Everything You Need To Know About The Rivian R2, Plus We Drive The 2027 Chevy Bolt

Two years ago, I was at the original reveal of the Rivian R2. Already in awe of Rivian’s adventurous trucks and on the market for a cheaper option, I fell in love with the smaller SUV’s boxy design, clever interior, attainable price, and fold-flat seats. And while those flat-folding front seats may not have made production, there’s a lot to love with the production R2, which was fully revealed this week.

The new R2 gets a rad-looking Launch Edition priced to match the Tesla Model Y Performance, but with better looks, an off-road bent, and a way more interesting interior. At just under $58,000, it’s more interesting than just about anything you can buy for that  price. 

But what about the $45,000 model that Rivian promised? That one is still to come. It won’t arrive until late 2027, Rivian says, with rear-wheel-drive and just over 275 miles of range. That puts it behind the Model Y Premium RWD in one key way. Two key ways, really, if you count the fact that you can currently buy a Model Y, while the R2 Standard is still to come.

But I’m still excited about the R2. At $53,990 for the all-wheel-drive R2 Premium, with up to 330 miles of range and 450 horsepower, it’s hitting the meat of the premium EV market. It’s pricier than a Hyundai Ioniq 5 AWD or a Chevrolet Blazer EV, but it’s also a lot better looking, offers more ground clearance, a cooler interior, and much more sophisticated software.

Will that be enough to win people over? Rivian better hope so. The company has had years of losses on the books, and investors are hoping that the mass-market R2 pushes it into profitability. The company will be able to make up to 155,000 units per year, and volumes like that could help the company further drive down prices while growing its profits.

But a truly affordable Rivian remains a faraway dream, at least for now. That’s where the 2027 Chevy Bolt comes in. It may not have the Rivian’s style or tech, but at $28,9990 to start, it’s the cheapest EV in America right now. I drove it last week and came away mighty impressed, as the company has solved most of the major issues with the last-generation Bolt.

Unfortunately, they’ve done it in a segment that Americans and automakers have mostly abandoned. U.S. consumers don’t seem to want small cars, and automakers struggle to profit off of them. That’s doubly true with small EVs, which have all mostly flopped here.

It’s a damned shame, because the benefits of a smaller platform are monumental in the EV world. A smaller gas car is not all that much cheaper to build than a mid-size one, as most of the cost is in the engine and assembly. Neither is all that much cheaper in a small car, as you have to pack the same number of components into a smaller package. 

But EVs flip the math. Most of their cost comes from the battery. Smaller cars get more range out of a smaller battery. And smaller batteries reduce weight, improving efficiency, which increases range, and, therefore, requires an even smaller battery. The savings compound. On the flip side, as EVs grow, battery costs grow exponentially, as you spend exponentially more energy punching through the air, and more energy lugging around the weight of the battery.

Small EVs are the best solution to our affordability crisis. But they’re not the solutions Americans seem to want. That’s why General Motors has already announced that the Bolt will be made for a limited-time only. Production will end next year so that the plant can produce gas-powered SUVs. Must be a sign of the times.

Got ideas for more episodes? Or a guest suggestion? Reach out to me at Mack.Hogan@insideevs.com.