Believe it or not, Rivian is older than the iPad.
While most of us only started seeing those distinctive oval headlights on the road around 2021 or 2022, the company's roots go back way further. If you're asking when did Rivian start, the official answer is 2009. But the "how" and "where" are a lot more chaotic than the polished brand we see today.
Honestly, the Rivian we know—the one making rugged R1T trucks and delivery vans for Amazon—is basically Version 3.0 of itself. It wasn't always an electric truck company. In fact, for a while, it wasn't even called Rivian.
The 2009 Origin Story: From Mainstream to Rivian
The whole thing kicked off in Rockledge, Florida. RJ Scaringe, a guy who had just finished his PhD in mechanical engineering at MIT, founded the company in June 2009. At the time, it was called Mainstream Motors.
Catchy, right? Not really.
Scaringe soon realized that "Mainstream" didn't exactly scream "innovative startup," so he changed the name to Avera Automotive. But that didn't stick either. By 2011, he landed on Rivian, a name inspired by the Indian River in Florida where he spent his childhood rowing and exploring.
Here is the timeline of those early identity crises:
- 2009: Founded as Mainstream Motors in Florida.
- 2010: Rebranded to Avera Automotive.
- 2011: Finally became Rivian Automotive.
The name was settled, but the product? That was a total mess.
The Secret Sports Car That Almost Happened
When Rivian started, they weren't building trucks. They were building a mid-engine, 2+2 hybrid sports car. It was sleek, silver, and looked a bit like a futuristic Lotus. They called it the R1.
By 2011, they had a working prototype. They had engineers. They had a vision for a fuel-efficient sports car that could get 60 miles per gallon. But then Scaringe did something most founders are too terrified to do: he killed it.
📖 Related: How to set the time on my Fitbit when it refuses to sync
He looked at the market and realized the world didn't need another niche sports car. He wanted to make a massive impact on the environment, and you don't do that with a low-volume coupe. He scrapped two years of work and decided to "reset" the entire business.
The Pivot to the "Skateboard"
Between 2012 and 2017, Rivian basically went into "stealth mode." This is the period when most people think the company didn't exist, but they were actually grinding away in the background.
They stopped trying to build a specific car and started building a platform. This is what's now known as the "skateboard" chassis. It’s basically a flat frame that houses the batteries, motors, suspension, and braking systems. By putting everything in the floor, they could essentially pop any "hat" on top—whether that was a truck, an SUV, or a van.
This was the genius move. While other startups were struggling to design pretty car bodies, Rivian was perfecting the guts of the machine.
When Rivian Went Global (and Bought a Factory)
Things got real in 2017. Rivian had been operating out of various offices, but they needed a place to actually build things. They found an old Mitsubishi plant in Normal, Illinois, that was about to be demolished.
They bought the whole 2.6-million-square-foot facility for just $16 million.
To put that in perspective, that’s about the price of a couple of nice houses in San Francisco. It was a massive gamble. They went from a few dozen employees to hundreds almost overnight. By the time they showed up at the 2018 LA Auto Show with the R1T truck and R1S SUV, the industry finally realized this wasn't just another "vaporware" startup.
The Big Money: Amazon, Ford, and the IPO
If 2009 was the birth, 2019 was the growth spurt. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos saw what Rivian was doing and didn't just invest—he ordered 100,000 electric delivery vans. That is still one of the largest commercial EV orders in history.
Soon after, Ford dropped $500 million into the pot.
Then came November 2021. Rivian went public on the Nasdaq. It was one of the biggest IPOs in U.S. history, briefly making Rivian worth more than Volkswagen and Goldman Sachs, despite the fact they had barely delivered any cars.
What Really Happened with the First Deliveries?
There's a lot of noise about when the first Rivian actually hit the road. Here is the breakdown of the "real" start dates for the vehicles:
- September 2021: The first R1T pickup truck rolled off the line in Illinois. This was a huge win—they beat Tesla’s Cybertruck and Ford’s F-150 Lightning to the market.
- December 2021: The first R1S SUVs were delivered to customers (mostly employees at first).
- 2022: The Amazon EDV (Electric Delivery Van) started appearing in neighborhoods across the country.
Why the Start Date Matters for You
If you're looking at buying a used Rivian or investing in the company, knowing they started in 2009 matters because it proves they aren't a "fly-by-night" operation. They spent 12 years in R&D before they ever handed a key to a customer.
That decade of silence is why their software feels more like an iPhone than a traditional car. They weren't just building a vehicle; they were building a tech stack.
📖 Related: Finding the Apple Store Old Orchard: What You Need to Know Before You Go
Actionable Next Steps
If you're tracking Rivian's journey from that 2009 Florida garage to now, here is what you should look at next to understand where they're going:
- Check the "Gen 2" Updates: In 2024, Rivian completely overhauled the R1 platform. Even though the trucks look the same on the outside, they swapped out thousands of parts and simplified the wiring. If you're buying used, knowing the difference between a 2022 model and a 2024 "Gen 2" is crucial for software longevity.
- Monitor the R2 and R3 Launches: The company is currently building a new plant in Georgia (and expanding Illinois) to launch the R2, a smaller SUV starting around $45,000. This is their "Model 3 moment."
- Watch the Volkswagen Joint Venture: As of late 2024, VW and Rivian closed a massive deal to share software and electrical architecture. This ensures Rivian has the cash to survive the "EV winter" and keep growing toward 2030.
Rivian didn't just start yesterday. They spent a decade failing, pivoting, and planning so that when they finally arrived, they actually had something worth driving.