Tacoma Vs. Rivian

Let's not forget 20 years ago this was the pinnacle of phone technology:



In that time this company rose to the top and then absolutely crumbled. Surpassed by many other companies. Tesla and Rivian may very well be Blackberrys with the EV equivalent of a smartphone yet to even be realized.

 

Efficiency plays a big part of that as well. Lets not forget that Tesla has had quite a while to improve efficiency and works very aggressively towards improvements. They are not dumb, they recognize that a more efficient vehicle needs a smaller (and hence cheaper) battery. Ford and Rivian a really playing catch-up to Teslas head start, but no reason others can't get there.

For discussion (lower is better)
Rivian R1T = 48 KWh/100mi
Rivian R1S - 49 KWh/100mi
Model 3 = 24-30 KWh/100mi
Model Y = ~28 KWh/100mi
Model X (SUV) = 33-37 KWh/100mi
Lightning = 48-51 KWh/100mi
Mach-E = 33-40 KWh/100mi
Hummer = Dismal....Looks like it is maybe 30% or more WORSE than the Lightning

Although hard to compare considering the very different styles I think its safe to say that Tesla has much better efficiency numbers. If I had to guess the Tesla Cybertruck will be in the low to mid 40's. And no surprise Rivian is tailing, they are brand new.

 

Tesla is 5th highest earning carmaker in the world. Rivian 59th. Tesla is here to stay, Rivian needs a boost.

 

BlackBerry once held over 50% of all smartphone sales. Current success doesn't ensure future success.

I agree that Tesla is likely to stick around but that doesn't always mean it will be an industry leader. Even if they are its silly that people are still assuming that we won't see great advancements in EVs in the next few years. Whether that's Tesla, Rivian, or anyone else.

 

I’m currently shopping for a low spec taco for my wife’s cousin, and trying to figure out what is on the base models. It seems like Toyota upped the spec over time, like dual zone climate is all across the board now, hard to keep track

 

It’s not so much that Tesla has a battery/motor efficiency advantage it’s the aerodynamics factor. A Model 3 has a drag coefficient of .23 compared to a R1T at .3. A truck by design just can’t compete with a sedan for efficiency and still retain the features that make it useful as a truck.

 

Sure, but even for similar sized cars/SUVs Tesla has significantly better efficiency.

 

Aerodynamics again play a huge role. Model X is a .24 cd, Model Y is a .23.

I’m not saying it isn’t highly probable that Tesla has more efficient motors and battery management but it simply just takes less energy to move their vehicles in the first place.

 

Even gas truck owners know that they are just rolling bricks. This will be the same for EV trucks thought the Cyber Truck isn't pretty it may be the most aerodynamically efficient pickup ever designed.

 

https://electrek.co/2022/07/26/tesl...surprises-aerodynamic-performance-simulation/

 

I'm not saying aerodynamics doesn't have a major impact, it does, and it is one of the areas of efficiency. But you also have to look at things like the heat pump instead of resistance heating as contributing to overall efficiency too.

 

I think I read somewhere Tesla is going 100% heat pump on all models this year or next. I forget. Lucid is switching to all heat pumps also.

 

It’s a potential new market for Tesla: https://electrek.co/2022/07/19/tesla-smart-hvac-system-homes/

 

Fine, Elon just needs to stay clear of Twitter and politics..lol

 

https://www.ctvnews.ca/autos/scratc...urer-may-have-to-junk-the-whole-car-1.6320744
Is this something Rivian owners who off road their trucks need to be concerned about? I've banged my undercarriage even lightly off road. Is the battery protected somehow or is the undercarriage the battery? Not ragging on EVs just curious.

 

I don’t know about Tesla with their new structural battery pack design but with the Rivian the battery is pretty well protected. Rivians also have substantially more ground clearance than most ICE vehicles when in off-road mode which helps limit contact with the ground. There is an optional full body steel under shield available as well for those who think they will off-road rough enough to need it.

 

It would be something that concerns me, although I don't know the likelihood.

There have been some publicized instances where Teslas were damaged and Tesla itself stated the whole battery needed to be replaced just from minor damage. In a few instances other shops repaired the pack but it's a bad situation .

I'm a big fan of Tesla but this, and their lack of independent dealers, is a huge detriment. The new structural packs are much much worse, and not just for repair, recycling is going to be that much harder. There are companies repairing Tesla batteries now but he ability to do so is getting way harder.

Battery pack protection, and also good insurance, are something I would certainly be evaluating

 

A new experience today - Rivian’s servers shit the bed in some way that made the phone app log everyone out and not be able to sign back in. Not a huge deal except the when you log into the app it stores an authentication token to let the phone function as a key for the vehicle. Basically if you didn’t have another key handy you were kinda screwed for about 8-9 hours while they sorted things out.

 

I saw something about that earlier today but didn’t realize that it was an all day thing. I just read a couple days ago that they got rid of the Meridian Elevation audio system in favor of their lighter (aka smaller magnet) OEM system.

 

Better get your preorders in now, ONLY 300 will be built!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2560286211...6Gh82z1Tl2&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

I’m guessing maybe 1 of those 300 will also be sold…