Yahoo Autos The 2021 Rivian R1T Is a 400-Mile Electric Pickup Truck Tesla Should Watch Out For
Rivian is a new American electric-car startup brand that is aiming to reinvent the segments its vehicles will enter. This sounds like a story that we have heard many times from many startups, but Rivian has avoided the usual vaporware criticism by hitting the ground running: no concept cars, no flashy teasers, just this detailed reveal of what it claims is the production-ready vehicle. Rivian's headquarters is located in Plymouth, Michigan, and the company already has 600 employees; they also have bought and are revamping Mitsubishi's former Normal, Illinois, production facility. Rivian has chosen the Los Angeles auto show as the debut location for its first two production vehicles: the R1T pickup shown here and the R1S SUV.
The R1T is a futuristic looking crew-cab pickup that Rivian is claiming will be the world's most aerodynamic truck. At 215.6 inches long and riding on a 135.8-inch wheelbase, it splits the difference between currently available mid-size and full-size crew-cab trucks. The R1T's design risks turning off pickup-truck die-hards: it is, in a word, pretty cute. The front end is dominated by two oval-shaped LED light housings and a unibrow-like central light bar (which turns green and "fills up" as the truck is charging), and there's no real grille to be found. At the back, there's a single, large LED strip and prominent badging. Surfacing is subtle and minimal, with a main body line that wraps around the windows and is echoed in the door's cutlines. Black bumpers and silver skid plates at the front and rear lend the R1T a rugged look.
A large central screen dominates the interior, with a slightly smaller screen used instead of traditional analog gauges. Switchgear has been kept to an absolute minimum, but interesting details abound. Real wood is used throughout, and Rivian's designers have taken care to choose colors and materials inspired by the natural world, with the design scheme shown here featuring dark green leather and brown wood. Cleanable activewear-style materials are used in high-wear areas. No interior dimensions have been given, but the R1T's five-passenger cab appears more spacious than those of mid-size trucks like the Chevrolet Colorado and Ford Ranger.
Both of Rivian's new vehicles ride on the same "skateboard" platform, use the same battery packs and motors, and have similar specs. The battery pack, electric motors, brakes, suspension, and advanced thermal-management system are all located below the height of the wheel, lending the R1T a super-low center of gravity. Rivian-which claims "class leading" off-road chops for the R1T-says that this helps the truck off-road, especially its ability to climb at a 45-degree angle. The truck uses an unequal-length double-wishbone suspension setup in the front and a multilink setup in the rear; adaptive dampers and adjustable air suspension are part of the package as well.
Each version of the R1T has an electric motor at each wheel, allowing for independent control of the amount of torque going to each wheel, and the front and rear setups are identical. At launch, 135-kWh and 180-kWh battery pack choices will be offered, with the base 105-kWh pack coming six to twelve months later. According to Rivian, the 105-kWh model will have more than 230 miles of range, 402 horsepower, and 413 lb-ft of torque plus a zero-to-60-mph time of 4.9 seconds-that's quicker than the last Ford F-150 Raptor we tested. The 135-kWh version is the speediest of the bunch; it's got 754 horses and 826 lb-ft, with Rivian saying it will hit 60 in just 3.0 seconds and 100 mph in less than 7.0 seconds. That model should have a range of more than 300 miles. But if it's range you're after, the 180-kWh R1T is the one to get. It's slightly less powerful, with "just" 700 horsepower and a 3.2-second zero-to-60-mph time, but Rivian states it will have a range of more than 400 miles. That puts it well ahead of the current range king, the Tesla Model S 100D, which the EPA rates at 335 miles. Rivian claims that the R1T can get an 80 percent charge in just 15 minutes when using a DC fast charger and a full charge in eight hours using a Level 2 charger.
No matter the battery pack you choose, the R1T's capabilities remain the same. Every version of the R1T will have a maximum payload of 1764 pounds, which almost matches the highest payload achievable by the new Ford Ranger. More impressive is the R1T's towing capacity. Rivian says that every R1T is able to tow 11,000 pounds-that's only a couple thousand pounds off from what full-size trucks like the Ford F-150 and Ram 1500 can achieve. Towing will affect the R1T's range, although Rivian doesn't say by how much.
Speaking of truck capability, the R1T has many features not found on any other production truck. It's got a frunk-that is, a 12-cubic-foot trunk at the front of the truck where an engine usually would be. The hood is powered and lockable. Behind the cab but ahead of the bed is what Rivian calls the gear tunnel: a lockable storage compartment, also 12 cubic feet, that extends from one side of the truck to the other, with the ability to hold golf clubs, strollers, or other objects. The gear tunnel's open doors also can function as side steps for easier access to the bed or the roof rack. As in the Honda Ridgeline, there is a watertight, lockable compartment beneath the bed floor that can fit an additional seven cubic feet of stuff. Rivian also has developed locking cables in the bed for items like bicycles, as well as its own modular, telescoping rack system that can attach to the roof, bed floor, or bed rails. A security camera in the bed detects movement and can alert the driver if something has been put into or removed from the truck.
Rivian says that every R1T will have Level 3 autonomous technology as standard, with the truck equipped with a range of cameras and ultrasonic, lidar, and radar systems. Also coming standard will be a suite of active-safety systems.
Deliveries of the R1T will begin in the U.S. in late 2020, we expect as a 2021 model. The R1T will start at $61,500-after federal tax credits-but the biggest-battery, highest-spec versions will enter production first. Pre-orders are now open with a refundable deposit of $1000. Like Tesla, Rivian will be selling its vehicles directly to the consumer, and there also will be storefronts for potential customers to see the cars in person and place orders. A service system will be in place by the time the R1T goes on sale, and Rivian says that it will provide a pickup and delivery concierge service. A spokesperson told C/D that Rivian isn't just about selling assets and vehicles; the company wants to "transcend ownership" and sell experiences. So it's not just in performance and range that this startup has Tesla in its sights.
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