Rivian R1T Truck & R1S SUV Wow NYC Ahead Of Auto Show - VIDEO

Rivian impresses before the show even opens.

The New York Auto Show doesn’t officially open to the public until April 19th, but that doesn’t mean the fun hasn’t already started.

The weekend before an auto show opens is usually the real kickoff party, with manufacturers trying to get a jump on the competition, and many opt to show off their new vehicles before they hit the show floor the following week. That precisely what Rivian did with its R1T electric pickup truck and R1S electric SUV.

The Rivian R1T on display in NYC

Rivian, the upstart electric vehicle manufacturer from Plymouth, Michigan, promises to bring us “The world’s first electric adventure vehicles” held invite-only events last night in New York City. I say “events” because according to Rivian, so many people asked for invitations, that they had to hold two events, one from 4pm to 6pm, and another from 7pm to 9pm.

I know this happens to be true, because I was originally sent an invitation that said the event was from 6pm to 9pm. Then, a few days later, Rivian reached back to me to say they needed to have two events, and I had to pick one of the two time slots.

Rivian was able to secure a space on Pier 76 (a real pier on the Hudson River) directly behind the Jacob Javits center where the New York Auto Show is held. This space is normally occupied by the Classic Car Club at Hudson River, and in order to make room for Rivian, they had to move cars like a couple dozen rare cars out into the parking lot for the night.

Both the R1T pickup truck, and R1S sport utility vehicle, have a power opening/closing hood that conceals a huge front trunk. While you can certainly fit a lot of gear/luggage, etc. up there, it will probably be difficult to load & unload anything heavy, because of the height.

These events were mostly for VIPs and reservation holders; they weren’t press events where we could schedule interview time, so unfortunately nothing new was learned. I suspect if Rivian is going to announce any new news, it will be done so during the Auto Show for maximum exposure.

As you might expect, the crowd was extremely enthusiastic, and it reminded me of how it feels at Tesla events. Since most of the people in attendance were reservation holders, they were already on-board with what Rivian is doing. Plus, for most, it was their first opportunity to see the vehicles that they plunked $1,000 down on to reserve.

Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe was on hand chatting it up with many in attendance. There was a line of people waiting to say hello and ask him questions. From what I could tell, he did his best to greet as many people as he could, and give them a few minutes before moving on the next person eager to meet him.

Immediately after the event, I sat down with Alex from E For Electric to discuss Rivian on this week’s Plugged In show. Let us know what you think of Rivian in the comments below. Will they be the first to bring an electric pick up truck to market, or will Tesla or another competitor beat them to it? What do you like and dislike about the R1T & R1S?

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Don’t Buy it, Build it: 2 Stroke, Kawasaki Airplane - VIDEO

Like many of us, I’m sure, Harry Doskicz looked at a malaise-era Kawasaki 2 stroke snowmobile and thought, “I bet that engine would make a freakin’ kickass airplane.” Once he had that Earth-shattering realization, though, Harry did something you and I did not: he built it.

Harry helped build the experimental Kawasaki-powered airplane you’re looking at here is built around a junkyard Kawasaki engine. Even if did come from a snowmobile, however, this thing is every bit a skyfaring motorcycle. It’s got a wood-frame, cloth-covered wings, and no windows, doors, climate controls, room for passengers, or even padding on the back of the seat. This bike is as bare-bones as it gets, made from backwards tech, and it is freakin’ AMAZING!

Andy Greaser has a full interview with Doskicz (and more pictures!) over at motorcycle news site, Revzilla. It’s 100% worth the read, so go check that out, then let us know what you think of this Kawi-powered ultralight in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

Harry Doskicz’ 2 Stroke Kawasaki Airplane

Source | More Images: Revzilla.

Will Tesla Production in Q1 Shock the Market?

Tesla will report its first quarter 2019 production and delivery figures in the next few days. The Q1 sales report is an extremely anticipated one as it will tell us whether or not Tesla managed to increase production and if the company was able to generate enough demand for the cars it has built over the last three months.

Tesla is not the kind of company that we associate with a demand shortfall, as the company has always managed to create demand that far outstripped their production. Demand for Tesla Roadster 2008, Model S, Model X, and Model 3 have always remained on the higher side since the day they were launched.

But the first quarter of 2019 has the potential to break that trend — even as Tesla pulled a multitude of demand levers in order to sell as many cars as they possibly could in the United States in December 2018, as part of its effort to help customers take advantage of the federal tax credit.

Customers who took delivery of Tesla in the first quarter of 2019 were only eligible for a tax credit of $3,750, compared to $7,500 if delivery occurred in the fourth quarter of 2018.

The tax credit, coupled with Tesla’s diverse sales strategies, would’ve certainly pulled customers forward, coaxing them to order earlier than they were planning to.

Tesla dropped the price of its cars multiple times since the start of the year, dropped lower-end trims of Model S and Model X, and announced the launch of a $35,000 standard battery Model 3 to help boost demand for its vehicles in the United States.

It’s likely Tesla is hoping that European deliveries will help offset any softness in demand in the United States and allow the company to show a steady ramp-up of Model 3 production. But Wall Street, thus far, has not been too impressed.

According to research firm Visible Alpha, average analyst Model 3 production estimate for the first quarter is just 64,400 — slightly higher than the 61,394 Model 3s Tesla built during the fourth quarter of 2018.

That said, Bloomberg’s Model 3 tracker, which estimates Model 3 production, expects Tesla to deliver a huge surprise in the first quarter by building nearly 80,000 Model 3 units.

Tesla Production

It must also be noted here that Bloomberg’s Model 3 tracker nearly nailed its Model 3 production estimates in the last four quarters. It’s conceivable that the odds of the Bloomberg tracker missing Model 3 production estimates during the first quarter of 2019 remain extremely low.

As of March 31, 2019, the Bloomberg Model 3 tracker estimates Tesla Model 3 production in the first quarter to be at 79,705, which is a full 23% higher than average analyst estimates for the quarter.

Bloomberg’s Tesla Tracker

If we assume the average price of Tesla Model 3 to be $45,000, analyst estimates could miss revenue numbers by more than $650 million, depending on how many cars Tesla delivered in the quarter.

While the first quarter 2019 production stats give us some insight into Tesla’s ability to ramp, delivery figures will have a huge impact on Tesla’s quarterly revenues. Unless Tesla delivers vehicles to its customers it will not be able to book revenue.

Tesla has been delivering Model 3s to North American customers for the last 20 months, which will allow the company to book enough deliveries that should closely match demand in the region, but the same cannot be said for its European deliveries, which began in early February.

The higher the number of cars in transit to European customers, the lower Tesla’s quarterly revenue will be. Bloomberg’s high production estimate is great news for Tesla and its investors, but the real number to watch out for in its first quarter production and delivery report is the number of cars the company delivered in the quarter, and, how many ended up being in transit.

On an earnings call in January, Elon Musk told investors that he expects 2019 sales to increase by 50%. A great first quarter production and delivery report could go a long way to meet that goal.

If Tesla manages to get close to or slightly sail past its fourth-quarter figures, it could ease some of the pressure on its stock price, because it would mean Tesla has managed to successfully offset the impact of the reduction of the tax credit in the United States.