Electric automaker Rivian hosted its third annual Family and Friends Day on Sunday, with attendance at around 6,000 people, and company leaders speaking optimistically about the company's future plans.
This year, the employee morale booster comes amid ramped up production at the plant. Vice President of Manufacturing Tim Fallon said recent equipment upgrades have increased production by about 30%, along with preparing the facility to produce the company's new R2 vehicles, first showcased earlier this year.
The R2 is being sold as, among other things, a more affordable option compared with Rivian's existing lineup. While the new vehicles won't be launching until 2026, Fallon said there's already a lot of interest.
"We’re well over a 100,000 pre-orders for R2, and those continue to climb — and they really climb organically,” Fallon said. “As we really push R1 and R1 gen 2 and continue to get our current product out there, the R2 continues to increase in pre-orders.”
The bump in hiring anticipated for R2 production isn't quite here yet, but as the 2026 target approaches the company expects to bring in new employees to meet the task.
Fallon also commented on the environmental impact of vehicle production. He said Rivian is in the process of making their plant net-zero emissions, and pointed out that some wind power is generated on site.
Laura Ewan, Rivian's employee communications and experience manager, was the primary organizer behind the day. She said the event has expanded in scope in its third year, and will likely continue to do so in the future.
Friends and Family Day is about not only Rivian's relationship with its employees, but with the wider community as well, she said.
As seen at previous Rivian events, many staple organizations of the Normal community were present, including the Children's Discovery Museum, Rader Farms, and Carl's Ice Cream. Illinois-based band Backseat Radio was added this year.
Ewan said the company's partnership with Normal has been instrumental to advancing the company's mission.
"Really, the more we can do to involve our local community partners, the better it is for them and the better it is for us as well," Ewan said.
Employees in attendance said the event reflects Rivian's attitude toward its employees year-round.
Manas Srinivasa is a material integration specialist and has worked with the company for about a year. He said the corporate culture includes a lot of friendly collaboration.
“As you see here, it’s very great collaborating with everyone else. It’s been a very exciting year,” Srinivasa said. “I mean, I just graduated last year and this is my first job. I can’t ask for anything better.”
Rivian also gave an update on employee incentive programs to purchase vehicles from their employer.
Ewan said employees can receive thousands of dollars in discounts and that thousands of employees have purchased vehicles, declining to specify further. The program is used to help the company test new features, something Ewan anticipates may occur with the R2 and later R3 models, too.
