Electric Tacoma coming

There's a show called Long Way Up on Apple TV and they hit plenty of washboards and they didn't show any issues.These vehicles have been testing for years and these issues have been thought of and conquered I would believe. The motors have a high IP rating for submersion and RIVIAN also shows off the trucks doing water crossings.

 

Bollinger too I think

 

And yet tank turrets have used them. Electric motors have continued to improve over the decades to the point they are replacing hydraulic systems in aviation. We’re not using Great Grandma’s blender anymore.
https://insights.globalspec.com/article/11984/electric-vs-hydraulic-the-differences-are-huge
It’s not just the batteries that will keep getting better. The motors they power will keep getting lighter and more efficient, and that will also lead to increased range.

 

All brushless and some new motors coming won't require rare earth magnets.

 

While mounting electric motors directly on wheels has some advantages such as eliminating cv joints and shafts it greatly increases unsprung weight. Reducing unsprung weight by using lightweight rims and tires generally improves ride and stability over rough terrain at moderate to high speeds. Not talking about Baja racing, just some turn on a pothole riddled dirt road. I'm sure if two identical vehicles were compared using one with motors mounted directly on wheels and the other with motors connected via driveshafts there would be a significant difference in driving dynamics. There may be much lighter motors developed in the future but currently a 75+ HP motor is still quite heavy to be bolted to a drive wheel.

 

They have tested on washboards extensively. Roads with potholes etc. I'm sure they conquered the unsprung weight issue. Not doing so wouldn't be good safety wise. Here's a link to possibly address some questions.

https://stories.rivian.com/postcard-from-south-america

 

And here's a video showing how they went over 90 miles of washboards. Watch from the beginning to see how these prototypes were abused. They seem to know what they're doing and how to deal with unsprung weight

https://youtu.be/ggu11EJo4L8?t=144

 

And here's a pic of the active suspension hydraulic tower. This ain't no Fox Shock setup.

 

If you watch this the motors are mounted inboard and drive wheels via shafts. Rivian R1T Electric Truck Development and Features - YouTube

 

Cool. Seems they need to clarify their website. Or matter of perception? They state motors at each wheel. The never said inboard motors...lol

 

Does Rivian have some rustbelt slushy and salty road winter testing results I can see?

 

I have no clue. Someone else may know or you can search their site or YT channel. But they did do extensive winter testing.

 

It's nice to see that Ford is dunking all over Tesla and their Cyber door stop

 

All true but what if the motor replaces the hub/rotor/caliper instead of being an add-on. This won’t be a first or second gen innovation since it takes time to fully engineer but at some point it seems likely.

 

Ford’s in the game

https://electrek.co/2021/05/19/ford...40k-w-300-mile-range-and-can-power-your-home/

https://jalopnik.com/ford-f-150-lightning-starts-under-40k-with-563-hp-and-1846930971

Independent rear suspension on a full size is interesting. They obviously think the people buying this don’t care about towing since it’ll kill the range anyway, and I think they’re right.

and starting at ~$33k is a screaming deal

 

You never know, but you would still brakes!

 

Read the news about the Ford Lightning. Wickedly powerful and good range, however they estimate 40 min. to charge up battery 65%. That could get old real quick on a long trip! They will be offering a poor mans hybrid version in the form of a removable bed mounted generator disguised as a tool box. I'm holding out for the Tacoma H or Prime!

 

I've got nothing against the coming electrics, except range. But, have we already forgotten Huston this winter, just with people turning on their heat on at the same time, the grid flat failed, now imagine people charging their electrics cars EVERY night ay once, yeah we're no where near ready for electrics.

 

Commercial version starts at under 40k and standard version of the XLT and Lariat have only a 230 mile battery and $7-$10k estimate extra for the 300 mile range battery. The platinum shown in the video has the 300 mile battery but is $90k dollars. RIVIAN has 300 miles on all versions, 4 motors not 2 and higher towing capacity on all versions. their highest price even with off road armor is $75k.

 

That can happen even in the future. People need to keep their vehicles charged. Just like keeping gas in the car in case of a pipeline outage.