Rivian has revealed the delivery dates for its R1T pickup truck and R1S Sport Utility Vehicle.
Both of its all-electric vehicles will debut in Summer 2021, but the R1T truck will make its way to customers before the R1S SUV will.
Rivian announced that the R1T would begin deliveries in June 2021, meaning the company’s first all-electric vehicle is less than a year away from making its way to reservation holders.
Additionally, the R1S SUV will begin deliveries in August 2021, just two months after the truck starts arriving to customers.
- Rivian R1T truck at the NY Auto Show 2019. | Image: Dacia J. Ferris/Teslarati
- Rivian R1S SUV at New York Auto Show 2019. | Image: Dacia J. Ferris/Teslarati
The delivery dates were both announced in a press release from Rivian on July 24, where the company stated that its pilot production line is coming together at the company’s production plant in Normal, Illinois.
“This week at our plant in Normal, IL, the work of thousands of Rivian team members comes together as our pilot production line begins running,” the company’s press release said.
“This important milestone brings us another step closer to our full production launch. It also allows us to more precisely estimate delivery timing.”
In April, Rivian announced that its production lines would not begin manufacturing either of its planned vehicles until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidently, that timeline is still accurate, judging by the company’s announcement of when deliveries would begin.
Moving forward, Rivian’s main priorities are to keep its team safe while it continues to develop its manufacturing facility. In the coming months, the company also plans to let reservation holders configure their R1T or R1S, and give updates on the charging infrastructure it plans to implement for its vehicles.
The R1T will compete with upcoming electric pickups like the Tesla Cybertruck, Ford F-150 EV, and the GMC Hummer EV. Rivian’s vehicles are geared toward adventurous, outdoor utility while maintaining impressive performance specifications.
Even though the R1T and R1S both have three feet of wading depth, their top of the line 185 kWh models have 400+ miles of range and a 0-60 MPH time of 3 seconds.
The 105 and 135 kWh variants of the R1T and R1S will boast 230+ and 300+ miles of range, respectively.
The R1T will start at $69,000, and the R1S begins at $72,500.
Rivian’s R1T has been on display for prospective owners at multiple “Open House” events across the United States. The electric automaker had plans to visit several new locations, but the dates were postponed due to the pandemic.
Currently, Rivian has several large-scale investors like Ford, Amazon, and Cox Automotive, who are pumping sizeable sums of money into the company’s projects. Rivian recently closed its first investment round of 2020, where it accumulated $2.5 billion in investments.
Most notably, the company’s partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon will have Rivian produce 100,000 electric delivery vans for the company’s push toward more sustainable package transport.
Rivian will have the distinct advantage of being the first EV manufacturer to deliver a fully electric pickup truck, beating Tesla to the market.
Jeff Bezos reveals Rivian’s plans to produce electric vans for Amazon
Elon Musk
Elon Musk confirms Tesla AI6 chip is Project Dojo’s successor
Tesla’s AI5 and AI6 chips are expected to be rolled out to the company’s consumer products.

Earlier this week, reports emerged stating that Tesla has stepped back from its Project Dojo initiative. While the reports were initially framed as a negative development for the electric vehicle maker’s autonomous driving efforts, CEO Elon Musk later noted on X that Tesla was indeed halting its Dojo initiative.
Elon Musk’s Confirmation
As per Musk, Tesla was shuttering Project Dojo because it does not make sense for the company to divide its resources and scale two different AI chip designs. Dojo, after all, is designed to train the company’s autonomous driving program, and thus, it would not be rolled out to Tesla’s consumer products.
In a series of posts on X, Musk stated that it would make sense to just use Tesla’s AI5/AI6 to train its FSD and Autopilot systems. “In a supercomputer cluster, it would make sense to put many AI5/AI6 chips on a board, whether for inference or training, simply to reduce network cabling complexity & cost by a few orders of magnitude,” Musk said.
Tesla’s AI5 and AI6 chips are expected to be rolled out to the company’s consumer products, from Optimus to the Cybercab to the next-generation Roadster.
AI6 is Dojo’s Successor
What was particularly interesting about Musk’s comment was his mention of using AI5/AI6 chips for training. As per Musk, this strategy could be seen as “Dojo 3” in a way, since the performance of Tesla’s AI5 and AI6 chips is already notable. Musk’s comment about using AI6 chips for training caught the eye of many, including Apple and Rivian alumnus Phil Beisel, who noted that “AI6 is now Dojo.”
“Dojo is Tesla’s AI training supercomputer, built around a custom chip known as the D1. The D1 and AI5/AI6 share many core design elements, particularly the math operations used in neural networks (e.g., matrix multiplication) and highly parallel processing.
“Dojo had a unique feature: chips arranged in a 5×5 grid using a system-on-wafer design, with etched interconnects enabling high-speed data transfer. In a sense, Dojo will live on as the generalized AI6. Going forward, all efforts will focus on AI6,” the tech veteran wrote in a post on X.
Elon Musk confirmed the Apple alumnus’ musings, with the CEO responding with a “bullseye” emoji. Musk is evidently excited for Tesla’s AI6 chip, which is expected to produced by Samsung’s upcoming Texas fabrication facility. In a post on X, Musk stated that he would personally be walking Samsung’s line to accelerate the output of Tesla’s AI6 computers.
Cybertruck
Tesla’s new upgrade makes the Cybertruck extra-terrestrial
The upgrade was announced by the electric vehicle maker on social media platform X.

