The battery blitz in America continues and the newest beneficiary of that is the upcoming Rivian R2.

Rivian just inked a battery supply deal with Korean battery giant LG Energy Solution (LGES) for its next-generation R2 model that’s set to launch in the second half of this decade. The Irvine, California-headquartered automaker showcased the R2 electric SUV—which looks like a baby R1S—in March and is now inching closer to bring that model to market.

LGES said on Thursday that it will provide Rivian with its advanced 4695 cylindrical cells for over five years, with a capacity totaling 67 gigawatt-hours. The new cell type has a diameter of 46 millimeters and is 95 mm tall, the battery maker said in a press release. It will feature six times the capacity of the existing 2170 cylindrical cells.

  • @AA5B
    2•18 days ago

    Lease. Certainly with early Leafs, Bolts, and Model 3, I knew people who swore by leasing as the best way to manage the rapidly changing technology.

    Maybe those upcoming changes don’t matter as much as you think. Last year I bought a model Y because:

    • theoretical range over 300 miles
    • home charging limited by electrical service, not battery
    • battery expected to last longer than people own a car
    • battery can charge up to the 250kW of current superchargers
    • typical supercharger time is <20 minutes

    While it would be nice to have even better stats, would it really make a big difference if a supercharger stop was 15 minutes instead of 20? Would it really make a difference to have an additional 50 miles range? Of course but not that big of one.

    Cost will be the most important impact of better batteries and other technology changes but I needed a vehicle and this one fit my budget