• Korean battery giant LG Energy Solution will supply batteries for the upcoming Rivian R2.
• LGES said the R2 will get a new type of cylindrical cell with six times the capacity of current cells. 

The battery blitz in America continues and the newest beneficiary of that is the upcoming Rivian R2.

Rivian just inked a battery supply deal with Korean battery giant LG Energy Solution (LGES) for its next-generation R2 model that’s set to launch in the second half of this decade. The Irvine, California-headquartered automaker showcased the R2 electric SUV—which looks like a baby R1S—in March and is now inching closer to bring that model to market.

LGES said on Thursday that it will provide Rivian with its advanced 4695 cylindrical cells for over five years, with a capacity totaling 67 gigawatt-hours. The new cell type has a diameter of 46 millimeters and is 95 mm tall, the battery maker said in a press release. It will feature six times the capacity of the existing 2170 cylindrical cells. 

“Its larger size enables higher energy density, improved space efficiency, and enhanced safety, which is attracting industry-wide attention,” LGES said. The batteries will be manufactured at the LGES factory in Arizona and shipped to Rivian’s Illinois plant, where the R2 is expected to enter production in 2026 if things continue as planned.

Rivian confirmed the same to InsideEVs but did not provide any further details.

The R2 is expected to get over 300 miles of range, the automaker said. The R1S and R1T both get nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) batteries from Samsung SDI, whereas their entry-level Standard Range trims get lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) cells from an undisclosed supplier.

“Due to the dynamic nature of the current EV market, an increasing number of global automakers are demonstrating a strong preference for a diverse range of battery form factors,” said David Kim, CEO of LG Energy Solution. “This large-scale order from Rivian for 4695 batteries marks a key milestone for LG Energy Solution in expanding its client base within the cylindrical battery segment.”

Rivian showcased the R2 back in March with much fanfare although the smaller R3 and R3X hatchbacks stole the show. 

The R2 will carry over the adventure theme from its bigger R1 sibling and is expected to pack a bunch of cool tech, like zonal architecture and haptic control dials on the steering. It will also come natively equipped with the Tesla NACS connector—so finding fast chargers shouldn’t really be an issue for the R2.

Rivian is targeting a starting price of $45,000 for the R2, which means it would locks horns with the Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Ford Mustang Mach-E and the Chevy Blazer EV.

However, there’s a big question: Will buyers flock to the R2 or skip the middle child and wait for the R3? R2 pre-orders had topped 100,000 by July, but numbers only say so much.

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