivian R1T all-electric pickup.

 Done :::I added one of those photos to the article, as I think the updated photo improves the article. N2e (talk) 04:15, 24 September 2021 (UTC)

Van pic?

IanRivian‬ Any chance of uploading one to Wikimedia Commons? Chidgk1 (talk) 07:36, 3 September 2021 (UTC)

Concur. This is a very good use of work by a COI editor. Making licensed photographs and images—often already provided to news outlets and such—available to Wikipedia editors in an appropriately licensed format via Wikimedia upload. N2e (talk) 18:21, 11 September 2021 (UTC)

History Section Update

Hello User:Chidgk1 and User:N2e. Below is an updated draft of the history section for this article. I appreciate both of you agreeing to look at updating the Rivian article. You both requested different formats and ways to share updates. Since I had already drafted some updates, that is how I have presented them here. Some content is taken from the existing text, and some is new. I’ve drafted this to try and meet the criteria of the comments in the banner. Note that some of the content will be moved to other sections like all of the capital/funding content being listed under Finances, and moving employment to its own section. The same with the Amazon partnership, and shipment information. I look forward to your feedback. Thank you IanRivian (talk) 19:13, 10 September 2021 (UTC)

User:N2e So it seems Americans pronounce "homage" like the French! Unless you have any objections I intend to put most of the below in with a few bits of the existing history section. Chidgk1 (talk) 07:03, 11 September 2021 (UTC)

Chidgk1, you are free to do what you wish. I have not reviewed the prose written (below) by WP:COI editor IanRivian. I have told IanRivian that I personally find it objectionable for people working for a company to write the prose they'd like to see in a Wikipedia article about the company. I have explicitly suggested that my preference is for a COI editor to freely tell us about good sources here on the talk page, heck, even put those sources into a high-quality citation template that is ready-to-use. Also, flagging some important missing concept (with good sources provided) or suggesting something said in the article is not correct (with sources) are also both good practices for WP:COI editors.

But I do not believe that having company employees writing Wikipedia is a good thing, and then having less company-connected editors, who may or may not be comfortable writing encyclopedic prose, just pasting that material into an article. So I will not, in advance, review such text. I may review it if you choose to make changes to the article. But I would then be reviewing it as your edits, and will object or accept it then, as your edits. Cheers. N2e (talk) 18:17, 11 September 2021 (UTC)

Hello: While the discussion takes place regarding updates to the article’s history section, I wanted to share that it was not my intention that this content be copied and pasted wholesale into the article. My understanding was that it would be reviewed and edited, and/or feedback provided, if content was written in a tone and manner that did not meet Wikipedia’s content and style criteria. I understand this is a delicate situation given I am a COI. I will watch the conversation taking place below.

Know that I have a list of secondary sources should they be needed for things like the comments on the talk page about the vehicle models. Regarding the photos requested, I am working on getting that approved so I can get them uploaded. Best IanRivian (talk) 20:34, 13 September 2021 (UTC)

Thanks - I am on some other stuff at the moment - hope to get back to this maybe a week or 2 later Chidgk1 (talk) 06:07, 14 September 2021 (UTC)

Hello User:Chidgk1 I have formatted some sources for Rivian's Finances/Fundraising below. As I've noted, this information is at present mostly included in the History section, but it may improve the article's excessive detail issue to move it into the already created Finances section. My list includes the existing sources, and I've also included reporting from business media like CNBC, the New York Times, and Reuters. If you find time to review my suggested improvements to the History section, it might make sense also to considering moving/updating Finances in tandem. Thanks very much. IanRivian (talk) 22:21, 27 September 2021 (UTC)

Sorry but as it seems below that other editors want a lot of discussion before changes I am not intending to do any more on this article as I don't want to spend so much time on it. Thanks for a nice factory pic by the way. Good luck. Chidgk1 (talk) 08:47, 28 September 2021 (UTC)

History

The company was founded in 2009 by CEO Robert "RJ" Scaringe. After receiving his doctorate in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Scaringe returned to Rockledge, Florida and started the company with few resources and himself as the sole employee. After being renamed from Mainstream Motors to Avera Automotive, the company settled on the name Rivian Automotive. The name is a portmanteau of “Indian River,” an homage to Florida’s Indian River Lagoon near where Scaringe grew up.

