Buffalo Grove approves Rivian EV service, sales center

A new electric vehicle service and sales center is moving into Buffalo Grove’s industrial area.

Rivian Automotive received board approval to move into a vacant 61,000-square-foot building at 909 Asbury Drive.

Rivian produces electric SUVs, pickup trucks and delivery vans. The Buffalo Grove location is among Rivian’s first suburban sales and service centers. Similar locations are in Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas and Denver.

While vehicles are serviced at the new location, all sales are handled online. The vehicles are custom-built at Rivian’s plant in downstate Normal then delivered to customers at their nearest service center. A traditional auto dealership parking lot is unnecessary, Community Development Director Nicole Woods said Monday.

Woods said the vehicles usually remain on the property no more than three days.

“We are very excited for the opportunity to open a location here in Buffalo Grove in the happy suburban medium between our urban, downtown location and our more rural location in Normal,” Rivian representative Lesley-Ann Dare told the board.

She said there will be sales representatives on site, but most of the demo drives would take place at a soon-to-open sales and service center in Skokie.

“We obviously are all-electric, so you won't see any oil containers,” she said. “We actually take a lot of pride in the fact that we can have fresh plants that breathe and live in our service centers.”

The service activities will range from tire rotation to checking the technology that controls the vehicles.

Rivian intends to apply for a building permit at the end of November.

Buffalo Grove is no stranger to the electric vehicle industry. A Tesla sales and service center is under construction at the former Rohrman property on Dundee Road near Old Arlington Heights Road.

Rivian received an $827 million incentive package from the state in May to expand operations at its downstate plant.