Rivian shuts down all facilities over COVID-19 pandemic concerns

Rivian, the buzzy electric powered motor vehicle startup that is backed by Amazon and Ford, is shutting down all of its services due to the distribute of COVID-19, the disorder brought on by coronavirus.

Rivian employs far more than 2,000 staff across numerous locations, which include its headquarters in Plymouth, Mich., a manufacturing facility in Typical, Unwell. as perfectly as functions in San Jose and Irvine, Calif., where by engineers are working on autonomous motor vehicle technologies. Rivian also has an workplace in the U.K.

The corporation reported Friday that salaried and hourly personnel will continue to be paid out in the course of the shutdown. Rivian advised TechCrunch that most of its services have been at 2 to five% occupancy for about a 7 days. The duration of the shutdown is undetermined at this time, a corporation spokesperson reported.

Update: To hold our groups secure and slow the distribute of COVID-19, we have shut down all Rivian services. We are fully commited to absolutely everyone on our crew. Both equally our salaried and hourly workforce will continue to be paid out in the course of this shutdown. Remain secure absolutely everyone.

— Rivian (@Rivian)
March twenty, 2020

Rivian put in the the greater part of its lifetime in the shadows until finally November 2018, when it disclosed its all-electric powered R1T pickup and R1S SUV at the LA Automobile Show. Considering that then, the electric powered automaker has picked up traders and business customers such as Ford and Amazon, in addition to the reservations customers have designed for its pickup and SUV.

In December, Rivian introduced it experienced elevated $1.3 billion in new funding, the fourth spherical of money introduced by the corporation in 2019 on your own. It followed prior announcements of $seven hundred million led by Amazon, $500 million from Ford (which involves a collaboration on electric powered motor vehicle technologies) and $350 million from Cox Automotive.

Lincoln, the luxurious model underneath Ford, is working with Rivian to build an “all-new” electric powered motor vehicle. Amazon has purchased one hundred,000 all-electric powered shipping and delivery vans from Rivian, with the initial deliveries envisioned to start in 2021.

The world-wide COVID-19 pandemic has prompted automakers to temporarily suspend functions in Europe and the U.S., where by the disorder has started out to distribute. In China, where by the disorder initial started out, factories are coming back again on the internet.

Automakers have experienced assorted responses to the pandemic some took motion to suspend creation a lot quicker than other people. Honda kicked off closures in the U.S. Ford, GM and FCA followed soon after the Major 3 formed a process drive with the United Automobile Employees. Even as these automakers commenced applying new security precautions in its factories based on recommendations that arrived out of the process drive, the UAW ongoing to strain them to close. A pair of conditions of personnel tests beneficial for COVID-19 accelerated the closures. Nissan and Volkswagen have also paused functions in the U.S.

Tesla has been a noteworthy holdout. The corporation introduced Thursday it would shut down its Fremont, Calif. manufacturing facility, starting March 23. The determination to suspend creation there arrived times soon after Alameda County officers issued an order to close all nonessential businesses. Tesla held its doorways open anyway, even soon after officers publicly reported that it was not an essential organization.

Tesla has suspended functions at its New York manufacturing facility as perfectly. Tesla’s gigafactory around Reno, Nev., which creates electric powered motors and battery packs, is fully operational.

Tesla advised personnel in an electronic mail despatched March eighteen, and viewed by TechCrunch, that it was being open because it has experienced “conflicting steering from unique concentrations of government” in excess of whether or not it could work. The human means office advised personnel in the electronic mail to appear to function if their position is to produce, service, provide or exam its electric powered vehicles.

But by Thursday, and soon after meetings with county officers, the corporation introduced it would suspend creation. Some essential functions that will assist Tesla’s charging infrastructure and what it describes as its “vehicle and strength products and services operations” will continue at the manufacturing facility, which underneath ordinary situation has far more than ten,000 individuals working there.

This write-up originally appeared on TechCrunch.

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