The company’s initial vehicle concept was an ultra fuel-efficient 2+2 coupe that utilized advanced materials and modular manufacturing techniques. Although the prototype achieved between 60-80 mpg, Scaringe ultimately decided to move away from fossil fuels and focus on electric vehicles. Rivian began targeting the utility vehicle market in 2013. At this time, Rivian entered “stealth mode,” intentionally avoiding publicity to concentrate on technology and product development. Rivian received a large investment and grew significantly in 2015, opening research facilities in Michigan and the San Francisco Bay Area. Relocating headquarters to Livonia, Michigan, to be closer to key suppliers, Rivian began working exclusively on electric vehicles, building an "entire ecosystem" of related products. It also began gearing its prototypes towards the "ride-sharing and driverless car markets."

It was reported in September 2016 that Rivian was negotiating to buy a manufacturing plant formerly owned by Mitsubishi Motors in Normal, Illinois. In January 2017, Rivian acquired the 2.6 million square foot facility and its manufacturing contents for $16 million, with the plant to become Rivian's primary North American manufacturing facility. The plant was later expanded to over 3 million square feet. With this acquisition, Rivian received a $1 million grant from the town of Normal, which Rivian later declined, along with $49.5 in tax credits from the state government contingent on the company meeting 2024 employment and investing targets.

In December 2017, Rivian revealed that it was developing an all-electric pickup truck and SUV, with advanced features such as assisted driving, world-class range, all-wheel drive, and 3-foot water fording capability. In May 2018, Rivian stated that they had dubbed their upcoming truck with the working name A1T and their SUV with the working name A1C. In November 2018, the truck and SUV were renamed the R1T and R1S, respectively.

Rivian debuted its initial lineup of all-electric vehicles, the R1T pickup and R1S sport utility vehicle, at the LA Auto Show in November 2018. The company stated that production would begin in 2020 and began accepting fully refundable $1000 vehicle pre-orders.

References

Is the current "History" section "overly detailed"?

An editor added an {overly detailed|section} tag to the History section in August. Bold edit, in good faith. Still, that is one editors view. I did not pay attention to it at any time before now (mid September). Given the controversy over the idea of a COI editor writing wiki-prose for the mainspace and suggesting it be added wholesale to replace the existing history section, I am looking at the article more thoroughly now. I object to that practice, as articulated above in the earlier section entitled History Section Update.

However, I also suggest that a consensus be developed here on the Talk page for whether or not large amounts of that History of this American electric vehicle manufacturing company should be removed, wholesale. I think not. I do believe the section needs a good copyedit to clean up the prose, and make it read better. But the section, and the various statements about the company's past history are generally well sourced, do not seem to come from or reflect any narrow WP:POV, and do not unduly overemphasize any one part of the company hisotry, so I would suggest a consensus be reached on the matter here on Talk, before any editor comes to believe that they should make major deletions of the existing material. Cheers. N2e (talk) 03:51, 13 September 2021 (UTC)

I agree that the history section could use a cleanup. The section is heavy on routine business info like slight staffing increases, but fails to mention, as the version a few years ago did, that Rivian was based in Florida for its early years, (npr ref) and, as that article shows, initially focused on gas vehicles.Dialectric (talk) 14:27, 13 September 2021 (UTC)

Sorry but as it seems that other editors want a lot of discussion before changes I am not intending to do any more on this article as I don't want to spend so much time on it. Chidgk1 (talk) 08:48, 28 September 2021 (UTC)

With a lot of copyediting, and better sources, I do not believe the "History" section is overly detailed for an article on a new American automotive manufacturing company. Details like company funding, founding, major projects started, company pivots, etc. are all normal for a Wikipedia company article, as long as supported by good sources. Many secondary sources are used now; others have been flagged for improvement. Other editors should certainly feel free to modify and improve, as usual. N2e (talk) 14:05, 28 September 2021 (UTC)

