Rivian Automotive Inc. is delaying deliveries of its R1T Launch Edition, its first series of battery-electric trucks.
Customer deliveries slated to begin in June will now start in July, Rivian said in an emailed statement Thursday. The Irvine, Calif., company says it still expects all R1T Launch Edition deliveries to be finished by the spring.
The delay is the result of a few issues such as the global semiconductor chip shortage, delays on shipping containers and difficulties in setting up vehicle servicing. The company said that overall it has not faced some of the more significant chip-related disruptions that have beset the global auto industry.
Also, launching service centers and bringing a test drive program online — in an environment affected by COVID-19 — was complex, the company indicated.
The Rivian R1S SUV still appears to be slated for release in August.
It’s the second time the R1T Launch Edition has been delayed. In July 2020, the automaker said the vehicle’s launch schedule was being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and delayed construction work on the model line.
The Launch Edition versions of the R1T and R1S each have a 300-mile range.
Rivian will put out additional variants of the vehicles in January.