Rivian has signed a deal with California-based real estate developer Caruso to deploy more than 150 public DC fast chargers across its upscale retail and mixed-use properties in Los Angeles.
The agreement also adds two new Rivian showrooms — at The Commons at Calabasas and The Americana at Brand in Glendale — expanding the EV maker’s retail presence in the greater LA area as it prepares to ramp deliveries of the R2 midsize SUV.
The chargers are expected to roll out over the next year, according to the Los Angeles Business Journal.
Beyond physical infrastructure, the collaboration includes ride-and-drive experiences at Caruso’s LA properties, free annual parking for Rivian owners enrolled in the Caruso Signature program, and Rivian‘s return as a presenting partner for the developer’s annual ‘Christmas at The Grove’ event.
Rivian‘s Senior Manager of Real Estate Marc Navarro highlighted the opportunity to reach customers where they already spend time.
According to Caruso’s Chief Financial and Revenue Officer Jackie Levy, while the company had been approached by numerous EV charging companies, they chose Rivian because of its shared focus on premium customer experiences.
Timed to the R2
The partnership was more than a year in the making and coincides with the rollout of Rivian‘s R2 mid-size SUV.
The model began volume production at the company’s Normal, Illinois, plant last week. The first employee units have also officially been handed over.
Rivian is targeting 20,000 to 25,000 R2 deliveries this year within the total guidance of 62,000 to 67,000 vehicles.
Of those, the company expects to sell approximately 5,000 R2 units in California alone in 2026, according to an EPA filing cited in an earlier report.
External customer deliveries are expected to begin in June.
The first variant to ship is the Dual-Motor Performance Launch Edition at $57,990, with a Premium trim at $53,990 expected later this year.
The entry-level Standard variant — the long-promised $45,000 model — is not expected until late 2027.
The R2 comes exclusively with a NACS (North American Charging Standard) port, meaning the Caruso chargers will serve the vehicle natively.
Rivian‘s earlier R1 models use CCS connectors, with owners receiving a free adapter for NACS-equipped stations.
Rivian’s California Footprint
California is Rivian‘s home state and accounts for the largest share of its retail footprint — which includes showrooms in Palo Alto, San Francisco, Irvine, La Jolla, Venice and Los Angeles, and service centers stretching from South San Francisco to Vista.
The two Caruso showrooms would bring the state total closer to 30 retail and demo locations.
The state also hosts two of Rivian‘s three standalone Charging Outposts — amenity-focused fast-charging stations located in Joshua Tree and Yosemite — and leads the Adventure Network’s NACS rollout with 12 of its 32 NACS-equipped stations nationwide.
Rivian recently signed a long-term lease on a 49,470-square-foot facility in Perris, California, for sales, service, charging and repair operations — extending its reach deeper into the Inland Empire.
Beyond California, Rivian has been expanding aggressively across the country ahead of the R2.
The company ended 2025 with 97 service locations, 36 showrooms and nearly 700 mobile service vehicles.
Rivian plans to operate over 150 Service Centers by the end of 2027 and expand its mobile fleet by 50% this year.
Recent openings and planned facilities span Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Indiana, Wisconsin, Texas, and Florida, with a new showroom at King of Prussia Mall marking the EV maker’s first location in Pennsylvania earlier this year.
Charging Network
The 150-plus Caruso chargers represent a significant addition to Rivian‘s broader charging strategy.
The company’s proprietary Adventure Network now operates close to 1,000 stalls across more than 140 sites in the United States, a milestone it was expected to reach this summer.
The network reported an average uptime of 98% across its chargers in 2025.
In its fourth-quarter shareholder letter, the company said non-Rivian vehicles accounted for more than 40% of charging sessions in December 2025, as it works toward opening its entire network to all EV owners.
Approximately 97% of Adventure Network stations are currently accessible to non-Rivian vehicles.
Rivian owners also have access to about 227,000 chargers across North America, including roughly 50,000 DC fast chargers compatible with its vehicles.
That total includes access to over 21,500 Tesla Superchargers, alongside stations from Electrify America and IONNA.
The Caruso deal adds a different kind of charger placement.
While the Adventure Network targets highway corridors and adventure destinations, the Caruso chargers will sit at high-traffic urban retail locations — shopping centers, restaurants and entertainment venues.
The approach mirrors what other automakers and charging operators have done by embedding fast chargers in commercial destinations where drivers already spend 30 to 60 minutes, turning idle time into charging time.
It also aligns with Rivian‘s stated commitment to powering its charging infrastructure with renewable energy.
The company signed a 15-year power purchase agreement with RWE in 2024 to supply wind energy from Texas to its Adventure Network and has partnered with Pivot Energy on agrivoltaic solar projects in Illinois.
