Connect with us

News

Rivian’s manufacturing plant moves closer to full-scale production, documents show

Rivian Automotive's Normal, IL factory. (Photo: Rivian)

Published

on

Rivian’s production plant in Normal, Illinois is moving swiftly toward its first days of full-scale production. New documents acquired by Teslarati show the automaker is applying for, submitting, and completing several new additions to its manufacturing plant that will soon begin cranking out builds of its all-electric R1T pickup.

Documents from the Normal, Illinois Inspection Department’s Monthly Permit and Project Summary for February 2021 show Rivian has recently submitted, had permits approved for, and is completing several add-ons to its new factory. While the plant sits at 100 Rivian Motorway, several other addresses on the documents apply to Rivian’s plans, including 100 Rivian Parkway, 301 Kerrick Road, 2430 Electric Avenue, and 2601 W. College Avenue.

With the production of the R1T planned for later this year and deliveries slated for June 2021, Rivian, headed by CEO RJ Scaringe, undoubtedly has major potential to make this year its biggest yet. Of course, delivering its first car to a customer would already be monumental for the company, but production and construction efforts were delayed in 2020 to this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, Rivian is working to put the finishing touches on its facility as production nears.

Rivian R1T spotted on public roads once again prior to launch

Advertisement

The portion of the documents that outlines the “Significant Projects” in the town of Normal is predominantly comprised of Rivian’s construction efforts at the facility. A breakdown of Rivian’s construction progress is as follows:

301 Kerrick Road

Rivian Lease Buildout – Framing & Roughs

100 Rivian Parkway

Main Entry Renovation – In Progress

Cable Tray Structural – In Progress

Advertisement

Start Me Up Offices – In Progress

North EOL Addition – In Progress

Skateboard Addition – In Progress

North Body Addition – Foundation Work

Advertisement

Cafeteria Remodel – In Progress

S17 Equipment Mezzanine – In Progress

Teams Room #3 – In Progress

Equipment Mezzanines – Foundations & Framing

Advertisement

Battery Mezzanine – Foundations & Framing

100 Rivian Motorway

Paint Shop Lab – Temporary Occupancy

Stamping/Final Assembly – Temporary Occupancy

Final Assembly Floor R1 – In Progress

Advertisement

Phase II Team Rooms, Paint Shop – In Progress

South End Plant Additions – Temporary Occupancy

West Plant Addition – Interior Buildout

2460 Electric Avenue

Service Station Building – In Progress

Advertisement

Vibration Test Lab Addition – Temporary Occupancy

2601 W. College Avenue

Warehouse Remodel – In Progress

Additionally, Rivian also recently submitted two new projects for 100 Rivian Parkway for Outbound Logistics and Phase 3-5 Team Rooms. Rivian was also granted three “Significant Construction Permits for the Month,” two at 100 Rivian Parkway ((Equipment Mezzanines – $11 million, Battery Mezzanine – $463k) and one at 301 Kerrick Road (Rivian Lease Buildout – $1.5 million).

It is worth noting that Rivian’s production facility has been under construction for several years, and was still being completed internally in April 2020, when the company broke the news regarding production delays. Luckily, the company has plenty of financial backing and recently rounded out a $2.65 billion investment round. Rivian recently announced it has partnered with Meridian Audio, and the R1T has been spotted several times in public ahead of initial production.

Advertisement

Documents regarding Rivian’s production facility are available below.

Rivian Normal Il Report February 2021 by Joey Klender on Scribd

Advertisement

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

Advertisement
Comments

Cybertruck

Tesla Cybertruck gets long-awaited safety feature

Tesla has announced the rollout of its innovative anti-dooring protection feature to the Cybertruck via the 2026.8 software update.

Published

on

Credit: Tesla Asia | X

Tesla is rolling out a new and long-awaited feature to the Cybertruck all-electric pickup, and it is a safety addition geared toward pedestrian and cyclist safety, as well as accidents with other vehicles.

Tesla has announced the rollout of its innovative anti-dooring protection feature to the Cybertruck via the 2026.8 software update.

This safety enhancement uses the vehicle’s existing cameras to detect approaching cyclists, pedestrians, or vehicles in the blind spot while parked. Upon attempting to open a door, if a hazard is detected, the system activates: the blind spot indicator light flashes, an audible chime sounds, and the door will not open on the initial button press.

Drivers must wait briefly and press the button again to override, providing crucial seconds to avoid an accident.

Advertisement

The feature, also known as Blind Spot Warning While Parked, comes standard on every new Model 3 and Model Y, and is now extending to the Cybertruck. Leveraging Tesla’s vision-based system without requiring new hardware, it represents a cost-effective software solution that builds on community suggestions dating back to 2018.

Advertisement

This technology addresses the persistent danger of “dooring,” where a driver opens a car door into the path of a passing cyclist or pedestrian.

Tesla implemented this little-known feature to make its cars even safer

Dooring incidents are alarmingly common in urban environments.

According to Chicago data, in 2011 alone, there were 344 reported dooring crashes, accounting for approximately 20 percent of all bicycle crashes in the city, nearly one incident per day.