It took a while, but the Tesla Cybertruck’s rock sliders and battery armor upgrades have finally arrived. The upgrade was announced by the electric vehicle maker on social media platform X, to much appreciation from Cybertruck owners.
Tesla Releases Cybertruck Armor Package
As could be seen in Tesla’s official Shop, the Cybertruck Terrestrial Armor Package is available only for Foundation Series units for now, though non-Foundation Series vehicles should have access to the upgrade around September 2025. Price-wise, the armor package is quite reasonable at $3,500.
For that price, Cybertruck owners would be able to acquire enhanced rock sliders and an underbody battery shield that should allow the all-electric pickup truck to go through harsh terrain without any issues. Each purchase of the Terrestrial Armor Package includes 1 Underbody shield, 1 Left side structural rocker, and 1 Right side structural rocker.
Most importantly, the Armor Package’s price includes shipment to the customer’s preferred Tesla Service Center and installation.
Extra-Terrestrial
Tesla describes its Cybertruck Armor Package as follows: “Get extra-terrestrial. The Cybertruck Terrestrial Armor Package includes enhanced rock sliders and an underbody battery shield to provide greater protection from rocks and debris when off-roading on tough terrain. The rock sliders are constructed from coated steel and the underbody battery shield is constructed from aluminum for greater protection against scraping.”
Initial impressions from a Cybertruck owner who was fortunate enough to test the Armor Package in real-world off-road conditions have been positive. The item’s pricing also seems to be quite appreciated by Cybertruck owners in forums such as the Cybertruck Owners Club, with some members stating that they would be acquiring the package for their own all-electric pickup trucks.
News
Tesla Model Y L reportedly entered mass production in Giga Shanghai
The vehicle is expected to be a larger version of the best-selling Model Y crossover.

Reports from industry watchers in China have suggested that the Tesla Model Y L has started mass production at Gigafactory Shanghai. The vehicle is expected to be a larger version of the best-selling Model Y crossover, offering three rows and six seats thanks to a longer wheelbase.
Tesla Model Y L Production Rumors
Reports about the new Model Y variant’s alleged milestone were initially shared on Weibo, with some industry watchers stating that the vehicle has already started mass production. Tesla China is reportedly surveying which of its domestic stores would have the first display units of the six-seat Model Y.
The Model Y L’s steady march towards production was evident this past week, with recent reports indicating that the vehicle’s key specs have already been listed in the China Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s (MIIT) latest batch of new energy vehicle models that are eligible for vehicle purchase tax exemptions.
As per the MIIT’s list, the Model Y L will be a dual motor vehicle that is equipped with an 82.0-kWh lithium-ion battery from LG Energy Solution. The vehicle will feature six seats with two captain seats on the second row, as well as a CLTC range of 751 km.
Tesla Model Y L Potential
The potential of the Model Y L is vast, considering that it is produced in the existing Model Y lines of Tesla’s factories. This should slash new vehicle tooling costs and potential ramp-up issues. Three-row SUVs also command a pretty notable market that has mostly only been accessed by the more expensive Model X. With the Model Y L’s lower price, Tesla could become more competitive in the three-row SUV segment.
As noted by longtime Tesla owner and investor @_SFTahoe, the Model Y L could also become a more premium option for the company’s Robotaxi business, thanks to its second row captain seats and spacious interior. The expansion of Model Y L Robotaxis should also be impressive considering Tesla’s mastery of mass manufacturing techniques.
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