Hello User:N2e and User:Dialectric Thank you for keeping the conversation moving forward. My suggestions here as a COI of course don't carry much weight, but as a historian by training, I love detail. It does seem to me that some of the detail in the history section here is coming at the expense of clarity, with the inclusion of fundraising activity, employment growth, prototype development, and product info all woven together in one long section. A thorough copy edit would be wonderful. Some details, though, may be a little out of proportion to their overall importance. For example, designer Peter Stevens, who worked briefly on the original, abandoned Rivian coupe prototype, is the only Rivian employee mentioned by name besides Founder/CEO RJ Scaringe. It might make sense to include the names of other key employees throughout the history section, such as current design VP Jeff Hammoud, or moving names to the infobox. I am happy to help with references, photos, and whatever else I can provide. Anyway, thanks again everyone. Best IanRivian (talk) 18:46, 28 September 2021 (UTC)

References

Sources for Fundraising Section Update

Hello, I've made a simple list of sources for Rivian's fundraising activity beginning in 2009. I've tried to put them in rough chronological order to assist with improving the clarity of the current article. Some of this information is currently in the history section, but it perhaps belongs in the separate finances section instead. I hope this helps. Best IanRivian (talk) 00:16, 24 September 2021 (UTC)

• Y2009 Seed Money - RJ
• Y2012 First Major Investor
• Y2017 Sumitomo
• Y2018 Standard Chartered Bank
• 2019 Amazon Investment -
• 2019 Ford Motor Company Investment -
• 2019 Cox Automotive Investment
• 2019 $1.3 billion T. Rowe Price Funding -
• 2020 $2.5 billion Funding -
• 2020 Total $5.05 billion Raised
• 2021 Further $2.65 billion -
• 2021 $11 billion Raised To-Date -
• IPO -

References

I have started a fairly major edit and cleanup on the funding. I'm definitely not done. So far, I've added an introductory paragraph for the capital formation, using a few of the sources in the list above by IanRivian, and mostly just moved a lot of funding-related history to be adjacent to other funding-related material. Still need to look at some of the other suggested sources, and then it all needs a massive copyedit. I'll plan to continue some work in the coming days.

Y indicates that a source in the above list has been referenced to improve the article. N2e (talk) 03:34, 6 October 2021 (UTC)

Sources for Vehicle Section Updates and Improvements

Hello User:N2e As suggested, below is a bulleted list of recent sources for current Rivian vehicles, including the R1T, R1S and Amazon van. Hopefully this can provide the basis for stronger sections for them. Best IanRivian (talk) 00:45, 24 September 2021 (UTC)

Shared R1 platform

• Overview of first two vehicles R1T and R1S
• Vehicle certifications
• Trim levels and Pricing
• Delivery schedule/delays

R1T

• Vehicle details, platform, battery, specs
• Camp Kitchen
• Towing capacity
• Vehicle reviews
• First customer vehicle rolls off the line
• Rivian first to offer all-electric truck

I copied the R1T sources over to the Talk:Rivian R1T page, and have already used about half of them to improve the article over there. Cheers. N2e (talk) 14:52, 28 September 2021 (UTC)

R1S

• Vehicle detail and specs
• Pricing
• Seating Capacity
• Performance
• Warranty and Maintenance

Amazon van

• Amazon orders 100,000 vans
• Sizes/capacity
• Range/Platform/Powertrain/Pricing
• Delivery date
• Prototype Testing - Los Angeles Denver Michigan, San Francisco, Oklahoma

References

Question RE: history cleanup and financial section expansion

Hi User:N2e. Thank you so much for all the work you have done on the Rivian articles. The new R1T page looks great. In an effort to address both cleaning up the history section and expanding the financial section, I’m wondering: do you think it be a worthwhile improvement to move all the funding content from the history section? The talk page section I added on the 24th includes citations already supporting that content, and some additional, updated sources. But even a cut-and-paste of just the extant material would seem to be a good start. I’d be interested in your thoughts on this. Again, thank you for all your time and attention to improving these pages. Best, IanRivian (talk) 19:10, 1 October 2021 (UTC)

I think it is a plausible idea; and I have been thinking about it. The problem is time, and how much attention any volunteer editors can, and are willing, to put into improving any particular article at any time. And then, which of many things that might be improved there, ought to be improved soonest.

I think if you can come to appreciate that, on Wikipedia, there is no deadline, and that all editors edit at their own pace, a useful long term partnership between your interests and the interests of Wikipedia having good articles on notable topics can be realized.