Advertisement

While numbers have fluctuated (dropping to 11 percent in 2014 before rising again), dooring consistently represents 10-20 percent of bike-related crashes in major cities.

A national analysis of emergency department data estimates over 17,000 dooring-related injuries treated in the U.S. over a decade, with many involving fractures, contusions, and head trauma, particularly affecting upper extremities.

By automatically intervening, Tesla’s system not only protects vulnerable road users but also safeguards its owners from potential liability and enhances overall road safety.

As cities promote cycling for sustainable transport, features like this demonstrate how advanced driver assistance and camera systems can evolve beyond highway driving to everyday urban scenarios.

Advertisement

Enthusiastic responses on social media highlight appreciation for the proactive safety measure, with some calling for broader rollout to older models where hardware permits. Tesla continues to push the boundaries of vehicle safety through over-the-air updates, making its fleet smarter and safer over time.

Continue Reading

Elon Musk

Tesla Roadster is ‘sorcery and magic’ and might be worth the wait, Uber founder says

Perhaps the wait will be worth it, especially according to Uber founder Travis Kalanick, who recently teased the Roadster’s potential capabilities based on what he has heard from internal Tesla sources.

Published

on

tesla roadster
Credit: Praveen Joseph/Twitter

Tesla is planning to unveil the Roadster in late April after years of waiting. But the wait might be worth it, according to Travis Kalanick, the founder of Uber, who recently shed some light on his expectations for the all-electric supercar.

We all know the Roadster is supposed to have some serious capability. CEO Elon Musk has said on numerous occasions that the Roadster will be unlike anything else ever produced. It might go from 0-60 MPH in about a second, it might hover, it might have SpaceX cold gas thrusters.

However, the constant delays in the Roadster program and its unveiling event continue to send Tesla fans into confusion because they’re just not sure when, or if, they’ll ever see the finished product.

Perhaps the wait will be worth it, especially according to Uber founder Travis Kalanick, who recently teased the Roadster’s potential capabilities based on what he has heard from internal Tesla sources.

Advertisement

Kalanick said on X:

Musk has said this vehicle is not going to be geared for safety, and that, “If safety is your number one goal, do not buy the Roadster.”

Advertisement

There has been so much hype regarding the Roadster that it is hard to believe the company could not come through on some kind of crazy features for the vehicle.

Elon Musk just dropped a huge detail on the Tesla Roadster

However, the latest delay that Tesla put on the unveiling event is definitely eye-opening, especially considering it is the latest in a series of pushbacks the company has put on the vehicle for the past several years.

Tesla has made several jumps in the Roadster project over the past few months, as it has ramped up hiring for the vehicle and also applied for a patent for a new seat design.

Advertisement

The car has been a back-burner project for Tesla, as it has been focusing primarily on autonomy and the rollout of Robotaxi and Cybercab. Additionally, its other vehicle projects, like the Model 3 and Model Y refreshes, took precedence.

Tesla still plans to unveil the Roadster next month, so we can hope the company can stick to this timeframe.

Continue Reading

Cybertruck

Elon Musk clarifies viral Tesla Cybertruck accident with driver logs

Musk has come out to say that the driver logs have already shown that the driver “disengaged Autopilot four seconds before crashing,” in a post on X.

Published

on

Credit: Fox Business | Hilliard Law Firm

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has clarified some details regarding the viral Tesla Cybertruck accident with company driver logs, which show various metrics at the time of an incident.

The logs have been used in the past to pull responsibility off of Tesla when the automaker’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) or Autopilot platforms are blamed for a collision or accident. It appears this will be no different.

On Tuesday, a video of a Cybertruck crashing into an overpass barrier in August 2025 was shared by Fox Business in a story that reported a woman was suing the automaker for $1 million in a liability and negligence case.

In the suit, Justine Saint Amour said that, “Something terrifying happened, without warning, the vehicle attempted to drive straight off an overpass.” Her attorney, Bob Hilliard, said Amour “tried to take control, but crashed into the barrier and was seriously injured (mostly her shoulder, neck, and back).”

Advertisement

The Tesla Model Y is leading China’s electric SUV segment by a wide margin

Tesla vehicle crashes are widely popular to report by mainstream media outlets because of the sensationalism of the event. Oftentimes, these outlets will include Tesla in the headline, especially because it will pique the interest of the masses, as most who read the story are waiting to see the claim that Autopilot or Full Self-Driving was the culprit of the accident.

However, Tesla has access to the logs of every vehicle in its fleet, which will show the various metrics, like whether either FSD or Autopilot was active, if the accelerator was pressed, the speed, and other important factors.

Musk has come out to say that the driver logs have already shown that the driver “disengaged Autopilot four seconds before crashing,” in a post on X.

Advertisement

If the logs do show this, which Tesla will likely have to prove in court, the real question would be why did the Amour disengage the suite?

Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite is still not fully autonomous, meaning the driver cannot pull attention away from the road and must be ready to take over the vehicle at all times.

Advertisement

It will be interesting to see how this particular case pans out, especially considering the clip that was released by the law firm starts at about four seconds before the collision. Tesla logs have dispelled media reports in the past that have accused the company’s suite of being responsible for an accident, so there will be some major attention on what is proven in this particular case.

Continue Reading