American Rivian Launches First Electric Pickup Truck Equipped with Samsung Battery

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] U.S. electric vehicle startup Rivian has launched its electric pickup truck for the first time, surpassing Tesla and General Motors (GM).

According to U.S. economic media CNBC on the 14th (local time), Rivian announced that it shipped the commercial electric pickup truck 'R1T' from its assembly plant in Illinois, USA.

Rivian founder and CEO R.J. Scaringe tweeted, "This morning, the first customer vehicle left the production line and set off. The collective effort of our team made this moment possible," adding, "I want to deliver this electric pickup truck to customers as soon as possible."

The photo tweeted by CEO Scaringe shows workers gathered around the R1T on the production line, cheering.

A Rivian spokesperson confirmed that the R1T produced this time is for customer sales but did not disclose plans regarding the initial shipment volume or production increase.

The R1T has a driving range of 314 miles (505 km) per charge based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards, and the starting price is $67,500 (approximately 79 million KRW).

This pickup truck is equipped with cylindrical '2170 battery cells' measuring 21 mm in diameter and 70 mm in length, supplied by Samsung SDI.

Founded in 2009, Rivian is considered the second Tesla, having received investments from Amazon and Ford, and began production after acquiring the Mitsubishi plant in Illinois.

CNBC reported that Rivian will be the first company to bring an electric pickup truck to market, ahead of Tesla, GM, and Ford.

GM is expected to follow Rivian by launching the electric pickup 'GMC Hummer' this fall, while Tesla has postponed the originally scheduled 2023 release of the 'Cybertruck' to next year. Rosestone Motors and Ford are also planning to release electric pickup trucks next year.