Rivian Is Adding A Second Shift To The R2 Assembly Line. Here’s Why It Matters

The American EV startup started delivering customer-spec R2s in June. It’s now gearing up to do double shifts in Illinois.

• Rivian is preparing to add a second shift to the R2 assembly line in Normal, Illinois.

• The R2 is the company’s most important model, which can bring what all startups crave: profitability.

• RJ Scaring, Rivian’s CEO, said that hundreds of suppliers are coordinating to bring up their own production.

After kicking off deliveries of the Rivian R2 in early June, the California startup is already gearing up to add a second shift for the newly introduced model at its factory in Normal, Illinois.

That’s a big deal for the still-small electric car manufacturer, as it brings it closer to what all startups want from the get-go: profitability. RJ Scaringe, the company’s founder and CEO, said during the latest investor call that Rivian is working with hundreds of suppliers to make sure that they ramp up their own production in an organized fashion to make sure that things go smoothly.

The second shift will be introduced at the startup’s plant in Illinois by the end of the third quarter, which is on September 30. Production will expand even further after the company’s second factory in Georgia is up and running.

All this being said, it’s unclear how many people are currently working on the R2 assembly line and how many new employees will be added for the second shift, as Rivian no longer discloses its headcount in Normal.

The Rivian R2 is the automaker’s smallest and most affordable model to date, which has opened up a completely different and much more vast customer base for the California-based brand.

Deliveries kicked off on June 9, with the top-spec Performance trim, priced from $59,485, being the first to reach reservation holders. It has a 330-mile EPA-estimated range, dual-motor all-wheel drive, 656 horsepower, and a Tesla-style NACS charge port. More affordable versions will follow in the coming months, with the cheapest version, the Standard Rear-Wheel Drive, scheduled for summer 2027. With a starting price of $46,495, the entry-level R2 is expected to deliver over 275 miles of range.

Rivian has reportedly received over 200,000 reservations for the R2, with an additional 57,000 demo drives, so there’s no denying that its mainstream model has stirred up a lot of interest—and for good reason. The R2 is the only mid-size electric SUV in the U.S. that’s billed as being adventure-ready, and a pretty capable one at that, which has opened up a big customer base for the startup.

The company’s CEO said that a “significant number” of R2 buyers are first-time EV owners, and it’s all because people who would have liked a crossover like the R2 didn’t have any options until now.

“The U.S. automotive marketplace is starved for high-quality EV choice, and I believe R2 is an attractively priced option for everyday adventures that will resonate with a broad set of consumers,” said Scaringe.

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