NORMAL, Ill.—It was a blazing hot August day in central Illinois, but you wouldn’t know it once inside Rivian’s 4 million-square-foot manufacturing facility. The electric vehicle manufacturer was hosting media members not only to demonstrate how far Rivian has come since buying a former Mitsubishi plant in 2017 but also to launch its new, range-increasing Enduro drive unit that’s now available across its entire EV lineup.

As a startup in a crowded and established industry, Rivian has pursued a strategy of vertical integration to keep its costs down. It can be done all in-house, and that’s what Rivian has done with its new motor.