Rivian recently posted a single job position on its website, and the location is Berlin, Germany. The US electric truck maker is looking to hire a Service Center Manager for the area, so there will first need to be a Rivian Service Center. Of course, a service manager could work remotely and assist with mobile service, but the posting specifically refers to a "Service Center."
Rivian is still a struggling EV startup, which means expanding at this point could prove very risky. It's currently producing vehicles out of the old Mitsubishi factory in Normal, Illinois, and barely making ends meet. This is to be expected of any brand-new automaker, and especially one that makes expensive, high-end EVs that some folks may see as niche.
When Rivian first talked of a second factory, Tesla CEO Elon Musk chimed in. The vocal CEO warned against expanding too quickly. Tesla struggled for many years and only produced cars out of its original factory in Fremont, California, which was the NUMMI plant before Tesla acquired it. Rivian followed suit by grabbing up an existing factory, but like Tesla, it has big plans for the future, and now it's building a second plant in Georgia.
It would make perfect sense for Rivian to have goals of moving into Europe, though perhaps not so soon. Nonetheless, Rivian Forums came across the recent Rivian job posting, which reads as follows:
"Manager Service Center - Berlin (m/d/f)
This role requires an experienced professional with high levels of energy and initiative, deep understanding of service processes, go-getter attitude, great leadership skills, and cross-team collaboration. To be successful in this role, you must have a customer-first approach, thrive in ambiguous and unexpected environments, tackling all challenges with a creative and flexible mindset."
The posting goes on to break down the "Responsibilities" and "Qualifications" related to the job. You can see the job posting in its entirety by following the Rivian link at the bottom of the article.
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Since Rivian doesn't sell its vehicles in Europe, it seems strange that it would need a service center. Moreover, as stated above, it won't likely be in a position to expand into the country for some time. Some folks suggest that the automaker may be considering importing EVs to Germany, but even that's a stretch at this point since it's not cranking out copies quickly.
According to a recent report by Electrek, sources familiar with the matter suggest that the upcoming Rivian Berlin Service Center will be initially used as part of the EV maker's partnership with Amazon. Once the retailer begins using Rivian electric vans across the globe, it will need places to service them.
As always, we'd love to read your take on this. Leave us your thoughts in the comment section below.
Source: Rivian via Rivian Forums