Rivian is growing at a fast rate despite having a single product on the road to date. The company unveiled the R1T pickup truck and the R1S SUV at the 2018 LA Auto Show and has since become a familiar name in the industry. Rivian also hit the headlines courtesy of investment from two giants – Ford and Amazon.
The R1T and R1S show a lot of promise in theory and we are still some time away from seeing the products in the metal on the streets. Before they could be rolled out, Rivian is already prepping for two more products. MotorTrend reports that the EV automaker has filed for two new names – R1V and R2X – with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
What Can We Expect?
If you go by the company’s way of naming its vehicles, the R1V could mean an electric van. A spokesperson mentioned that "trademarks aren't vehicle programs" and that Rivian files such applications "for all kinds of stuff." The automaker has filed the R1V and the R2X trademarks under the “Land vehicles and parts” category.
The company even has experience in this segment now; well, kind of, since it has developed them for Amazon. By 2030, Rivian will deploy 100,000 electric delivery vans for the retail giant. Taking learnings from this, Rivian could further build a passenger van, a segment that is still left open for someone to take charge of. But there’s no denying that it could also be a commercial van.
Electric Commercial Vans Have A Huge Potential, Too
Bollinger recently revealed B2 Chassis Cab, which is the “world’s first and only Class 3 all-electric chassis-cab truck platform” according to the company. Chassis cab trucks are very popular among commercial fleet owners and used widely in the commercial market.
Is Rivian Planning To Go After Fisker Ocean?
As for the R2X, it could be a smaller crossover or something similar; perhaps rivaling the Fisker Ocean. Tesla doesn’t have a crossover offering in the $30,000-$40,000 price bracket. Given the market trend and customers’ preferences, a budget electric crossover makes a lot of sense. Rivian wouldn’t go for a product more expensive than the R1S and the R1T, and neither would it roll out a Model 3 rival just to get slaughtered by the veteran. So, a subcompact SUV with an affordable price tag makes sense. Another wild guess would be an electric rally vehicle that Rivian has spoken about previously. Will Rivian opt for a niche over a mainstream product?
Rivian Also Filed A Patent For Fast Charging
In other related news, Rivian has also filed for a patent that suggests a fast charging technology. It seems to use a voltage switching mechanism that will allow the usage of twice the charging capacity of the battery pack.
MuscleCarsAndTrucks reported that Rivian has updated the specs for R1T and the R1S. They will now be able to charge at 300 kW as well. For now, Porsche Taycan has the fastest charging at 270 kW, followed by Tesla Model 3’s 250 kW. This could mean Rivian will dethrone Porsche and claim laurels in this department.
Final Thoughts
Both, electric passenger and commercials vans have a lot of value in the segment. Capitalizing on this vacuum and having the first-mover advantage will go a long way for whichever automaker decided to do so. Are you wondering what Tesla’s response to this will be? Well, Tesla is said to be working on a 12-seater van that would act as an underground shuttle for The Boring Company. Do you think the electric van market will boom all of a sudden and grow exponentially as the electric pickup truck market did? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.