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Rivian R1T poised to make an appearance at major US outdoor trade show

(Image: Rivian)

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Rivian recently announced its upcoming attendance at Outdoor Retailer’s Summer Market in Denver, Colorado, continuing their embrace of the outdoor adventure community and the company’s “electric outdoor adventure” narrative.

“Our team is headed back to @OutdoorRetailer next week—this time with the #R1T. Look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones. Check http://OutdoorRetailer.com for information on how to attend this industry-only event,” the startup’s official Twitter account revealed.

The Outdoor Retailer event is the largest outdoor industry trade show in North America and is primarily focused on business-to-business networking. Three shows are organized by the brand each year – the Summer Market, the Winter Market, and the Snow Show. This year’s Summer Market takes place June 18-20 at the Colorado Convention Center.

Rivian will be joined by other retailers at the outdoor sports show showcasing innovative and unique gear, apparel, and accessories to include adventure travel, backpacking, camping, hiking, climbing, skiing, and snowboarding, among others. The theme of the event and products offered by other attendees are well matched to Rivian’s own tech and branding. The car maker has frequently displayed an impressive tent attachment on the back of the R1T truck, and several features on the vehicle are specifically aimed at carrying gear for camping, hiking, and other similar outdoor activities. For instance, the R1T has a unique tunnel through the middle of the vehicle that can carry things like snow boards, and there are adjustable cargo racks that easily attach/detach from the roof or on top of the truck bed.

Rivian’s attendance at the Summer Market comes on the heels of their appearance at Amazon’s re:MARS tech expo in Las Vegas. The all-electric car maker also attended the New York International Auto Show and the Overlander Expo West in Flagstaff, Arizona this year.

At each event, new details about the company’s upcoming R1T pickup truck and R1S SUV were revealed, including a portable kitchen built for the R1T gear tunnel and their vehicles’ integration with Amazon’s Alexa digital assistant for voice commands. Rivian sent two team members on a Memorial Day trip to Sedona, Arizona to promote the R1T, kitchen set, and tent attachment via the company’s social media accounts; however, no further details have yet been provided on the Alexa functionality.

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In addition to expo appearances, Rivian may have a test drive tour in the works. An attendee of the New York International Auto Show spoke with the company’s team, including CEO RJ Scaringe, and claimed the possibility of a roadshow was discussed that would give potential customers a chance to experience the R1T and R1S while driving. A job posting for a “Test Driver” on Rivian’s website also seemed to confirm this plan, the description for which included “ride and drive demos of Rivian vehicles (Marketing Events, Customer Trade Shows),” among other responsibilities.

As interest in Rivian’s vehicles continues to grow, especially the R1T, Tesla also has its own pickup truck in the works that’s set to be unveiled this summer. It remains to be seen whether the two companies’ vehicles will attract the same customer base – Tesla CEO Elon Musk has often referenced a cyberpunk styling that may not appeal to a wide audience. There is a definite question of price competitiveness, though. Musk recently revealed Tesla’s truck will be priced at $49k or less, while Rivian’s R1T is said to start at $69,000. Rivian’s vehicles are set to be delivered sometime next year, and no timeline has yet been set for the Tesla pickup truck.

Accidental computer geek, fascinated by most history and the multiplanetary future on its way. Quite keen on the democratization of space. | It's pronounced day-sha, but I answer to almost any variation thereof.

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Tesla races strange, compact Model Y on Fremont Test Track: affordable model?

Tesla was zipping around a strange, covered, compact Model Y at Fremont this week.

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tesla affordable model prototype on fremont factory test track
Credit: Met God in Wilderness | YouTube

Tesla was racing a compact, short, and stocky Model Y with front and rear end covers around its Fremont Factory’s test track today, potentially giving us a look at the upcoming affordable model.

On Thursday, Met God in the Wilderness on YouTube posted a flyover of the Fremont Factory, a weekly occurrence for the channel. This week’s video featured a smaller, more compact Model Y racing around the Test Track at Fremont, trailed by a Cybertruck:

While both bumpers are covered, it still seems to be a much more compact version of the Model Y. There is also the potential that this is the upcoming Model Y Performance, but it seems that this vehicle is smaller than the traditional Model Y. Tesla would not reduce its size this much for the Performance configuration.

With that, it seems more likely it is one of the affordable models.

Tesla still on track to release more affordable models in 1H25

It also plays into the idea that Tesla is planning to launch vehicles very similar to the Model Y and Model 3. During the last Earnings Call, Tesla VP of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy stated that the affordable models the company planned to launch would be of the same form and factor as the Model Y, indicating potentially a stripped-down version of the all-electric crossover:

“I will say it’s important to emphasize that, as we’ve said all along, the full utilization of our factories is the primary goal for these new products. And so flexibility of what we can do within the form factor and, you know, the design of it is really limited to what we can do on our existing lines rather than building new ones.”

