Electric vehicle maker Rivian has sued the US government to recover tariffs it paid under President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” trade measures. The Supreme Court ruled in February that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act did not authorise the president to impose those tariffs.
Rivian wants a full refund with interest, along with reimbursement for its legal costs. Chief Financial Officer Claire McDonough previously estimated that the company could recover tens of millions of dollars.
Lawsuit Seeks Guarantee of Repayment
The complaint was filed on Thursday in the US Court of International Trade against the federal government, US Customs and Border Protection and CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott. CBP collected the tariffs on imported materials and components on behalf of the administration.
Rivian’s lawyers said a separate lawsuit was necessary because the Supreme Court’s decision did not automatically guarantee that every importer would receive the correct refund. The company wants the court to declare the tariffs unlawful and order CBP to return all affected payments with interest.
The Supreme Court ruled on February 20 that IEEPA did not give the president authority to impose broad import taxes without congressional approval. A trade court later ordered CBP to establish a process for reimbursing affected importers.
CBP said it had accepted more than $121 billion in potential and certified refund claims for processing. The agency did not comment specifically on Rivian’s lawsuit.
Tariffs Increased Rivian’s Vehicle Costs
Rivian Chief Executive RJ Scaringe initially estimated that the tariffs could add several thousand dollars to the cost of each vehicle. The company later reduced the impact to the low hundreds of dollars per vehicle through supplier changes and available tariff offsets.
In its first-quarter regulatory filing, Rivian said the timing, amount and process for recovering its IEEPA payments remained uncertain. It also warned that tariffs and retaliatory trade measures could increase the cost of raw materials, components and manufacturing equipment.
Refund Could Support R2 Expansion
The lawsuit comes as Rivian increases production of the R2, its lower-priced electric SUV. The company expects to deliver between 20,000 and 25,000 R2 vehicles by the end of 2026 as it works towards sustained profitability.
Rivian recently raised about $1.3 billion through a share offering to strengthen its cash position while funding R2 production and autonomous driving development. Its official R2 page lists the vehicle with an expected starting price of $48,490.
The company has not issued a public statement about the lawsuit beyond the complaint. It is asking the trade court to ensure its refund is not delayed, reduced or excluded from the government’s wider repayment process.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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