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RIVIAN CONSIDERING HQ MOVE TO IRVINE, CALIFORNIA

Goodbye, Great Lakes State?

Rivian

While it’s fair to assume that most people associate electric car manufacturing with Tesla and their  home state of California, the Motors City’s home state has been a hotbed for this part of the auto industry as well in recent years. Companies like Bollinger Motors and Rivian have started up here in the Great Lakes State, but now word has come out the Rivian will be moving to California.

The news comes from Autoline Network, who spoke to sources close to the company. According to the report, Rivain CEO RJ Scaringe no longer wants the company’s tech people to be so spread out. Currently the EV automaker operates facilities in Plymouth, Michigan, Normal, Illinois, as well as San Jose, Carson and Irvine, California. The company will be reportedly be moving the majority of their operations to Irvine, where they have just purchased a massive new facility.

Image Courtesy Of Rivian.

The plan moving forward is to have the majority of Rivian’s design, engineering and technical development happen in California, while the Michigan-based employees finish up work on their current projects. Another source told the publication that a number of people working at the Plymouth facility are very upset and angered by this decision. The company had recently stated that they feel as if they are three to four times further ahead than Tesla was at this point in its history, and the employees feel as if this isn’t the sort of thanks they should get for their hard work on these product’s developments.

There are very few details available right now pertaining to this decision, but that will likely change as plans are finalized. Rivian has made massive strides in recent years, securing a massive half-a-billion dollar investment from the Ford Motor Company in 2019.  The debut of their R1S and R1T models are sure to drum up even more attention for the EV automaker when it takes place in 2021. As the push for electrification continues, California may cement itself as the home for these smaller automakers.

Image Courtesy of Rivian.

Written by Lucas Bell

Lucas holds a journalism degree from Wayne State University, and is a Automotive Press Association scholarship recipient. While an American muscle fan through and through, he once wrote a fascinating comparison review about eScooters.

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