By Adam Studzinski

NORMAL – Rivian Automotive could have made significant savings by buying the Mitsubishi Motors plant in Normal.

That’s the guess of Christian Prenzler, a University High School graduate now studying at the University of Denver who has done extensive research on electric vehicles. Prenzler compared Rivian to other startup companies building their facilities in Arizona and Nevada.

“I believe both of those factories are quoted to be above $500 million each,” said Prenzler. “So I think Rivian probably saved themselves close to $300-400 million by purchasing the Mitsubishi factory here in Normal.”

Prenzler added Rivian closing on the plant Thursday, along with launching a new website, are each milestones for the company. But he said something else to lookout for is the amount of funding they have.

“The automotive industry is a money game. You have to have a lot of money to get in,” Prenzler said.

Prenzler said it’s difficult to say if Bloomington-Normal has the right workforce to support Rivian. However, he said, at the least, the Twin Cities has a good base to build on.

Adam Studzinski can be reached at [email protected].