If it’s the first with an electric pickup, who’s next?

In an update sent to customers on Friday, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said deliveries of what still looks to be the first electric pickup in the U.S. market won’t begin until September. Scaringe also assured buyers that the wait will be worth it.

“Earlier this summer, we announced that deliveries would begin in July; however, the schedule for the first deliveries of the R1T has moved to September, with the R1S shortly thereafter in the fall, ”said Scaringe, in a lengthy update. “I wanted to make sure you heard this directly from me.

In the update, Scaringe highlighted the “cascading impacts of the pandemic” and noted that it has affected everything from building facilities and installing equipment to supplying components.

Rivian has a production line for its R1T pickup and R1S SUV, and another for its commercial vans. Scaringe noted that the company has produced hundreds of vehicles for validation. In what appeared to be a blow to Tesla, which is known to deliver “beta” cars that aren’t fully fleshed out, he wrote: “I’ve been asked why we don’t deliver these vehicles or why we keep testing. rather than delivering. We believe it is critical to both our long term success and your ultimate satisfaction that the quality and robustness of our launch products really set the tone for what to expect from us as a brand.

Rivian always seems to be the first in a long list of electric truck entries to deliver. Closest has at times been Ohio-based Lordstown Motors, but its September production start may have been disrupted by financial turmoil. The GMC Hummer EV and Tesla Cybertruck are still expected to arrive later in the calendar year, and the Ford F-150 Lightning is expected to ship next spring. You can rest assured that this is just the start.

It should be noted that Scaringe reiterated that the R1T and R1S are the initial vehicles of an R1 series. So others are on the way. Which variant of Rivian’s trucks would you like to see? Let us know in your comments below.