Photo: Rivian
The upcoming Rivian R2 will feature the second generation of Enduro drive units, which the EV startup developed in-house. The upgraded motors are called "Maximus" and offer important advantages in terms of manufacturing efficiency and costs. Rivian hasn't unveiled any dual-motor drive unit based on Maximus like the R1's Ascent units.
Rivian unveiled the R2 and R3 compact EVs in March and has regularly provided updates about the upcoming models. Although many have accused Rivian of pumping the stock with features that are too good to be true, we must admit that the EV startup is already a manufacturing expert. It has shown it not only with the R1T and R1S build quality, but also with the Gen 2 re-engineering.
Amid difficult market conditions, Rivian was forced to rethink its strategy, with the most important change affecting its second factory in Georgia. This was supposed to build the R2/R3 vehicles at scale, but it was clearly a project too ambitious for the cash-strapped Rivian. Another crucial step was overhauling its existing manufacturing facility in Normal, Illinois, to improve efficiency and boost productivity.
The changes it made to the Normal factory allow Rivian to claim 35% cost savings in manufacturing alone. However, the startup took further steps to cut costs without cutting corners. The most successful so far is the Enduro electric motors it developed in-house. The Enduro motors debuted in the EDV/RCV vans and the Dual-Motor R1 vehicles, offering better performance and efficiency than the Bosch motors while allowing Rivian to save money.
It intends to transplant all these improvements into the upcoming R2/R3 models, which will feature the second generation of the Enduro motors. These offer optimized packaging and an integrated side-mounted inverter that saves space. Rivian calls it Maximus, and it's more compact and even more efficient than the current Enduro motor. The EV startup also claims 30% cost savings compared to the original Enduro motors, thanks to a 30% reduction in labor, an 11% reduction in engineered parts, and a 32% reduction in drive unit fasteners.
While Rivian has fused two Enduro motors to create the Ascent drive unit for the tri- and quad-motor variants of the R1 refresh vehicles, there's no Maximus equivalent yet. This tells us that Rivian has not yet finalized the design of the dual-motor drive unit for its R2/R3 compact EVs. There's still time to do it by 2026 when production is projected to begin at its factory in Normal. However, it also tells us that Rivian will probably start production with the dual-motor R2, with the tri-motor variants coming much later.
Rivian could also choose to use an Ascent drive unit for the rear axle of the tri-motor R2/R3 crossovers. However, the Ascent unit might be too big and heavy for the compact models. Given the timing, it's also likely that Rivian will phase out first-generation Enduro motors (and, with it, the Ascent drive units) by 2026. However, the improvements it made with the Ascent would not be lost, so expect a second-generation Ascent drive unit in a more compact package and with improved performance and efficiency.
Amid difficult market conditions, Rivian was forced to rethink its strategy, with the most important change affecting its second factory in Georgia. This was supposed to build the R2/R3 vehicles at scale, but it was clearly a project too ambitious for the cash-strapped Rivian. Another crucial step was overhauling its existing manufacturing facility in Normal, Illinois, to improve efficiency and boost productivity.
The changes it made to the Normal factory allow Rivian to claim 35% cost savings in manufacturing alone. However, the startup took further steps to cut costs without cutting corners. The most successful so far is the Enduro electric motors it developed in-house. The Enduro motors debuted in the EDV/RCV vans and the Dual-Motor R1 vehicles, offering better performance and efficiency than the Bosch motors while allowing Rivian to save money.
It intends to transplant all these improvements into the upcoming R2/R3 models, which will feature the second generation of the Enduro motors. These offer optimized packaging and an integrated side-mounted inverter that saves space. Rivian calls it Maximus, and it's more compact and even more efficient than the current Enduro motor. The EV startup also claims 30% cost savings compared to the original Enduro motors, thanks to a 30% reduction in labor, an 11% reduction in engineered parts, and a 32% reduction in drive unit fasteners.
While Rivian has fused two Enduro motors to create the Ascent drive unit for the tri- and quad-motor variants of the R1 refresh vehicles, there's no Maximus equivalent yet. This tells us that Rivian has not yet finalized the design of the dual-motor drive unit for its R2/R3 compact EVs. There's still time to do it by 2026 when production is projected to begin at its factory in Normal. However, it also tells us that Rivian will probably start production with the dual-motor R2, with the tri-motor variants coming much later.
Rivian could also choose to use an Ascent drive unit for the rear axle of the tri-motor R2/R3 crossovers. However, the Ascent unit might be too big and heavy for the compact models. Given the timing, it's also likely that Rivian will phase out first-generation Enduro motors (and, with it, the Ascent drive units) by 2026. However, the improvements it made with the Ascent would not be lost, so expect a second-generation Ascent drive unit in a more compact package and with improved performance and efficiency.
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