Rivian downsizes new EV factory after Trump’s DOE slashes loan agreement

Rivian 在特朗普政府削减贷款协议后缩减新电动汽车工厂规模

Rivian announced some changes today with regard to the factory its building in the state of Georgia. Rivian 今日宣布对其正在佐治亚州建设的工厂进行一些调整。

The company was planning to build the facility in two phases, each resulting in 200,000 vehicles of annual production capacity, for a total of 400,000 units. Rivian held a ground breaking ceremony late last year. 该公司原计划分两个阶段建设该设施，每个阶段实现 20 万辆的年产能，总产能达到 40 万辆。Rivian 于去年年底举行了奠基仪式。

Now the company says it is only planning for 300,000 units of annual capacity as a result of a revised loan agreement with the US Department of Energy — though its planning on hitting that annual capacity sooner than originally planned. DOE will now loan Rivian $4.5 billion, instead of the originally agreed amount of $6.6 billion, which had been announced in the last days of the Biden administration. 现在，由于与美国能源部（DOE）达成了修订后的贷款协议，该公司表示仅计划实现 30 万辆的年产能——尽管其计划比原定时间更早达到这一产能。能源部现在将向 Rivian 提供 45 亿美元贷款，而非拜登政府末期宣布的最初商定的 66 亿美元。

In 2024, Rivian put its Georgia factory plans on hold, as it lacked the funds to start the construction. The company argued that the pause also allowed Rivian to launch its mid-sized R2 vehicle sooner. R2 production kicked off at the company’s factory in Normal, Illinois this month. And meanwhile, Rivian was negotiating with DOE, now under the anti-EV Trump administration, to secure its loan. 2024 年，由于缺乏启动建设的资金，Rivian 搁置了其佐治亚州工厂的计划。该公司当时表示，这一暂停也使 Rivian 能够更快地推出其中型 R2 车型。R2 的生产已于本月在公司位于伊利诺伊州诺默尔的工厂启动。与此同时，Rivian 一直在与现任反电动汽车立场的特朗普政府领导下的能源部进行谈判，以确保获得贷款。

Those negotiations have now resulted in a lower amount for Rivian. As vertical construction starts this year, the company says it expects to first draw on the loan by early 2027, and remains on track for vehicle production in Georgia in late 2028. The DOE loan “is aligned with the updated facility design and roadmap at up to $4.5 billion,” the company said in a press release. 这些谈判最终导致 Rivian 获得的贷款金额减少。随着今年主体工程的开工，该公司表示预计将在 2027 年初首次动用这笔贷款，并仍按计划于 2028 年底在佐治亚州实现车辆生产。公司在新闻稿中表示，能源部的贷款“与更新后的设施设计和路线图相一致，最高金额为 45 亿美元”。

The company also maintains it has plenty of space for future expansion, should it have enough money to fund the construction. Rivian reported rising revenue as part of its first quarter earnings. 该公司还坚称，如果未来有足够的资金支持建设，工厂仍有充足的空间进行扩建。Rivian 在其第一季度财报中报告了营收的增长。