The Rivian factory that was affected by the storm before R2

Rivian’s factory in Normal, Illinois was directly affected by the storm and was damaged for more than a week, the company confirmed to TechCrunch. No one was injured, according to Rivian, and crews are still assessing the extent of the damage.

The tornado, which had an EF-1 force, hit what Rivian calls “Building 2,” where the company manufactures its R2 SUV. Rivian has suspended work at the building and expects to resume this week, according to an email, seen by TechCrunch, that CEO RJ Scaringe sent to employees Sunday night.

“Thank you to our members on our site who sought safety and followed our emergency management procedures when the wind alarms sounded,” he wrote. “I’m proud of how everyone came together, not only to follow safety protocols, but to help each other and lead the cleanup and repair process with care and determination.”

Shared images on the Internet showing that a large part of the roof fell inside the building. The company did not say whether the temporary suspension would affect the timing of the release of the R2, which should take place in the coming weeks.

The storm hit the new part of the factory, which was used mainly for the production of R2 products such as shipping components, according to Rivian.

“After protecting the affected area, we hope to resume work in Building 2 (especially R2) this week,” spokeswoman Marina Hoffmann said in an email, adding that work in other areas is continuing as planned.

Rivian has a high level of installation. The company has invested time, resources and money over the past five years to reduce the cost of manufacturing cars in the current R1. But Rivian still loses money every quarter — largely, according to Scaringe, because the company is investing in infrastructure that will begin to pay off when the R2 SUV reaches scale.

The R2 SUV should help Rivian stop losing money. The automaker expects to sell hundreds of thousands of them a year, and it’s banking on the SUV’s hot start. The company says it will sell between 20,000 and 25,000 of them by the end of this year. That would be possible one of the fastest words of new EVs in the entire US, behind the highly successful Tesla Model Y.

Production of the R2 begins at the Normal plant alongside the existing R1 cars (and the Rivian electric transmission), although the company plans to build a new factory outside of Atlanta, Georgia. That factory will be the production house for the upcoming R2 and R3 hatchback, which the company surprise—it will be revealed in March 2024.

Rivian entered Georgia factory at the end of last year and they should start building vertically this year. Production is expected to begin in 2028.