For example, I super appreciate all the good secondary sources you've provided. On the other hand, the shear quantity of those bulleted sources (above, on this Talk page) was a bit intimidating; you did nothing wrong, but I probably stayed away from the Rivian article for some days after you provided them 'cause I knew I did not have "that much time" to properly assess, or even skim, such a large list.

Ex. 2 : I think it happened a second time a few days ago, when I set out to finally create a new article for the R1T, which I had previously complained about WP not having several few months ago... ... only to find someone had stubbed out a new article in mid-September. I worked extensively on that article (R1T) that same day to get it from "Stub" class to "Start" class, knowing that after that, it still needed a large amount of work. You were helpful then once again with a pile of good sources (and I've used 3 or 4 of them); but man, the shear volume of seeing you providing a large list of over 25 mainline media and niche media covering the R1T the day you came off of a press embargo just about blew me away. Wiki editors are volunteers, often writing/editing in our spare time, between jobs and family. This is not our paid gig.

In short, I'd suggest a slight chill, and being very willing to just watch the WP process work, and the results emerge, on making any articles on Rivian and Rivian vehicles become improved. I care. Other editors will care. New editors interested in what Rivian is doing will likely emerge, just like they did in the Tesla space after the introduction of the Model S after 2012. I think a bit more metered output on your part will help. But also want you to know that I appreciate what you have done, and that you are endeavoring to abide by the WP:COI guidelines. Of course, I speak only for myself. Cheers. N2e (talk) 01:38, 2 October 2021 (UTC)

@N2e: Understood, and I deeply appreciate the work you put in "pro bono," as it were. It's a passion project for me too, wanting to see this article be as useful as it can be (it's only a tiny part of my work at Rivian). But as you say, there's no rush. I will refrain from dumping piles of sources on the talk page and concentrate more on identifying key areas for improvement with relevant references. In any case, I think it's clear from activity over the weekend that the finances section, currently sitting at just two sentences, deserves expansion! Best, IanRivian (talk) 15:21, 4 October 2021 (UTC)

Recent reporting on company history

Hello User:N2e, As you go about your copy edit of the History section, I wanted to point you to two recent news articles retracing the early days of Rivian. These may be of some use in piecing together a more up-to-date, coherent, and complete picture of Rivian company history.

Bloomberg: includes new interviews with early Rivian employees and former professors/classmates of founder RJ Scaringe, discussing early product development and investment.

Green Car Reports: includes discussions amongst longtime Rivian employees of what it was like at Rivian early on, especially about how they shifted from a coupe concept to the truck/SUV market.

Headquarters Location

Hello User:Lrgjr72, I see you changed the Rivian headquarters back to Plymouth, MI, so it seems there is still some confusion about the location of Rivian's headquarters. In 2020, the headquarters was moved from Plymouth, MI to Irvine, CA. Most news articles since then reflect the change, but some will still incorrectly report that Rivian is based in Plymouth. As a COI editor, I do not want to make direct edits to the article. But hopefully someone can get this corrected. Here are some sources that might be helpful:

• Rivian's S-1 filed with the SEC shows the corporate address in Irvine, CA. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1874178/000119312521289903/d157488ds1.htm#toc157488
• Bloomberg article from September 14, 2021 clearly notes the headquarters location as Irvine, CA.
• Forbes piece from August 27, 2021 refers to the Irvine, CA headquarters.
• The Wall Street Journal mentions the Irvine, CA headquarters.
• Orange County Register article from August 2, 2021 also notes the Irvine, CA headquarters.
• Autoblog reports on jobs moving from MI to CA in June 2020.

Best IanRivian (talk) 21:08, 22 October 2021 (UTC)

References

 Already done: This has been corrected by an anonymous editor. That editor seems to be based in Irvine, so potentially a conflict of interest, but the edit seems ok. I've added a better source to it. Saucy^{[talk – contribs]} 05:23, 29 October 2021 (UTC)

Infobox "key people" accuracy

Hello, everyone. In an effort to keep the infobox up to date as “key people” join and leave Rivian over time, it may be worth paring this list down. Right now, the “key people” section is an incomplete and fairly random selection of company leadership. Aside from founder and CEO RJ Scaringe, I would suggest limiting it to only those who have played a core, long-term role in the company. Jiten Behl would be a good person to keep there. He joined Rivian in 2015 and has played an important part in shaping company strategy. So, perhaps it makes sense to remove everyone in the "key people" section of the infobox, except Scaringe and Behl? Best, IanRivian (talk) 20:00, 2 November 2021 (UTC)

If the sentiment is that it's better to show a broad cross-section of company leadership, there is a useful list at https://rivian.com/our-company. If secondary sources are needed, below are some current leaders mentioned in media or web sources.

