Public gets first look at the new $73,000 Illinois-built electric truck
The Rivian R1T electric truck at Gillson Park in Wilmette on Oct. 20, 2021. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
By ROBERT CHANNICK CHICAGO TRIBUNE
In Chicago, drivers want to know how the $73,000 electric truck will handle Chiberian winters, vehicle-swallowing potholes and the daily demolition derby of rush hour traffic.
Rivian, the electric truck startup that launched production last month at its downstate Normal factory, has put its R1T pickup to the test in grueling settings from the Colorado Rockies to the Nevada desert.
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Those questions will remain unanswered for now, but the Tribune did get to tool breezily on a sunny fall afternoon test drive on Sheridan Road along the North Shore, turning heads as suburbanites got their first in-person look at a bright blue Rivian truck.
Founded in 2009 by CEO RJ Scaringe, Rivian is building an electric truck and SUV, as well as 100,000 custom delivery vans for Amazon, an investor in the company. Rivian has raised about $10.5 billion from investors since 2019, a roster that also includes Ford Motor Co. and T. Rowe Price.
Rivian is planning an initial public offering that has yet to be priced, but could raise at least $100 million, according to an Oct. 1 Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
