This Week in EV: Expansion

We kick off this week with the news thatRivian has received approval from the Normal Town Council in Illinois for a significant expansion of its manufacturing plant, paving the way for the production of its more affordable R2 electric vehicles. Rivian announced the R2 along with the R3 earlier in the year and after initially planning to build a new factory in Georgia the company changed tacked to expand its factory in Normal which will allow it to bring the R2 to market sooner. The expansion includes a new 1.14 million square-foot facility and a 208,000 square-foot addition to the current plant which will connect the two plants together. This will enable Rivian to ramp up production capacity to 215,000 vehicles annually, nearly doubling the output of its current models. Production of the R2 is expected to begin in early 2026.

I wrote a while back about the Tesla’s Supercharger team all getting fired in what might be one of the biggest examples of self harm at any EV maker given the massive success that team has had. The industry has been waiting to see where the head of that team Rebecca Tinucci would end up and now we know. Tinucci has joined Uber as its new Global Head of Sustainability. Tinucci will focus on helping Uber achieve its goal of transitioning to a fully electric platform by 2040 and represents a real coup for Uber to land her.?

Normally a small EV installation in a single location wouldn’t make the cut for the newsletter but when its the Royal Family it’s a bit more newsworthy. They may soon install up to 27 EV chargers at Buckingham Palace as part of King Charles' plan to electrify the royal fleet. If successful, other Royal Households, including Kensington Palace and Windsor Castle, could also receive chargers. This initiative aligns with the King's sustainability goals and aims to reduce the carbon footprint at Buckingham Palace. The project still awaits approval from Westminster Council but when it does go ahead I’ll wonder if they’ll show up when I search for a charger in Zap Map?

In what I think will be a mistake for the lagging Ford the company have announced it is canceling its electric three-row SUV and delaying the launch of its next electric pickup truck, the T3, until 2027. The automaker will shift focus to new gas and hybrid-powered SUVs, aiming to ensure EV profitability before launching new models. Ford plans to prioritize a new commercial EV van set for 2026. Due to challenges in aligning EV production costs with revenue, Ford is reducing capital spending on EVs and concentrating on hybrids for its next-generation trucks. Whilst its painful to make the transition Ford is falling behind competitors such as Hyundai who are steaming ahead and the longer it takes to make the transition the more pain the company is going to feel when it finally does commit.

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