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The Rivian R2 has officially been unveiled, but now we have the long wait until 2026 when the vehicle actually releases. While we’re waiting for the electric SUV to make its way off the production line and into our garages, we’re assembling everything there is to know about the R2 right here so you can learn more about the highly-anticipated EV.
So, let’s dive into everything you need to know about the Rivian R2.
Overview
The Rivian R2 was officially unveiled on March 7, 2024, at an event in Laguna Beach, California. The vehicle, which had been long-rumored by Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe, is an electric SUV similar in design to the Rivian R1S. Rivian Chief Design Officer Jeff Hammoud says that the R2 stays true to the company’s product attributes while making it available to many more people.
“Our R1 flagship vehicles served as our handshake with the world – with R2 and R3 our obsessive goal is to stay true to Rivian’s product attributes while making our products accessible to a lot more people. Through a tight integration of hardware, software and human-centered design, we designed R2 by balancing form with function, while building on our inviting and iconic design language.”
The vehicle is built on a new platform that the company will also use for its upcoming R3 and R3X. The company says that the R2 and R3 are siblings, but while the R3 and R3X are the company’s take on a crossover, the R2 is the company’s take on a mid-size SUV.
Design
The R2 is similar in size to the Tesla Model Y or Toyota RAV 4, so those who want an SUV but don’t want a HUGE SUV should find that the R2 is what they are looking for. Let’s get into the exterior and interior of the vehicle to dive deeper into what makes the R2 unique.
The R2 is a miniature version of the R1S in design with some notable upgrades compared to its bigger sibling. It’s basically the R1S, but cheaper and smaller.
The R2, like the R1T and R1S, features a front trunk. Here’s what Rivian says about it: “We design our vehicles to maximize storage throughout. The roomy front trunk offers plenty of space to stow large items from weekend gear to weekly grocery haul.”
Rivian says that the front trunk in the R2 is slightly smaller than the one that is featured in the R1S, and while the front hood can open automatically, it needs to be closed manually.
While the rest of the vehicle looks quite similar to the R1S on the exterior, the rear of the R2 boasts some unique features. The back quarter panels now pop out, allowing air to flow into the vehicle. The rear windshield also rolls down, creating what Rivian calls an “open air experience.”
Things get even more interesting when you get inside the R2. While some elements of the R1S are found within the vehicle, the R2 really separates itself from its predecessor with the experience you’ll have sitting in the vehicle.
The R2 features a brand new steering wheel that comes with haptic dials that seem much more intuitive compared to the current buttons on the R1T and R1S. It also features a new display behind the steering wheel as well as the center touchscreen.
The R2 features not one but two glove boxes, heated and ventilated seats, and a center console that ditches the quirky portable speaker and trades it for even more storage. It also features what Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe says is a much better wireless charging pad for two phones.
Not only do the back seats of the vehicle fold down, but the front ones do, too. This creates a perfect situation for those who want to use their R2 to camp in. With the company’s Camp Mode, which keeps the climate control on while you’re asleep, the R2 could be your all-in-one solution for camping, even if you don’t have a tent.
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Features
Rivian says that the R2 will accelerate from 0-60 miles per hour in under 3 seconds. According to CEO RJ Scaringe, the tri-motor configuration will be capable of 0-60 in “well under 3 seconds.” We don’t know how low that goes yet, but there’s no doubt the R2 is going to be really fast.
Rivian also says that the R2 will have a range of over 300 miles, regardless of configuration. Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe says that all three motor configurations will be capable of that range. We don’t yet know the exact range of each configuration, but we do know that you’ll need to purchase the upgraded Large battery pack to get the full range. The base model of the vehicle will feature the Standard battery pack, which features a range of an estimated 270 miles.
While the R1T and R1S launched with CCS, Rivian confirmed that the R2 will use Tesla’s NACS (North American Charging Standard) connector. That’s not a huge surprise — Scaringe has said that all Rivian vehicles manufactured in 2025 and after will use the connector. The company is also gaining access to the Supercharger network in March 2024 with an adapter for its vehicles that still have the CCS connector. The company says the R2 will be able to charge from 10% to 80% in less than 30 minutes.
