RIVIAN R1T ELECTRIC TRUCK

Went on the last day of the LA auto show yesterday and saw that electric truck, seems pretty interesting. What is everyone else's thoughts?

 

No one has any input on this electric truck?

 

I couldn't find too much information on it, but, from what I have seen, I like the concept. I even put my name on the list to reserve one for me.
Thanks,
John

 

From the information that i have gathered on this new truck

750 hp
0-60 in 3 seconds (like that matters in a pick up)
400 mile range
180 kwh
can tow around 5.5 tons
has air suspension and raises 3"

 

Just saw the video from today on YouTube. Nice design, but $69k puts it well above range for any great Taco. Plus new startups make nervous.

 

I think they said 13 inches of clearance versus Tacoma at 8-9.. badass truck tho.. the electric might raise an issure trying to do a day of offloading. Also not sure how well an electric truck would do going in deep puddles

 

Saw this quick review of it.
https://expeditionportal.com/rivians-electric-adventure-vehicles-are-here-and-theyre-awesome/

 

Pre-ordered one too. Looking forward to seeing progress and more info. I may drive up to Plymouth, MI to check out the HQ. Although when I emailed them, they said the prototype was not available viewing "at this time".

 

Unless they have billions to burn, being a startup in the auto space is a pretty large uphill battle. It'd be pretty risky to get one right off the bat. I'd probably wait and see if they are profitable and see what their V.2 upgrades are and then i might be intrigued.

 

I did research on the company and the players involved. Rivian has been under the radar for NINE years. They have some major players connected to them. They have already bought Mitusbishi's old manufacturing plant in IL or IN. The plant is currently being set up for production with actual employees manning the plant. They've received millions in tax incentives from that state as well. They refrained from making big PR splashes until they completed their battery architecture and working prototypes were built. They have had test mule units (fitted with F150 bodies) running around for some time. I think Rivian is doing this the right way.

I definitely agree that they have huge hurdles to overcome and any vehicle that rolls off that plant floor is going to have lots of issues. But this start up seems to have its ducks in a row and this is a vehicle/platform that I want. I'd be willing to accept these imperfections and I'm going in understanding this. A midsize (useable) pickup truck with 400 miles of range is going to turn the auto industry on its ear. Think about the number of pickup trucks sold in the US (alone) - it's got to be over three million unit/year. There is a huge market for this thing.

That's the way I see it. I hope it works out.

 

I'd wheel it

 

You're right, 69k does make me pause - but just for a second. The federal tax credit is still in effect for this, so that's $7,500, making it $61,500.

Then I considered the vehicles I've bought recently, and the vehicles that are next on my radar. Yes, this Rivian will be somewhat more expensive than the 2020 or 2021 Wrangler Rubicon JLU I was aiming for, (just did a build & price on the website = approx $55k for a 2019). So it's really not that far away. And when considering the features and autonomy they they are planning for the R1T, not to mention how inexpensive it is to operate an electric vehicle - this will definitely be an option for the demographic they are targeting.

Also, next time you are sitting in traffic, look around at all the $60 - $70,000 trucks and SUVs around you - they are everywhere.

Full disclosure, I am a previous Nissan LEAF owner (leasee). My wife and I had a LEAF for a two year lease. In 24 months we put 21,000 miles on it. It was the coolest, simplest, best car we have ever owned. My wife generally used it for commuting 32 miles round trip for work/day care/errands. Whenever we ran out to the store, movies, whatever - we took the LEAF. When we drove to Florida, we took the Flex.

I'm located in Cleveland, which is not a big EV market - to say the least. I was continually answering so many questions about the car and EVs in general. "Can you drive it in the rain?" I felt like Jeff Foxworthy - here's your "stupid" sign. Everything is sealed, the batteries, the drivetrain, the high voltage system. All sealed, just like your car motor and transmission, so if Rivian says it can ford 36 inches of water, I'm guessing it is capable of doing it.

Range anxiety? It had a 110+ miles (city) range. Six out of seven days a week we drove less than 50 miles. No anxiety there, we plugged it in by 10pm and it was full charged by 7am (110 volt slow charge). One day a week we'd put 85-90 miles on it, and we'd generally get home with 10-20 miles of range left. It wasn't a big deal, after doing once or twice, getting the DTE gauge that low, you'd just know what it was capable of and know that it would make it. Even with the batteries depleted that low, it would still be fully charged by morning.

And that was another question, how long does it take to charge? My answer: "5 seconds." We'd pull into the garage and plug it in. In the morning my wife would unplug it before leaving for work, it took five seconds - total. It was always completely charged. Pretty dang simple. Funny side note, (we replaced the LEAF with a Ford Fusion lease), the first time my wife had to fill up with gasoline (after two years) it was a super cold, rainy and windy November day. She called me to remark how crappy it was to stand there in the rain and pump gas. And she had never even considered it before.

I'm not a tree huger by any means - I leased the LEAF because Nissan was discounting the hell out of it at the time ($149 month with $999 down). Since I had that LEAF I've owned an F150, a Taco and now a Wrangler - pretty much the opposites of an EV. But again, that little car was the most pleasurable, mindless, easy to live with vehicle I've ever had. If Rivian can come anywhere near that satisfaction level, with a 700hp 4x4 crew cab pick up truck that can tow more than my EcoBoost F150 did, I'm onboard.

 

Truck looks stupid. Like they've tried to create the truck of the future!!!!!

That said, the specs look nice.

 

Don't know if you noticed, but you posted this in the product review section of TW. As far as I can tell, YOU did not drive the Rivian. You do not own a Rivian. None of your relatives own one either. The tag line at the top of the discussion says plainly:

Product Reviews
Reviews of automotive products by members of the site

What is a product review? Typically it is a discussion of a manufactured "thing" available for consumer purchase. This review will point out the pros and cons of a given product or service, helping TW readers determine whether or not it's the right one for them prior to purchase. A good product review is based on research and knowledge of a product, and a balanced assessment of its benefits and flaws.

Let's keep speculation or hype confined to other areas. When you personally rent/lease/buy/borrow a Rivian, that would be a good time to review it.

Thanks for your assistance!

 

Thank you for your input great points you made here.

 

thank you for your imput

 

which category would be the best for this thread then?

 

Just fyi, lookup but federal tax credit is over tesla no longer gets kick back ether.

 

becoming a sad reality to pay a monthly/yearly subscription to use your vehicle? to those who dont know how this work, check out tesla setup and see if you would like this type of arrangement with car dealer that dictates your mods/usage and software maintenance. plenty of videos on youtube showing how this goes bad with tesla including remote deactivation of your car and so on. noway i want that in my vehicle.

 

Electric = mass torque