APPLETON (NBC 26) — A Rivian electric vehicle service and demonstration center could be built in Appleton as early as next year, bringing electric vehicle repair services closer to Fox Cities residents.
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Northeast Wisconsin is currently a desert when it comes to electric vehicle repair options.
"Yeah I guess most people aren't used to 'I have to bring my car in, time to go on the road for an hour and a half,'" electric car owner Aaron Vandermause said.
Vandermause has owned electric cars for over 15 years. To get his car serviced, he has to drive to the only Rivian service center in Wisconsin, located in Menomonee Falls in Waukesha County, or make an appointment online, which can take months.
"Wait times are an issue as well, you can end up waiting two or three months for an appointment. So that's another key benefit, it should reduce the demand," Vandermause said.
Appleton's City Plan Commission acted on this issue, voting unanimously for a special use permit for Rivian to build its new service center in the city.
"Having that thing in Appleton would be extremely convenient," Vandermause said.
The center would be 77,000 square feet and would employ 35 people, developing an area previously marked by the city for industrial use into commercial purposes.
"From a community wide perspective, residents in the Fox Cities should start to see this area grow with Rivian and this product the first big movement we'll see," Kara Homan, Community Development Director of Appleton, said.
If approved, the center is expected to open in the summer of 2026. The Common Council votes on the issue at their meeting on Aug. 6.