This was essentially a read-between-the-lines moment for investors as they took it as the affordable models would not be much different than the Model Y.

This vehicle seems to fit the bill of what Moravy described: it is eerily similar to the Model Y without the lengthened front and rear. While it is still tough to determine exactly what it is, it surely does look to be something that Tesla is keeping under wraps for the short term.

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Teslas will self-deliver to customers, Elon Musk says: here’s when

Teslas will soon drive themselves to customers, Elon Musk says

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has an extremely busy month for himself and his company in June if all goes according to plan.

Not only is Tesla planning to launch its Robotaxi platform in Austin, Texas, next month, but Musk is also now indicating that Teslas will self-deliver to customers in June as well.

Musk has said for some time that Tesla vehicles would soon be capable of driving to customers without a driver within the car. Initially, it seemed like the company would do this in the areas close to its U.S. factories – the Greater Austin, Texas, area, and potentially in Northern California’s Bay Area of San Francisco, where the company’s Fremont Factory operates.

Upon confirmation that Tesla has been testing driverless Robotaxi rides in Austin for the past several days, Musk brought forth a new detail that fans of the company will love to hear: Teslas will soon drive themselves to customers, eliminating the need for trips to the showroom for delivery.

How soon? Musk says next month:

There is no doubt that the bigger news within Musk’s X post is that it is on track for the launch of the Robotaxi platform. Tesla has been touting its prowess in self-driving for several years. As other companies have executed, Tesla has taken a more unorthodox approach by utilizing only cameras and being much more reserved with its rollout of driverless software.

While Full Self-Driving is consistently ranked at the top of the current Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), it is not fully autonomous. That is set to change, and not only will it yield the results of what will hopefully be a successful Robotaxi fleet, but also a vehicle delivery process that makes buying a vehicle more convenient than it already is from Tesla, with no hassle, no dealership jargon, and no negotiating.

The launch of the Robotaxi platform is set for Austin on June 12, according to Bloomberg, where roughly 10 Model Y SUVs will make their way around the city initially. Tesla will expand as safety is proven, which is the utmost priority.

Musk also said later on X that people should be able to fly to Austin and hail a Robotaxi by the end of June.

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Tesla lands on date for Robotaxi launch in Austin: report

Tesla has reportedly landed on a tentative date to launch the Robotaxi platform in Austin.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has reportedly landed on a set date for its launch of the Robotaxi platform in Austin, Texas.

Bloomberg is reporting that Tesla has discussed June 12 internally, and there is still the potential for it to change.

The date comes after Tesla tested the driverless ride-sharing platform on public roads in Austin, and has been for several weeks. The report said that Tesla started doing it this week, and CEO Elon Musk confirmed on X by saying:

“For the past several days, Tesla has been testing self-driving Model Y cars (no one in driver’s seat) on Austin public streets with no incidents.”

The report indicates a person was in the vehicle, but not in the driver’s seat. Instead, a Tesla engineer sat in the passenger seat of a Model Y, “which drove autonomously with no remote operation.”

Tesla set for ‘golden age of autonomous’ as Robotaxi nears, ‘dark chapter’ ends: Wedbush

The testing has successfully gone on a month ahead of the company’s deadline of June 30.

Currently, Tesla’s plans for the initial rollout of the suite are extremely limited. There will only be ten vehicles at first, and the riders will be invited by the company. This is an effort that puts safety at the forefront of this trial period, and will expand as time goes on.

It could be sooner than expected, as Musk also said that anyone would likely be able to visit Austin and take a ride in the Robotaxi by the end of June.

The report and subsequent announcement come after many media outlets reported Tesla was not testing Robotaxi in any capacity. Some had even considered the project a total failure even before the June launch date, a typical tone most media take with the company.

Tesla Robotaxi deemed a total failure by media — even though it hasn’t been released

Tesla has not been great at meeting its own timelines, but it has been adamant that it would reach this June deadline for several months.

Now that it appears Tesla is at an all-systems-go mentality for the Robotaxi launch, it will be interesting to see how quickly it can expand from its initial testing.

Shares are up just over 1.3 percent as of 10:30 a.m. on the East Coast. They are up 24 percent over the past 30 days, and down just 4.5 percent for the year so far.

The Robotaxi fleet will help to bolster Tesla’s position as a leader in autonomy, something it has already essentially achieved through its successful operation of the Supervised Full Self-Driving suite.

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