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First Look at Rivian R2’s All-New Structural Battery Pack
RJ Scaringe is back at it on social media, giving us a sneak peek at something big—literally. We just got our first look at the new battery pack going into the upcoming Rivian R2, and there’s a lot to get excited about.
The new pack uses three big modules, each with 256 cells, adding up to 768 cells in total. But this isn’t just any battery pack—it’s actually part of the vehicle’s structure. The top of the pack even serves as part of the floor, which helps make the whole body stiffer and saves space. It’s a clever way to keep the design clean and efficient.
Rivian’s using a new battery cell for this pack, too—the LG 4695. It’s a huge step up from the older 2170 cells, with over six times the capacity. That means more range, better energy density, and smarter use of space inside the vehicle.
Production-wise, the cells will eventually be made at LG’s new plant in Arizona and then shipped to Rivian’s factory in Normal, Illinois, where they’ll be built into packs for the R2. This will all happen within the first year of production.
It’s clear Rivian isn’t just shrinking down the R1 to make the R2. They’re building something totally new and future-focused—and this battery pack is a big part of that.
Some quite back of the napkin math puts the packs total capacity around 83kwh. (30 amp hours, 3.6 v nominal per cell)
My hope is they’ve integrated thermal management into these large cells, otherwise heat is going to be a big issue.
I know people are wondering where these initial 4695 cells are coming from…
Per Forbes.com article here:https://www.forbes.com/sites/samabuelsamid/2024/11/07/lg-to-supply-rivian-r2-with-4695-cells-from-2026/
“Initial supplies of cells are expected to be sourced from an LGES factory in South Korea, but at some point during the first year of production, supplies will shift to LGES’s new cell factory in Queen Creek, Arizona.” Thus, I would presume the initial test builds and staff build/deliveries will have their cells from from South Korea until AZ plant is up and running to pump out cells for the Public build/deliveries.