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Rivian opens first Metro Detroit charger as volume R2 hits showrooms
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 31, 2026
Dan Mears, The Detroit News
Rivian’s entry into the Metro Detroit market at 780 East Big Beaver Road in Troy comes as it launches its most important vehicle to date: the R2 SUV aimed at the heart of the compact SUV segment, the largest in the United States.
It is where Tesla became a household name with its volume Model Y SUV selling 400,000 units alongside top, gas-fired sellers like the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V. With the R2, Rivian ― heretofore a maker of $75K-plus luxury vehicles ― hopes to hit similar volumes and become a mainstream hit.
“Rivian was selling the lifestyle message and pairing their cars with the idea of adventure and off-roading because that’s a very fun-sounding use case,” said California-based auto analyst Karl Brauer of iSeeCars.com. “But it’s also antithetical to what a lot of these EVs are good for, including track-focused EVs like the Hyundai Ioniq 5. When you consider the (range) logistics of getting to a place that you have to go to enjoy a lifestyle event ― whether a racetrack or an off-road park ― that’s one of the biggest disadvantages of an EV.”
Other EV companies not named Tesla have struggled to gain profitability. Silicon Valley-based Lucid, for example, which has thus far made critically acclaimed EVs ― if low-volume ones like the Air and Gravity — recently hired AlixPartners to help get its financial house in order.
Tesla’s Supercharger network remains the big dog, and all OEMs ― including Rivian ― are switching to NACS charging ports (from CCS) to take advantage of Tesla convenience.