By Howard Packowitz
The head of Rivian Automotive said the electric vehicle manufacturer is on track toward producing a five passenger truck two years from now at the former Mitsubishi Motors plant in west Normal.
Meeting with local news media outlets on Friday, Rivian CEO R.J. Scaringe said the public will see plans for the first vehicle later this year. He also expects the truck will initially have some self-driving capabilities, although there will be the need for a steering wheel.
“The vehicle can drive itself under certain conditions where you can take your hands off the wheel or eyes off the road, but not all conditions,” said Scaringe.
“It won’t be able to completely operate in all environments, only specific environments. We’re focused on insuring it can operate on its own on the highway,” he added.
Scaringe said Rivian’s workforce in Normal is at 40 employees, and will grow substantially by late 2019 or early 2020, although he did not provide specific job numbers.
Scaringe calls this period the most exciting time in transportation since the transition from riding horses to driving cars.
He said the company’s strategy is focused on what he said are the “three vectors of change.” Those vectors are the shift toward self-driving vehicles, the move toward electric power, and a move away from vehicle ownership to some type of subscription or service.
“Our product plan and our product strategy, and of course our technology roadmap have been designed specifically around those three key vectors of change. We’ve built an incredible team to deliver that,” the Rivian CEO said.
Howard Packowitz can be reached at howard.packowitz@cumulus.com
