We were in northern California last week on another secret mission. During a long and boring drive through the central valley, we took a quick break at one of those truck stop/gas station/everything stores spaced every 50 miles or so along what has to be one of the most boring roads in America. To my surprise, I spotted a pickup just ahead of us that was something new. I had only read about the new Rivian electric pickup in The Wall Street Journal the day before. They’re not for sale yet, and this one (with manufacturer plates) was obviously on a test drive of some sort. On Interstate 5. Where they evidently wanted to keep it secret.
The guy in the truck was not too happy I was there with my Nikon, but hey, it is what it is. After the first shot, he kept moving between me and the Rivian. To the honchos at Rivian: Your guy tried. So did I.
The truck was a sharp-looking vehicle and I was impressed. I looked up a bit more about the company and the initial claims are impressive…a range of something like 300 miles, and a 0-60 time of 3 seconds. The price is going to be $70K or $75K, with no dealers to jack that up. The Rivian is being sold direct to the consumer, similar to what CSC does with its motorcycles. The dealers won’t be able to get their snouts in the trough, and that’s a good thing.
Anyway, that’s my close encounter of the 3rd kind with the first Rivian I’ve seen. I like it.
Never miss an ExNotes blog…sign up here for free!