---
title: "First Rivian R1T Production Truck Rolls Out"
description: "Rivian has taken a giant leap forward, beating Tesla and Ford to the punch with the first production electric pickup truck."
date: "2021-09-14"
modified: "2021-10-20"
authors:
  - name: "Peter Holderith"
    job_title: "Contributor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/peter-holderith"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/42372/first-rivian-r1t-production-truck-rolls-out"
categories:
  - "Car Tech"
  - "Electric Vehicles"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
  - "Rivian News"
  - "Trucks"
tags:
  - "Electric Vehicle"
  - "Off-Road"
  - "pickup"
  - "r1t"
  - "Rivian"
---

# First Rivian R1T Production Truck Rolls Out

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2021/09/rivian-trucks-debut-lead.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com\</em\>*

Rivian has taken its biggest step yet in transitioning from a startup to a [full-fledged automaker](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/41740/trademark-filings-hint-at-six-new-rivian-models>). The company's first customer-bound vehicle, [a blue R1T](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/42255/rivians-r1t-and-r1s-range-estimates-are-over-300-miles-of-range>) pickup truck, rolled off the production line just this morning with [founder and CEO RJ Scaringe](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/28323/the-drive-interview-rivian-automotive-founder-and-ceo-rj-scaringe>) behind the wheel. As it seems, Rivian is on track to [start deliveries this month](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/41578/rivian-r1t-deliveries-arent-starting-this-month-after-all#:~:text=In%20an%20email%20sent%20to,the%20R1T%20back%20to%20September.&text=Originally%2C%20deliveries%20of%20the%20electric,were%20delayed%20until%20June%202021.>) following multiple production delays due to several obstacles, like the worldwide parts shortage.

Seemingly everyone [besides Jeff Bezos himself](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/41620/electric-rivian-r1s-recovers-jeff-bezos-from-the-blue-origin-pod>) was in attendance to enjoy the milestone at Rivian's factory in Normal, Illinois. It's been nearly three years since Rivian unveiled the first [R1T and R1S](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/41620/electric-rivian-r1s-recovers-jeff-bezos-from-the-blue-origin-pod>) prototypes in 2018, and the project has been building hype ever since.

![message-editor%2F1631644449363-inlinea.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1631644449363-inlinea.jpg>)
**RJ Scaringe via Twitter**

A post was [shared on Rivian Forums earlier this morning](<https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/%F0%9F%9A%A8-r1t-red-alert-first-retail-sellable-r1t-first-look-video.2103/>), showing a grainy cellphone video of the ordeal. Later on, Scaringe posted official images of the event on his Twitter account.

The factory where [Rivian's R1T](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/39711/rivian-built-an-extended-cab-r1t-pickup-without-telling-anyone>) is built was completed in 1988, originally serving as the home of a joint venture between Mitsubishi and Chrysler called Diamond-Star Motors. It was strictly a Mitsubishi facility after 1995 and was operated by the Japanese automaker until 2016. At that point, Mitsubishi skipped town, and Rivian bought the whole property for a song shortly afterward in 2017.

https://twitter.com/\_/status/1437842808384233477

Since then, the young automaker has been tooling up to build its two trucks thanks to [a slew of capital](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/26508/rivian-confirms-700m-investment-round-led-by-amazon-for-electric-truck-suv-production>) from what seems like every major corporation under the sun, [including Ford and Amazon.](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/34747/electric-truck-maker-rivian-raises-another-2-5-billion-its-biggest-investment-yet>) We've seen [plenty of prototypes kicking around](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/40429/jeff-bezos-got-to-play-with-rivians-r1t-electric-pickup-before-everybody-else>) the desert and [a few promotional films](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/38398/the-rivian-r1ts-onboard-power-supply-lit-up-20000-christmas-lights-with-a-single-outlet>) as well, but the official start of production is the company's most important milestone yet.

There are reportedly plans for [another Rivian factory located in Texas,](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/41963/rivian-looking-to-open-second-ev-factory-in-texas-report>) though right now, Normal is the sole production location for the R1T and eventually, the R1S. The company has dedicated backers so if production goes smoothly, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Rivian nab up another property later on. In the meantime, Rivian's R1T is first to market and will compete with [Ford's F-150 Lightning,](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/40675/electric-2022-ford-f-150-lightning-is-finally-here-with-775-lb-ft-and-a-40k-sticker>) Chevy's [electric Silverado,](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/41951/electric-chevy-silverado-will-have-four-wheel-steering-giant-24-inch-wheels>) and a few other electric trucks that [might eventually enter production](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/41886/tesla-cybertruck-production-delayed-until-2022>).

*Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach them here**: peter@thedrive.com*

## Author
Peter Holderith is a former staff writer for The Drive. He enjoys covering the regular news cycle, writing reviews, and hunting down long features on obscure pieces of automotive history.

### Author social links  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-h-5ba447192/>)  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/_baldtires>)