- Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe told reporters that an 800-volt architecture is "not as critical" for small and mid-size products like the R2 and R3.
- While other companies use higher-voltage architectures to provide better charge times, Scaringe says blazing charging speeds are possible with 400-volt systems.
- Given that the R2 is supposed to be cheaper and, ideally, more profitable for Rivian, it probably won't use an 800-volt system.
Rivian has not yet announced whether its forthcoming R2 and R3 midsize cars will use a 400-volt architecture or a more expensive 800- or 900-volt system. Fans may be hoping that the next generation of products will move to a higher-voltage architecture, which typically can allow for faster charging and more efficiency. But after sitting down with Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe, I don't think that's likely.