The vehicle comes packed with 11 cameras, five radars, and a more powerful computing platform. Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe says that the R2 will be capable of Level 3 Self Driving, which would let the vehicle drive without much, if any, human interaction.
Configurations
Rivian says that the R2 will be available in three motor configurations:
- Single-Motor Rear Wheel Drive
- Dual-Motor All Wheel Drive
- Tri-Motor All Wheel Drive
The company also mentioned that the vehicle will also ship with one of two battery packs:
- Standard battery pack: Around 270 miles of range
- Large battery pack: Over 300 miles of range
We don’t have exact range estimates yet. They will depend entirely on which motor and battery pack configuration you end up getting, and we hope to have those figures from Rivian as we get closer to the point of customers being able to configure their vehicles.
Accessories
The R2 itself isn’t the whole product for Rivian. In addition to the vehicle itself, the company is releasing a number of accessories that are custom-made to integrate with your R2.
The first of those products is the Treehouse, the company’s take on a rooftop tent. According to people who attended the reveal event, the rooftop tent will be able to be climate controlled from the vehicle. It will also feature a cooled and heated mattress, integrated lights, and even a projector to watch movies while you lay under the stars.
The next accessory coming to the R2 is a new kitchen. Unlike the camp kitchen that slid into the Gear Tunnel of the R1T, this new camp kitchen will hook into the powered accessory ports on the back of the vehicle. The company says that will also be compatible with the R1T and R1S (and the R3 of course), but it’s unclear how that will work since the earlier vehicles don’t feature accessory ports. The kitchen will feature everything you need to cook food in the great outdoors.
The other accessory highlighted by the company is the bike rack that you can use to either mount your bikes on the back of or on top of your R2. If you use the back mounts, they will also connect to the accessory ports on the back of the R2 and be small enough to store in the front trunk when you aren’t using them.
The company is also making a storage bin to hook on the back of the R2 and says more accessories are on the way. Some of those accessories will launch before the R2 does, so we’ll get a good sense of those products before we need to decide which ones to buy.
Price
When Rivian unveiled the R2, the company said that the electric SUV would have a base price of $45,000. The company also says the vehicle will qualify for the full $7,500 federal EV tax credit at launch, something Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said in an interview with Jim Cramer in early 2024. So, if you qualify for the federal EV tax credit as well, you could get a base model R2 for $37,500.
However, there is a big asterisk on that starting price. A slide in the keynote presentation listed the price as “$45,000 (estimated).” Rivian is indeed shooting for a starting price of $45,000, but the actual starting price could rise before the EV goes on sale.
Rivian previously ruffled feathers when it raised prices for R1T and R1S reservation holders. The backlash to that decision was fiery, and Rivian swiftly backtracked, honoring the original price that customers were quoted when they configured their vehicles. If Rivian does increase the price of the R2, it will likely be long before anyone configures their vehicle.
If you want to put a reservation down on an R2, you can do so on Rivian’s website. Reservations are $100 and are fully refundable. Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said that the company received over 68,000 reservations less than 24 hours after the unveiling event, so if you want to be one of the first to own an R2, you might want to get on it.
Release date
Rivian says that the R2 will start to roll off the production line in the first half of 2026. Since the company paused the buildout of its manufacturing plant in Georgia, saving over $2 billion in much-needed capital, the R2 will be built in the company’s plant in Normal, Illinois.
The company says the R2 will be built alongside the R1T and R1S and that it is temporarily shutting down its plant in Normal to retrofit it for upgrades to the R1 program and to support the production of the R2. After the R2 launch and the plant upgrades, Rivian says it will be able to support 215,000 units of total annual capacity across its R1T, R1S, EDV, RCV, and R2 products.
With 68,000 reservations in for the R2 in less than 24 hours of its unveiling, not everyone is going to get their vehicle on launch day. Get your reservation in as quickly as possible if you’re interested. Otherwise, you might be waiting until 2027 or 2028.
Joe Wituschek is a Tech News Contributor for BGR.
With expertise in tech that spans over 10 years, Joe covers the technology industry’s breaking news, opinion pieces and reviews.
