Rivian is now in discussions about a new incentive arrangement with the state of Illinois, after the electric vehicle (EV) maker unveiled its upcoming R2 SUV earlier this week, now set to be built within the state.
During the automaker’s unveiling of the highly anticipated R2 on Thursday, Rivian said it would start producing the forthcoming SUV at its factory in Normal, Illinois, rather than following initial plans to produce the EV at a future plant in Georgia. Rivian is also pausing construction on the new factory, set to be located outside of Atlanta, in hopes to focus instead on achieving profitability with the upcoming R2, R3 and R3X EVs.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) referenced the plans for a new incentives package, saying that it would share details upon finalizing certain parts of the proposal.
Tesla Lead Engineer urges Rivian to optimize R2 for existing Supercharger Network
“The elements of an economic development package are still being finalized,” the DCEO said (via Automotive News). “Once they are finalized, we will update the public on the details of the incentive package.”
Deliveries of the R2 are expected to begin in 2026, and the company says the change of plans to produce the R2 at its currently operational Normal facility will help it get the $45,000 SUV on the market sooner. Meanwhile, plans and construction for the Georgia plant are delayed indefinitely.
“Once again, Rivian has reaffirmed the message that Illinois is one of the best places to do business in the country,” DCEO added. “We stand by Rivian and stand ready to support them as they increase capacity at their Bloomington-Normal facility to rollout the R2.”
Rivian has already created more than 8,000 jobs in Illinois, and with the future of the Georgia plant now unclear, the former state has a chance to scoop up additional employment opportunities as the industry turns toward EVs. Still, it isn’t clear whether Rivian plans to expand its Normal factory to accommodate the R2 line or re-tool production lines to increase output, nor is it clear if the addition will add more jobs.
"Ultimately, Rivian exists to not only help transition the world away from combustion fuels and into electrification — we exist to help generate amazing memories in the process of doing so. These vehicles represent our future — what we've been building to with the R1 products and… pic.twitter.com/EW4K43yNHH
— Rivian (@Rivian) March 9, 2024
CEO RJ Scaringe says he expects launching the R2 at its Normal production facility could save the company almost $2.3 billion, after the automaker posted an operating loss of $5.7 billion in 2023.
“Just as we were faced with incredibly daunting challenges during the launch of our flagship R1 product line — ramping production in the throes of a global pandemic amid an unprecedented supply chain crisis — we are applying those same lessons today,” Scaringe wrote in a recent statement. “Historically high interest rates and geopolitical uncertainty are affecting everyone, and we must adjust and stay ahead of those situations.”
Beyond unveiling the expected R2 earlier this week, Rivian also surprised the world by unveiling designs for new compact crossover EVs, dubbed the R3 and R3X. The automaker didn’t share a price or production timeline for the crossovers, though it did say both EV lineups will offer three configurations: single-motor, dual-motor and tri-motor trims. Rivian also says the EVs will have DC fast-charging capabilities, featuring both an NACS and CCS charging option.
What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send your tips to us at tips@teslarati.com.
Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) reported its earnings for the first quarter of 2026 on Wednesday afternoon. Here’s what the company reported compared to what Wall Street analysts expected.
The earnings results come after Tesla reported a massive beat on vehicle deliveries for the second quarter, delivering 489,126 vehicles and building 451,758 cars during the three-month span.
This was a major shock for those on Wall Street as they anticipated somewhere around 400,000 deliveries for the quarter, and showed Tesla still has plenty of demand for its vehicles around the world and in the U.S. despite losing the $7,500 EV Tax Credit last year.
Tesla Q2 2026 Earnings Results
- Non-GAAP EPS – $0.33 reported vs. $0.53 expected
- Revenues – $28.236 billion reported vs. $26.4 billion expected
- Free Cash Flow- -$1.092B
- Profit -$ 4.751B
Tesla (beat/missed) analyst expectations, so the market response to the company’s quarter is what we will look for next.
Tesla shares closed today down just over 1 percent, trading at $374.01.
