Rivian downsizes DOE loan to $4.5B for Georgia factory

Rivian has reworked its loan deal with the Department of Energy and now expects to borrow $4.5 billion to build its new factory in Georgia, down from the original amount of $6.6 billion allocated under the Biden administration. The company also announced Thursday that it will draw on the loan sooner than planned, in early 2027, and expects to increase the total capacity of the Georgia plant from 200,000 to 300,000 vehicles in its initial phase of operation. The larger capacity — a 50% increase over its initial plans — will help lower its per unit costs, while also providing significant room for future expansion of capacity in later phases, the company said Thursday. Rivian has previously said the Georgia factory would have a total capacity of 400,000 vehicles. While the initial phase, which is tied to the DOE loan, has been increased, Rivian did not share what its plans are for the second phase. The original plan was for two 200,000-vehicle capacity phases at the Georgia site. The company’s factory in Normal, Illinois has a 215,000-vehicle capacity. During the earnings call, CFO Claire McDonough didn’t share what capacity that second phase would be, except to say that it was