Rivian Origins:
Rivian is to begin production in June of 2021. Rivian has also closed a deal to purchase an additional 380 acers of land west of its factory in Normal Illinois.
Founded in 2009 Rivian has the financial backing of Ford, Amazon, Fidelity and T. Rowe Price. Rivian is slated to begin manufacturing electric delivery vehicles for Amazon.
Deliveries of the special Launch Edition R1T are slated to begin in June, 2021 with a starting sticker of $75,000 according to Rivian’s website. A different variant the (Explorer Package) is slated to be available for delivery starting January of 2022 and will initially be offered with 300 + miles of range. As of this writing the Explorer package is set to sticker at $67,500.
Range:
Both the R1T and & R1S (the R1S is the SUV model) will both be initially offered with a purported 300 + mile range on a full charge. In January of 2022, Rivian indicates it will be offering R1T with an available 400 + mile range. If you live in a colder weather climate you can expect lower range numbers in the winter. If towing at full capacity a 50% reduction in range can be expected.
Rivian plans to have approximately 3,500 + fast chargers at 600 + sites by the end of 2023. This is a lofty goal so only time will tell if this can be achieved, but even so, it is imperative that Rivian make some serious headway on this this year. There have been reports that have suggested that 1 out of 5 EV owners have already traded in or sold their EVs due to range anxiety.
Exterior:
The Rivian retains most physical features that traditional truck owners have come to expect. We would describe the Rivians looks as very retro, but with traditional function. The R1T has a utility bed that is very usable and recognizable.
The bed has composite corrosion protection, gear tie-down points and there is room under the bed floor for a full-size spare. The bed floor is capable of extending to 83.8 inches with the tailgate down. The area for the full size tire can also double as a cooler and Rivian has included a drain plug here as well.
In addition, the R1T also sports a Front trunk (otherwise known as a Frunk) along with rear storage bin, an interior console storage area and a storage tunnel that goes from on side of the trunk all the way to the other side. Rivian has designed the side storage lid to lay flat so that a person up to 300 lbs. can step on it to load equipment on the roof.
One of the other party tricks you can get as an option is a Camp Kitchen that is a modular 3-piece design that can slide in and out of the side Gear tunnel. This Camp Kitchen comes with a two-burner layout and can also output 1,400 watts. There are also other features such as a 4 gallon water tank, a collapsible sink with spray faucet. The Camp Kitchen is also available with a full cookware set from Snow Peak.
The R1T will also come in a variety of colors such as Rivian logo Yellow or Founders Rivian Blue. Other colors include LA Silver, Glacier White, Red Canyon, Midnight, Limestone, Forest Green (Editors Favorite) and El Cap Granite.
Interior:
The R1T interior will come in 3 color combinations (Black Mountain, Forest Edge & Ocean Coast) featuring real, natural grained Ash wood that will wrap the center display. This will be coupled with an Immersive Meridian Audio system along with a removeable Bluetooth speaker that will allow you to transfer the experience to your campsite.
The seating will feature highly weather resistant Vegan leather with performance stitching. There is also an all-glass panoramic roof which also comes standard with the Adventure addition.
Platform:
The battery pack allows for DC fast-charging at over 200kW for a sustained period of time.
The R1T also comes with an independent air suspension capable of raising the suspension as high as 14.4 inches and as low as 7.9 inches. When towing a load an automatic right height system can be activated. It should be said the lowering the suspension will allow for the most range and efficient operation.
In addition to an independent air suspension, the R1T also offers Active Dampening and Hydraulic Roll Control.
Also, the lower center of gravity of the R1T is beneficial in minimizing roll over and the body is made from a combination of aluminum alloy, high-strength steel along with carbon fiber.
The bed has composite corrosion protection, gear tie-down points and there is room under the bed floor for a full-size spare. The bed floor is capable of extending to 83.8 inches with the tailgate down. The area for the full size tire can also double as a cooler and Rivian has included a drain plug here as well.
In addition, the R1T also sports a Front trunk (otherwise known as a Frunk) along with rear storage bin, an interior console storage area and a storage tunnel that goes from on side of the trunk all the way to the other side. Rivian has designed the side storage lid to lay flat so that a person up to 300 lbs. can step on it to load equipment on the roof.
One of the other party tricks you can get as an option is a Camp Kitchen that is a modular 3-piece design that can slide in and out of the side Gear tunnel. This Camp Kitchen comes with a two-burner layout and can also output 1,400 watts. There are also other features such as a 4 gallon water tank, a collapsible sink with spray faucet. The Camp Kitchen is also available with a full cookware set from Snow Peak.
The R1T will also come in a variety of colors such as Rivian logo Yellow or Founders Rivian Blue. Other colors include LA Silver, Glacier White, Red Canyon, Midnight, Limestone, Forest Green (Editors Favorite) and El Cap Granite.
Performance:
The R1T will come with a quad-motor powertrain capable of launching this vehicle to 60 mph in 3 seconds. Each motor will be able to independently adjust/route torque to each wheel. This gives the R1T the ability to accurately control and navigate through torque vectoring.
Towing capacity for the R1T will max out at 11,000 lbs. In addition, this truck should be able to wade upwards of 3 ft of water.
Driver Experience:
Like Tesla, the Rivian will also have the functionality of over-the- air updates to improve driver experience.
Software / Hardware:
Driver + with Automatic Driving assistance and Active safety comes standard on every R1T line. Driver + includes 10 exterior cameras and one exterior camera. 12 ultrasonic 360-degree sensors help with close range coverage. 4 corner radars and one forward radar help with complex maneuvering, lane changing and cross rear traffic.
SUMMARY
Pros:
• Outstanding Torque.
• Better than average overall storage capacity.
• Overall design that is familiar with most fossil fuel truck owners possibly looking to try electric.
• Due to Ford’s investment in Rivian, technologies can be shared between platforms.
Cons:
• Front-end design may not appeal to the masses.
• No historical data to give an indicator as to long-term reliability. Only time will tell.
• Rivian Fast Charging network not as extensive as that of Tesla.
If you would like to configure your Rivian R1T click the link below to leave Tech 2 Survive and configure your new Off-Road Electric Truck.
https://rivian.com/r1t