• Kiran Bharwani (VP, Autonomy)
• Ger Dwyer (VP, Business Finance)
• Erik Fields (VP, Manufacturing)
• Jeff Hammoud (Head of Design)
• Nick Mulholland (VP, Communications)
• Charly Mwangi (EVP, Manufacturing Engineering)
• Anshu Narula (VP, Digital Technology), profiled on Rivian's blog
• Cindy Nicola (VP, Talent Acquisition)
• Vidya Rajagopalan (VP, Engineering Hardware)
• Helen Russell (CPO)
• Forest Young (Sr. Director, Global Brand Design)

Jiten Behl (CGO) and Nick Kalayjian (EVP, Engineering) are already listed in the infobox. Best, IanRivian (talk) 23:19, 5 November 2021 (UTC)

I've done some research on the key people section of the infobox and it appears the Template:Infobox company language advises up to four people max. Since we have over half a dozen people who would fit 'chief officer level' and above, I would like to propose that rather than add more, we scale back to streamline and just simply list the CEO. I would welcome feedback on the merits or issues of this edit. Best, IanRivian (talk) 22:32, 8 November 2021 (UTC)

References

Funding Update Requests

Hello: I’m wondering if it would be good to add Rivian’s updated IPO amount of $13.7 billion? I know I can’t edit the article myself or draft content given my COI relationship. The article source is formatted here. Thank you for your consideration and time. Best, IanRivian (talk) 21:13, 23 December 2021 (UTC)

Hi IanRivian - I knocked through the Funding updates yesterday, but will take another pass at the page to make sure I've got good references & accurate citations for everything. Thanks for the OCBJ link! Liminary (talk) 19:28, 24 December 2021 (UTC)

Hi User:Liminary, thanks for updating that. Do you think you could update the IPO funding number in the top summary for consistency, as well? It stills says "nearly US$12 billion." Great work on the article — thanks! Best IanRivian (talk) 20:22, 28 December 2021 (UTC)

IanRivian Updated to acknowledge previous text, and correct with SEC filing: "Early media reports suggested the company raised nearly US$12 billion in financing following its IPO in November 2021, which also saw investor recognition that it could become a major competitor to Tesla.[13][14] Subsequent filings to the SEC stated that net proceeds to the firm from the IPO, after expenses, amounted to US$13.539 billion.[15]" Liminary (talk) 20:50, 28 December 2021 (UTC)

References

Public company: have 1Q2022 production numbers been released?

Since Rivian is a public company in the US, they presumably are required to do quarterly reports per the SEC. Have the production numbers for first quarter of 2022, and full year 2021, been publicly released? N2e (talk) 03:57, 17 February 2022 (UTC)

The Q4 2021 earnings call was on March 10. I've added some updated information on that in a section below. Separately, Rivian announced Q1 production numbers on April 5. Hope this helps! IanRivian (talk) 14:51, 7 April 2022 (UTC)

References

Wiki Education assignment: ENG 102

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 10 January 2022 and 6 May 2022. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Dylan Phegley (article contribs).

Some Vehicle Updates

Hello: Below are a few updates from the company’s 2021 Q4 report and a recent Bloomberg article. I think they will improve the general vehicle and Amazon sections, respectively. As always, I understand I can’t make these edits myself due to my COI relationship. Thank you and best, IanRivian (talk) 14:58, 7 April 2022 (UTC)

For the vehicle section

Rivian will begin offering a dual motor variant for both R1T and R1S in 2024. Both vehicles will also be offered with new battery cells made with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry.

In March of 2022, the company announced it is developing a heat pump-based thermal system for its vehicles.

Amazon section

Rivian plans to deliver 10,000 Amazon Electric Delivery Vans (EDV) this year, and will build 25,000 vehicles overall.

References