Rivian R2 received 68,000 reservations says CEO

Yesterday Rivian revealed its new R2 midsized electric SUV and its CEO, RJ Scaringe said today that the EV has received more than 68,000 reservations within 24 hours of the event. This is a big response to this new vehicle as it will explore a lower price point starting at $45,000 for the base model.

Rivian on Thursday unveiled three models – Rivian R2, Rivian R3 and R3X. During the event, the company starts reserving the Rivian R2 at a $100 deposit. However, the other two have no bookings opened for the time being.

The R2 will start deliveries in the first half of 2026 and it will be followed by the Rivian R3 and R3X.

Rivian chief previously speculated that the car will qualify for the $7,500 U.S. EV tax credit. It will reduce the amount from this purchase price and would take it below $38,000.

“In less than 24 hours, we’ve taken more than 68,000 R2 reservations. We are thrilled to see this vehicle resonate so strongly with our community” wrote Scaringe on Friday.

Rivian R2 (Image Credit: Rivian)

New Release:

The design of the new R2 compliments R1s, Rivian’s full-size SUV but there are some new improvements. The driving wheel has been installed with new features and hardware to select the controls along with software UI.

The rear glass is powered to roll the glass down in the tailgate. It has three powertrains including a single motor, dual motor, and tri-motor performance versions.

These can take 0 to 60 miles per hour in about 3 seconds and provide up to 300 miles of driving range on a single charge.

The Rivian R2 is the first to support Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) charge port but now requires a CCS charging adapter.

The company is producing this new vehicle in its Normal Illionoise factory to speed up output from existing resources.