My brain needs to be somewhere else for a bit, and I had thought to start this yesterday when everything went to Schlitz.
Let me see if we can do a momentary cleansing EV post successfully.
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So - here's Rivian, the Irvine, California-based electric vehicle manufacturer known for its trucks and SUVs. When I last wrote about them almost a year ago, in December, they were sitting fat in the catbird seat thanks to the Biden administration's big fat checkbook...
...and salivating over a software deal they'd just inked with Volkswagen.
But the good times were heading into a rough patch after the end of January, with a new administration that had no time or patience for subsidized niche cars and mandated modes of transportation supporting them. It got worse as the slim hold Republicans had on their fractious members in both houses of managed to stay together, and the big fat government subsidies that had literally fueled the Green grift were stripped away. In some instances, it will be a gradual erosion of available funds, but in other cases, it will be ripping the band-aid off good and fast, taking all the hair underneath with it.
...Just weeks before federal subsidies end for electric vehicles, the automaker Rivian is laying off hundreds of its workforce.
The company said the cuts are part of an overall plan to streamline production ahead of its release next year of a smaller SUV.
“We have made some recent changes to the commercial team as part of an ongoing effort to improve operational efficiency for R2,” a spokesperson for the Irvine-based EV company said.
That team includes sales and service employees, who are eligible for rehire to other positions within the company.
Rivian, which makes the R1S SUV at a price tag of more than $70,000 and the R1T pickup truck ($72,000-$129,000), also is working on the smaller, $45,000 R2 at its assembly plant in Normal, Illinois.
Rivian’s commercial division stretches across the automaker’s engineering, software and design hubs in Irvine, Palo Alto and Carson, plus its new East Coast headquarters in Atlanta.
The funny thing about it is, their whole business plan seems to have been built on the 'aka your tax dollars.' Now they are tap dancing in a panic without them, and having to make ends meet, which still won't get them to the middle.
Rivian has laid off about 200 employees as the electric vehicle maker prepares for a U.S. economy with fewer incentives to go green.
The electric truck and sport-utility vehicle manufacturer is preparing for a challenging year in which it plans to launch a more affordable model even as it gets more expensive to buy an EV.
...In California, approximately one-quarter of new cars sold are either fully electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles, according to the California Energy Commission.
That progress could stall. The planned phaseout of state credits is expected to dampen EV sales, which already have slowed due to waning consumer interest and high tariffs on imported cars.
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'Waning consumer demand' might not only be because the incentives are going away, but because the products are still seen as enormously expensive for a niche product that's not ready for prime-time.
Check out this family's adventure with their brand-new Rivian, packed with the grandparents, luggage, and on their way to Las Vegas.
I'm not playing these games, and what a time to find out that hot weather - in the desert, go figure - can impede charging your EV!
Note to self: EV chargers do not like HOT WEATHER, and they shut off
Our first family road trip in the new @Rivian R1S! We've got a full crew of six headed to Vegas. The R1S is handling the packing like a champ, with the subfrunk holding a luggage cart and one of the third-row seats down for more space for my parents' bags.
...Our first stop is Barstow, where it's a scorching 103°F outside! The R1S has a solid 2.51 miles per kWh efficiency so far, but we ran into a huge issue. The charger stopped at 85% with an error message saying to unplug and try again. The car's temperature was 102°F, and the charging handle itself was 124°F! It seems the heat was just too much. Stay tuned to see how we get back on the road!
This then had me wondering what the State of California is going to do, as, in their infinite wisdom, the climate cult crazy loons have purchased fourhunnertfitty - 450 - Rivian vehicles for their CalTrans vehicles.
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WHUT
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is expanding its transition to electric vehicles (EVs) by reportedly acquiring 450 Rivian electric vehicles (EVs) for statewide use. While the agency has not yet issued an official announcement, multiple sightings and online posts suggest that Rivian’s R1T pickup and R1S SUV are now joining Caltrans’ growing fleet of zero-emission vehicles.
Speculation began when a Rivian Forums member, posting under the handle Joules Burn, shared that he had seen a Rivian R1T branded with Caltrans’ signature fluorescent orange stripe at the Rivian West Sacramento Center. According to his account, staff at the facility mentioned that the department had recently purchased 450 Rivians for deployment across California.
...If confirmed, the purchase would mark another major investment in electrification by Caltrans, which oversees nearly 400,000 lane-miles of roadway across the state. In 2022, Drive Tesla broke the story of Caltrans ordering 399 Tesla Model 3 sedans, a purchase valued at over US$18 million.
...Funding for these large-scale EV acquisitions comes from California’s state budget, which allocates hundreds of millions of dollars to replace aging gas-powered vehicles with zero-emission models and build out the supporting charging infrastructure.
See how snazzy they are?
According to a user on Rivian Forums, the California Department of Transportation aka Caltrans bought 450 Rivians for their fleet.
And they'd damn well better be, because they paid between $74,000 and $90,500for these trucks.
EACH
Thanks to a friend that sent this one over, we now have access to the CalProcure record for the contract Rivian was awarded with the State of California. Here are the prices they agreed upon for the contract.
Holy. Schamoly. I swear, Newsom got nothing but money to burn on the most worthless crap.
He'd better hope folks in Pacific Palisades and Altadena don't see this.
Not to mention, it's gonna be fun and games if Rivian goes under, no?
Besides the additional hit of losing the solo driver exemption for the high-occupancy (HOV) travel lane that EVs also enjoyed, the company is struggling with the everyday ups and downs of a retail business while trying to attract buyers on its own merits.
...After taking the company public in 2021, the retailer has faced a number of challenges. It has had to grapple with supply chain issues, steep price points and order delays.
Like all EV companies, it is now struggling with policy changes out of Washington.
Because Rivian makes only EVs, the company’s sales have been derailed with changes in compliance credits. Previously, the company would sell these credits to other car companies that needed to meet fuel economy and emission standards.
In its second quarter, the company reported a loss of $1.1 billion.
Rivian shares have climbed about 5% this year. That’s less than half the gain of the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index for the same period.
...Forecasting the right workforce balance to deal with supply and consumer demand at an EV manufacturer like Rivian is tough, according to Caldwell.
“They’re just taking best guesses at how they should be staffed to meet these demands. It’s really hard in the electric vehicle sector right now. The move to electrification is happening whether anyone likes it or not. The timeline is sort of in the air right now because of things like tariffs, consumer acceptance and infrastructure build outs. There are a lot of questions,” she said. “Trying to mitigate through all of this is quite challenging. The market is so hard to read right now.”
You gotta do what you gotta do, right?
'Adapt, overcome,' as the Gunny said, can be a bear if you've been sandbagging the whole time.
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