Rivian downsizes DOE loan to $4.5B, while boosting capacity of Georgia factory
Rivian downsizes DOE loan to $4.5B, while boosting capacity of Georgia factory
Rivian 将美国能源部贷款额度下调至 45 亿美元，同时提升佐治亚州工厂产能
Rivian has reworked its loan deal with the Department of Energy and now expects to borrow $4.5 billion to build its new factory in Georgia, down from the original amount of $6.6 billion allocated under the Biden administration. The company also announced Thursday that it will draw on the loan sooner than planned, in early 2027, and expects to increase the total capacity of the Georgia plant from 200,000 to 300,000 vehicles in its initial phase of operation — another sign that the company has high hopes for its upcoming R2 SUV.
Rivian 已重新修订了与美国能源部（DOE）的贷款协议，目前预计将借款 45 亿美元用于建设其位于佐治亚州的新工厂，低于拜登政府最初分配的 66 亿美元。该公司周四还宣布，将比原计划提前在 2027 年初动用这笔贷款，并预计将佐治亚州工厂在运营初期的总产能从 20 万辆提升至 30 万辆——这再次表明该公司对其即将推出的 R2 SUV 寄予厚望。
The larger capacity — a 50% increase over its initial plans — will help lower its per unit costs, while also providing significant room for future expansion of capacity in later phases, the company said Thursday. Some of the factory’s capacity will be used to produce R2 robotaxis for Uber. Under a deal struck earlier this year, Uber is making an initial $300 million investment in Rivian and is expected to purchase 10,000 fully autonomous R2 robotaxis ahead of a planned rollout in San Francisco and Miami in 2028.
该公司周四表示，更大的产能（较最初计划增加了 50%）将有助于降低单车成本，同时也为后期阶段的产能扩张提供了充足空间。该工厂的部分产能将用于为 Uber 生产 R2 自动驾驶出租车。根据今年早些时候达成的一项协议，Uber 将向 Rivian 进行 3 亿美元的初始投资，并预计在 2028 年旧金山和迈阿密计划推出服务之前，购买 1 万辆全自动驾驶 R2 出租车。
That initial $300 million payment is expected to close in the second quarter, and another $250 million investment is planned for later this year, according to Rivian. The ride-hailing company has the option to buy up to 40,000 more autonomous R2 SUVs from Rivian starting in 2030. Uber has said it will invest up to $1.25 billion in Rivian through 2031 if the automaker meets a series of milestones.
据 Rivian 称，这笔 3 亿美元的初始付款预计将在第二季度完成，另有 2.5 亿美元的投资计划于今年晚些时候进行。这家网约车公司有权从 2030 年开始，额外向 Rivian 购买最多 4 万辆自动驾驶 R2 SUV。Uber 表示，如果 Rivian 能达成一系列里程碑，到 2031 年，其对 Rivian 的总投资额将高达 12.5 亿美元。
Rivian broke ground on the Georgia factory late last year and is in the beginning stages of doing so-called vertical construction at the site located outside Atlanta. The company expects to start making vehicles by the end of 2028. Until then, Rivian will build R2 SUVs at its current factory in Normal, Illinois. The company recently started production of the R2 despite the plant suffering damage from a tornado, and Rivian said Thursday it has made initial deliveries to employees. Deliveries to customers are expected to start “in the coming weeks,” according to Rivian.
Rivian 于去年年底在佐治亚州工厂破土动工，目前正处于亚特兰大郊外厂址的所谓“垂直施工”初期阶段。该公司预计在 2028 年底前开始生产车辆。在此之前，Rivian 将在其位于伊利诺伊州诺默尔（Normal）的现有工厂生产 R2 SUV。尽管该工厂此前遭受了龙卷风破坏，但公司最近已开始生产 R2，Rivian 周四表示，已向员工进行了首批交付。据 Rivian 称，预计“在未来几周内”将开始向客户交付。
The modifications to the DOE loan come as Rivian revealed financial results for the first quarter of 2026 on Thursday. The company generated $1.38 billion in revenue, with $908 million coming from vehicle sales and $473 million from software and services. Rivian’s automotive revenue declined about 2% from the same year-ago period, due in part to a drop in regulatory credits.
此次对能源部贷款的调整正值 Rivian 周四公布 2026 年第一季度财务业绩之际。该公司营收为 13.8 亿美元，其中 9.08 亿美元来自汽车销售，4.73 亿美元来自软件和服务。Rivian 的汽车业务收入较去年同期下降了约 2%，部分原因是监管积分（regulatory credits）的减少。
The company lost $416 million in the quarter, down from a $541 million loss in the same period last year. That net loss shrank thanks, in part, to a $506 million gain in other income related to the Series A capital raise and related deconsolidation of CEO RJ Scaringe’s new startup Mind Robotics, according to the company. Rivian saw its operating expenses and R&D costs grow year-over-year.
该公司本季度亏损 4.16 亿美元，低于去年同期的 5.41 亿美元亏损。据公司称，净亏损的收窄部分归功于 5.06 亿美元的其他收益，这与 A 轮融资以及首席执行官 RJ Scaringe 的新初创公司 Mind Robotics 的相关去合并（deconsolidation）有关。Rivian 的运营费用和研发成本均较去年同期有所增长。
Rivian’s R&D budget expanded 20% to $458 million as it increased spending on R2 pre-production costs as well as software and cloud services related to the development of autonomous vehicle technology. The combination of these rising costs, plus a small uptick in capital spending, was a drag on Rivian’s free cash flow, which is in negative territory. The company reported a negative free cash flow of $1 billion, nearly double from a year ago.
Rivian 的研发预算增长了 20%，达到 4.58 亿美元，原因是该公司增加了在 R2 预生产成本以及与自动驾驶技术开发相关的软件和云服务方面的支出。这些成本的上升，加上资本支出的微幅增加，拖累了 Rivian 的自由现金流，使其处于负值区间。该公司报告的自由现金流为负 10 亿美元，几乎是去年同期的两倍。