Dad’s been driving his 2009 Chevy Silverado since Obama was president. The thing’s got 200,000 miles and is ticking. So when he called to ask me about electric trucks, I almost spilled my coffee.
“What can you tell me about that River thing?” he said. It took me a while to realize that he meant Rivian.
“Which one, Dad? The big truck or the little truck?”
“There’s more than one?”
That’s when I realized I needed to tell him about the Rivian R2 in terms he’d actually get.
What Dad Needed to Know
My old man’s not spending some sixty thousand dollars on a car. Neither am I, honestly. That’s why the R2 matters. It starts at $45,000. Still expensive, but not ridiculous.
“It’s a Tahoe,” I said to him. “But electric. And it doesn’t look like every other SUV on the road.” The R2 is shorter than Rivian’s large truck. Five seats instead of five and a half people crammed together. It is great for families that would like to camp on the weekends, not drag trailers across the country.
Dad wanted specifics. How far does it go? Approximately 300 miles, which is the same as to Grandma’s and back. How long to charge? Depends on where you charge it. Fast chargers will fill it while you lunch. Home charging takes all night, like your phone.
Why I’m Actually Interested
I wasn’t in the market to buy electric anytime soon. My Honda works, gets decent gas mileage and doesn’t have to be plugged into fancy charging stations. But the R2 made me reconsider.
So I did: Last weekend, my friend Mike and I took his Tesla to a concert three hours away. The thing was deathly quiet and crazy fast, and it only cost us, what, twenty bucks on electricity. My gas bill the other day was 60 bucks to fill up. Compare that.
The R2 offers that same electric experience, but in a more spacious and rugged iteration. And anyway, Rivian actually has some experience building a truck. Tesla builds great cars, but they’re car people trying to build trucks. Rivian started with trucks.
The Problems Nobody Talks About
Let’s be honest about this. Rivian has money troubles. Big ones. And they are torching their cash at a rate akin to a teenager with a fresh credit card. The company is expected to lose almost two billion dollars this year. That’s billion with a B.
Production keeps getting delayed too. The R2 was supposed to start coming off assembly lines this year. Now we’re talking early 2026, if we are lucky. Could be even longer.
My neighbor is working at the Rivian plant in Normal, Ill. He says they’re still figuring out how to build cars efficiently. Every vehicle takes too long and costs too much. That’s not sustainable.
What Changed My Mind
Three months ago, I test-drove a friend’s Rivian truck. Holy cow. The thing towed his boat like it was nothing. It was silent, smooth, and surprisingly comfortable.
Then I looked at his electric bill. He charges at home, overnight, when rates are lowest. It costs him about forty bucks a month to drive his truck. Twice what I spend on gas for my Honda.
The Rivian R2 offers the experience for way less money. If they ever actually build it, before going bankrupt first.
Real Talk About Electric Vehicles
Mom always said you don’t buy the first year of anything. Smart advice. But electric cars are beyond that experimental phase at this point. Tesla proved they work. Ford’s Lightning sells like hotcakes. Even GM is going all-electric by 2035.
Infrastructure is also improving. Charging stations are everywhere now. There are six chargers at my grocery store. The mall has twelve. Even that sketchy gas station on Route 66 added two in the last month.
The Bottom Line for Regular People
Dad signed off as he always does: “Should I buy one?”
Not yet. Wait and see if Rivian actually produces the thing in a timely fashion. Wait and see if they survive. Wait and see what other companies come up with by 2026.
But keep watching. The R2 could be the electric SUV that at last makes sense for the middle class. Low price, good range, good looks, and made by people who know trucks.
If Rivian pulls this off, they’ll have something special. An electric SUV that doesn’t scream “I have more money than sense” or “I only drive to yoga class.” Dad’s still thinking about it. His truck is running fine, though gas prices are skyrocketing. Perhaps he’ll be ready for a change in 2026.
For guys like him, the R2 could be the electric vehicle that finally wins them over. Men who have stuff to move drive long distances and don’t want to look like they’re driving a computer on wheels.
Of course, they have to actually build the damn thing first.