Just weeks before federal subsidies end for electric vehicles, the automaker Rivian is laying off hundreds of its workforce.

The company said the cuts are part of an overall plan to streamline production ahead of its release next year of a smaller SUV.

“We have made some recent changes to the commercial team as part of an ongoing effort to improve operational efficiency for R2,” a spokesperson for the Irvine-based EV company said.

That team includes sales and service employees, who are eligible for rehire to other positions within the company.

Rivian, which makes the R1S SUV at a price tag of more than $70,000 and the R1T pickup truck ($72,000-$129,000), also is working on the smaller, $45,000 R2 at its assembly plant in Normal, Illinois.

Rivian’s commercial division stretches across

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