In the past, it has been anyone’s guess with what Tesla shares will do after they report earnings. Strong quarters have resulted in sharp drops, while lackluster quarters have seen the stock shoot up considerably.
Tesla will hold its Q2 2026 Earnings Call in about 90 minutes at 5:30 p.m. on the East Coast. Remarks will be made by CEO Elon Musk and other executives, who will shed some light on the investor questions that we covered earlier this week.
You can stream it below. Additionally, we will be doing our Live Blog on X and Facebook.
Q2 2026 Earnings Call https://t.co/zZS6ii2TWK
— Tesla (@Tesla) July 22, 2026
Tesla is about to make parking in busy parking lots at businesses and other points of interest less stressful than ever by allowing drivers more control over where they park and how, CEO Elon Musk confirmed on X.
Tesla has been working to improve the parking performance of vehicles utilizing the Full Self-Driving suite, but now it is looking to add more customization, allowing drivers to choose the specific space they park in, but also potentially the orientation the car pulls into the spot:
It’s coming soon
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 21, 2026
Musk has reiterated on X twice over the past several weeks that Tesla is working to make things with the FSD suite based more on the driver’s specific preferences and behaviors that were seen in past drives.
Essentially, it sounds like if you tend to park away from a business to avoid other vehicles, Tesla FSD will soon recognize that preference of yours and start parking further away as well. Additionally, the prospect of assigned parking spaces has been something many owners have voiced concerns about.
Living in a community with assigned parking spaces makes using FSD incredibly difficult as it will rarely park in the correct spot when there are so many to choose from. This is also pertinent in work settings where there are sometimes assigned parking spaces.
The updates to Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite in terms of listening to driver preferences with parking are also extending to routing. Tesla announced yesterday that with the release of its 2026 Summer Update, it was adding Automatic Navigation and Preferred Routes:
Tesla reveals 2026 Summer Update with crazy fixes to Nav and more
Tesla has always maintained the idea that any human input is bad input, and that, ideally, Tesla Full Self-Driving will always make the right decision. Of course, this is all in theory, but the issue is that so many of Tesla’s interventions have come because it does something that is not necessarily wrong, but perhaps not what the driver would prefer.
Taking these preferences into account will help Tesla alleviate some of the potentially unnecessary interventions that drivers perform.
Tesla is starting to prepare for the launch of the Optimus robot in its smartphone app, new coding strings show. Elon Musk has referred to Optimus as what will be the greatest-selling product of any kind of all time, and now, Tesla is getting ready for its launch.
Tesla’s smartphone app had several first-time mentions of the Optimus program, according to Tesla App Updates, who intially reported on the appearance. Here’s what they found:
A Dedicated “Robot” Phone Key Authentication
Tesla is working on a Bluetooth Low Energy, or BLE, authentication that is specifically for robots. This does not only apply to Optimus, though, as Robotaxi, which is Tesla’s autonomous ride-hailing platform, might also identify vehicles within the fleet as robots as well.
Tesla shows rapid teardown of Model S and X lines, paving the way for Optimus at Fremont
Essentially, pairing your phone as a key to anything Tesla identifies as a robot to a “whitelist” of authorized devices. Optimus, Robotaxi, or other products that fall into this category will only respond if the device trying to communicate with it is authorized.
This is a great security feature that will eliminate at least face-value and low-level threats.
Home Data Collection and System Alerts
This appears to be somewhat of a neural network for Optimus within your house. There will be a dedicated screen that asks for consent to collect both video and spatial data while Optimus performs in-home tasks. Everything from vacuuming, washing dishes, dusting, and other activities will be tracked.
There will also be a comprehensive alert system that will track everything from low battery to mechanical issues.
Other Changes
Most of the changes tracked in this particular app update are related to Tesla’s 2026 Summer Update, and include things such as image assets for new features, a preview of the new custom wraps feature, and other unique features.
You can check out our coverage on what is included with the 2026 Summer Update here:
Tesla reveals 2026 Summer Update with crazy fixes to Nav and more
Tesla (TSLA) Q2 2026 earnings results: miss on EPS, beat on revenue
Tesla is about to make parking in busy lots less stressful than ever
