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Rivian’s manufacturing plant moves closer to full-scale production, documents show
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
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
Start Me Up Offices – In Progress
North EOL Addition – In Progress
Skateboard Addition – In Progress
North Body Addition – Foundation Work
Cafeteria Remodel – In Progress
S17 Equipment Mezzanine – In Progress
Teams Room #3 – In Progress
Equipment Mezzanines – Foundations & Framing
Battery Mezzanine – Foundations & Framing
100 Rivian Motorway
Paint Shop Lab – Temporary Occupancy
Stamping/Final Assembly – Temporary Occupancy
Final Assembly Floor R1 – In Progress
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
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.
Documents regarding Rivian’s production facility are available below.
Rivian Normal Il Report February 2021 by Joey Klender on Scribd
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Tesla’s Sweden standoff draws UAW support as unions widen pressure campaign
In a post shared on social media, the United Auto Workers stated that it stands with IF Metall workers who are striking against Tesla Sweden.
The United Auto Workers (UAW) has publicly expressed solidarity with Swedish union IF Metall as its strike against Tesla continues, adding international attention to the extended labor dispute in the European country.
UAW supports IF Metall’s strike
In a post shared on social media, the United Auto Workers stated that it stands with IF Metall workers who are striking against Tesla Sweden. UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith stated that the union fully supports IF Metall’s efforts to secure a collective bargaining agreement with the automaker.
“UAW stands with IF Metall workers on strike against Tesla, fighting for a collective bargaining agreement. UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith pledged the UAW’s full support and solidarity,” the UAW International Union stated in its post.
IF Metall launched its strike against Tesla Sweden in late 2023 over the electric car maker’s refusal to sign a collective agreement. The action has since been supported by other unions through sympathy strikes affecting ports, logistics, and service operations.
Tesla Sweden has maintained that it complies with Swedish labor laws and offers competitive pay and benefits, though the company has not publicly commented on the UAW’s latest show of support.
Tesla owners get union attention
Pro-union groups in Sweden have recently expanded their outreach beyond Tesla’s facilities and workforce. Activists have begun distributing informational leaflets against the EV maker directly on Tesla vehicles parked across Stockholm, as per a report from Swedish outlet Dagens Arbete.
The yellow slips, designed to resemble parking notices, urge regular Tesla owners to pressure the company into signing a collective agreement. Organizers involved in the effort have argued that the leaflets are intended to simply inform consumers rather than single out individual owners. When owners are present, however, activists stated that they explain the dispute verbally.
Tesla has not issued a public response regarding the leaflet distribution campaign as of writing.
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Starlink goes mainstream with first-ever SpaceX Super Bowl advertisement
SpaceX used the Super Bowl broadcast to promote Starlink, pitching the service as fast, affordable broadband available across much of the world.
SpaceX aired its first-ever Super Bowl commercial on Sunday, marking a rare move into mass-market advertising as it seeks to broaden adoption of its Starlink satellite internet service.
Starlink Super Bowl advertisement
SpaceX used the Super Bowl broadcast to promote Starlink, pitching the service as fast, affordable broadband available across much of the world.
The advertisement highlighted Starlink’s global coverage and emphasized simplified customer onboarding, stating that users can sign up for service in minutes through the company’s website or by phone in the United States.
The campaign comes as SpaceX accelerates Starlink’s commercial expansion. The satellite internet service grew its global user base in 2025 to over 9 million subscribers and entered several dozen additional markets, as per company statements.
Starlink growth and momentum
Starlink has seen notable success in numerous regions across the globe. Brazil, in particular, has become one of Starlink’s largest growth regions, recently surpassing one million users, as per Ookla data. The company has also expanded beyond residential broadband into aviation connectivity and its emerging direct-to-cellular service.
Starlink has recently offered aggressive promotions in select regions, including discounted or free hardware, waived installation fees, and reduced monthly pricing. Some regions even include free Starlink Mini for select subscribers. In parallel, SpaceX has introduced AI-driven tools to streamline customer sign-ups and service selection.
The Super Bowl appearance hints at a notable shift for Starlink, which previously relied largely on organic growth and enterprise contracts. The ad suggests SpaceX is positioning Starlink as a mainstream alternative to traditional broadband providers.
Tesla engineers deflected calls from Apple on a daily basis while the tech giant was developing its now-defunct electric vehicle program, which was known as “Project Titan.”
Back in 2022 and 2023, Apple was developing an EV in a top-secret internal fashion, hoping to launch it by 2028 with a fully autonomous driving suite.
However, Apple bailed on the project in early 2024, as Project Titan abandoned the project in an email to over 2,000 employees. The company had backtracked its expectations for the vehicle on several occasions, initially hoping to launch it with no human driving controls and only with an autonomous driving suite.
Apple canceling its EV has drawn a wide array of reactions across tech
It then planned for a 2028 launch with “limited autonomous driving.” But it seemed to be a bit of a concession at that point; Apple was not prepared to take on industry giants like Tesla.
Wedbush’s Dan Ives noted in a communication to investors that, “The writing was on the wall for Apple with a much different EV landscape forming that would have made this an uphill battle. Most of these Project Titan engineers are now all focused on AI at Apple, which is the right move.”
Apple did all it could to develop a competitive EV that would attract car buyers, including attempting to poach top talent from Tesla.
In a new podcast interview with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, it was revealed that Apple had been calling Tesla engineers nonstop during its development of the now-defunct project. Musk said the engineers “just unplugged their phones.”
Musk said in full:
“They were carpet bombing Tesla with recruiting calls. Engineers just unplugged their phones. Their opening offer without any interview would be double the compensation at Tesla.”
Interestingly, Apple had acquired some ex-Tesla employees for its project, like Senior Director of Engineering Dr. Michael Schwekutsch, who eventually left for Archer Aviation.
Tesla took no legal action against Apple for attempting to poach its employees, as it has with other companies. It came after EV rival Rivian in mid-2020, after stating an “alarming pattern” of poaching employees was noticed.
SpaceX strengthens manufacturing base with Hexagon Purus aerospace deal
Tesla’s Sweden standoff draws UAW support as unions widen pressure campaign
