Rivian R2 launch event: the EV company’s more affordable SUV is here

Ahead of its launch on March 7th, key specs for Rivian’s upcoming R2 electric SUV were briefly visible via the source code on the company’s teaser site, Electrek reports. These include a range of up to 330 miles, a 0-60mph acceleration in three seconds, five seats, and a starting price of $47,000 (though a $47,500 starting price was reportedly also mentioned on other parts of the site). Deliveries are expected to start in 2026, per the website’s code, which is in line with previous reports.

Rivian has been teasing its R2 electric vehicle for a while now, which is expected to be a smaller and more affordable compact SUV versus its current R1S. The company has publicly said it’s targeting a price of between $40,000 to $60,000 for the new car, undercutting its current SUV and truck which both have starting prices in excess of $70,000. It’s a similar approach to the one taken by Tesla with its Model Y, the more compact version of the Model X that’s since become a global best-seller.

City council members in Laguna Beach, California met last night prepared to approve a request (PDF) from Rivian to park six vehicles on the grass in a city park for a March 7th “R2 launch.” The company appears to be planning to officially announce its forthcoming electric SUV, the R2, which is supposed to be smaller and more affordable than its current lineup of EVs.

A local community publication called Stu News Laguna reported yesterday that a small item on the city council’s consent calendar showed that it was planning to approve the event in a single motion along with many other agenda items. The six vehicles Rivian wants to park are “for informational purposes only,” Stu News writes.

Rivian released its first-ever environmental and social impact report, in which the company commits to building a new generation of electric vehicles that are even less polluting than its current generation.

Rivian said its goal is to launch a product by 2030 “with half the lifecycle carbon footprint” as its 2022 R1 vehicles, which include the R1T pickup truck and R1S SUV. “Lifecycle carbon footprint” refers to all the greenhouse gas emissions, direct and indirect, associated with a product’s activities. For an EV, that would include its production, operation, and charging, from conception to junkyard.

Rivian has had a few interesting weeks that included its alignment with big legacy automakers to adopt Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) on future vehicles and a little poaching of Tesla’s head of raw materials. But under the radar is one more surprise: CarBuzz is reporting the growing EV company revealed some pricing details last week on its upcoming R2 platform vehicle.

The smaller-size SUV, built on the lower-cost R2 platform, will cost from $40,000 to $60,000. That’s according to Rivian CFO Claire McDonough, who spoke at last week’s Deutsche Bank conference. McDonough said that it “creates a nice stretch for the brand,” mentioning that the current R1 platform vehicles start at around $73,000.