How Rivian Is Pulling Off Its $45,000 R2 Electric SUV

Final week, the electrical automaker Rivian unveiled the R2, its newest electrical SUV. When the car begins rolling off manufacturing traces—within the first half of 2026, Rivian says—the R2 will be part of the R1S SUV and the R1T pickup truck within the automaker’s lineup.

Critically, Rivian pledges its latest entry shall be cheaper: At “round” $45,000, in accordance Rivian’s press supplies, the SUV will value some $30,000 lower than its larger SUV cousin, and can nonetheless include about 300 miles of vary.

Pulling off the feat of constructing its new SUV extra inexpensive with out sacrificing vary or fashion mustn’t solely show crucial in making Rivian’s newest trip stand out in an more and more crowded subject of electric vehicles—it additionally would possibly save the corporate. How did Rivian make it work? “R1 was designed by way of addition. It’s our premium flagship. We acquired to say sure to a number of issues,” Jeff Hammoud, the automaker’s chief design officer, stated at an R2 unveiling occasion in Laguna Seaside, California, final week. “With R2, we’re actually fascinated with, to get the worth level down, what do we have to say no to?”

It’s early, however the math appears to have labored: Rivian reported taking greater than 68,000 reservations within the first 24 hours after the SUV’s unveiling.

For the electrical automaker’s design crew, the trick to creating what executives referred to as the “extra accessible” R2 was to take care of the unique SUV’s design language—the weather that make it clearly a Rivian—whereas snipping manufacturing and supplies prices wherever they might. So the R2 has Rivian’s signature entrance, full with smile headlights, and appears like a shrunken model of the R1S. (The brand new car seats 5 folks as an alternative of seven.) Reducing extra prices got here all the way down to sensible engineering.

After a protracted day of exhibiting off the R2 and its shock crossover counterpart, the R3, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe sat down with WIRED to debate his engineering and design groups’ little compromises that assist make the brand new SUV work.

Suspension System

In a bid to make the R1 line right into a sports activities automobile/off-roader hybrid, Rivian needed to go all out with its suspension system. As a result of electrical batteries are heavy, the car wanted air springs to make sure it might get the bottom clearance required to traverse tough roads but additionally the soundness to make the trip really feel snug and easy. An electro-hydraulic roll management system helps the R1 navigate tight corners—the sports activities automobile half—soak up off-road shocks and maximize wheel articulation, in order many wheels as attainable can preserve contact with even probably the most treacherous terrain. The flamboyant system additionally enabled some pleasant perks. Camp mode, for instance, makes use of the suspension system to stage out the R1’s chassis whereas on uneven floor, making it extra nice to sleep or prepare dinner in, or simply dangle contained in the car or in its truck mattress.

However that advanced and costly suspension system wouldn’t work for the R2, says Scaringe. To chop down on manufacturing prices, the SUV has a hard and fast trip peak and stuck roll management. As a substitute of an impartial double wishbone entrance suspension design—utilizing two arms to attach every wheel to the chassis—the R2 makes use of a strut.

The change “was completely the suitable name,” says Scaringe, as a result of it performs properly in inside security testing, saves the automaker “lots of of {dollars},” and comes with the added benefit of giving the R2 extra entrance storage room.

Rear Home windows

For the R2, Rivian designers needed to present passengers a basic “open-air” journey automobile expertise, the type discovered on a safari inside a Toyota Landcruiser. So the crew got down to give the rear passenger home windows full-drop glass. Simpler stated than carried out. Many automobiles, together with the R1S, have a hard and fast quarter window, separated from the portion that rolls down by a strip of metallic and rubber referred to as a division bar. The configuration is smart for plenty of automobiles, as a result of the rear passenger doorways overlap with the entrance of the rear wheelbases, that means that the small portion of glass behind the division bar has nowhere to go.

So to drop that window glass, Rivian’s design crew needed to spend a lot of time twiddling with the dimensions of the R2’s again doorways. “There have been some goofy proportions for some time due to it,” says Scaringe. Ultimately, the ultimate configuration permits the complete again home windows to drop. It additionally permits Rivian to save cash on glass, division bars, and sealants.

Rear Desk

Hammoud, the Rivian design head, says R1S house owners actually love the SUV’s cut up rear tailgate. It opens like a clamshell, which permits simpler entry to the trunk by shorter people, and in addition provides folks a spot to take a seat, shielded from the weather. However that setup is fairly expensive. Within the R2, Rivian has nixed the cut up tailgate however added a helpful little rear tray desk, which can be utilized contained in the automobile throughout picnics or tenting jaunts however may flip exterior the automobile for use as a seat or altering desk.

Transportable Bluetooth Speaker

The R1 line comes with a built-in, detachable bluetooth speaker, which additionally emits a comfortable, yellow glow—a stunning campsite temper setter. However temper setting ain’t free. The R2 doesn’t include the speaker. Unhappy, however essential to hold prices down.

Frunk

Rivian likes to speak about its software-first method. Certainly, its automobiles are continuously amassing information. For that purpose, the automaker is aware of that drivers actually use its entrance trunk, or “frunk”—the cupboard space the place a gas-powered automobile’s engine normally goes. Scaringe credit the R1 frunk’s reputation to its very easy-to-use open-and-close tech, which permits folks to open up and shut down the factor by double-tapping a button on the important thing fob or miserable a button on the entrance fascia, no pushing or prodding required.

However that system is dear. For the R2, the frunk nonetheless opens with the faucet of a button, which releases a latch inside. However a small strap dangles from the within lid of the compartment. Drivers solely have to present the strap a lightweight tug earlier than a cinch takes over, closing the frunk tight. “It’s simply the suitable trade-off for a $45,000 automobile,” says Scaringe. Rivian will actually discover out if drivers agree about two years from now when the R2 rolls out of the manufacturing unit and onto American roads.