Tacoma Vs. Rivian

Now you have me looking at Lightnings, would make a awesome bike hauler, has great in cab storage under the rear seats, no battery in the way like the Tundra, and that frunk would hold a couple gear bags or a cooler. Like how it opens low over the Rivian.

They just partnered with KTM for Junior Super Cross.
https://www.cyclenews.com/2024/01/a...orting-partner-of-2024-ktm-junior-supercross/

Maybe I should start looking at Stark Vargs as my next bike.






https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0Ey6DAsScd/?igsh=Y3p3bm9kaDdtbGl1

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3YNxdZNN-Y/?igsh=MWEwcDNhcWxxMTd1cQ==

 

The Stark seems like a pretty nice bike from the videos I’ve seen.

 

Real curious to see how it stacks up against the competition.

Probably not the best thing for doing what I do, back country trail riding, but should be awesome on closed tracks. One of the guys in the club had a chance to ride one, said it is fricken killer.

 

My lord....... regardless of performance the Rivian has got to be one of THE ugliest vehicles I have ever laid eyes on. Amazingly in every aspect too.

 

I like the “idea” of an EV truck. Price and too much compromise for traveling and camping is what keeps me out of one. Absolutely love my 3rd Gen Tacoma ACLB, but they killed it for ‘24 so the kinda ruined the platform for me. Has me looking elsewhere for the next truck.

Do like the looks of the Rivian, all of the other trucks on the market right now are trying way too hard to look tough, sure…the truck is a little out of proportion, the SUV has better lines. Sort reminds me of an International Travelall.

 

After seeing the R1S in person it is a beauty. The lights I got used to. Not a big deal to me.

 

We have a couple customers that have them, much better in person. One the few vehicles that makes me excited when I look at it. Way easier to get use those headlights than it is for me get over the Tundra styling. That grill is just too damn big. Larger than 3/4-1 tons if you ever saw them sitting beside each other.

4G Taco is growing on me, other than the dent by the fender/door interface, and odd angle on the rear bedside.

 

Looks like VW is still going to produce the Scout. I'm not sure why? I haven't looked at Wrangler sales lately, but I doubt if their numbers are great. I'm not seeing that many new Broncos on the road. I don't see offroad SUV being that in demand. BEV sales have fallen of the map, did EV even make up 30% of auto sales during their peak? Who is going to be the Scout's customer?

 

VW doing the Scout is just odd to me, the guys who were Scout fanatics were a handful at best when they originally sold. Most of those guys are probably dead by now. Not sure who their demographic is, or is it large enough to be profitable.

Couple people at work have Broncos, pretty much can’t swing a dead cat around without hitting one here, while I do like them, however the cargo area is sort of small, plus having the rear seat not fold flat is kinda a deal killer. Find it “ok” but not cool enough to do what I need it to do. Won’t spend my money on one.

Yeah EV sales are falling, initial high prices and a sporadic charging network, they aren’t ready for the masses yet. Asking people to change their habits how they refuel their vehicle over night is too much I think.

 

The charging times and range don't meet Americans' needs (currently). In Europe they travel shorter distances.

 

Yeah, EVs are great around town and short 1-2 hour trips. I don’t deal well with anxiety so I would definitely get Range Anxiety if I had one.

 

Depending on the EV they will get way more than 1-2 hours. Can go all day depending on speed.

 

It will get there, it will get there.

While traveling across states can be done, but has to be thought out. No more of winging it “I think we can make it” and if you do run out of gas no real issue someone bringing you a can to splash in the tank. That or carry Jerry cans with you, that I always do. Usually have 10-15 extra gallons on me since I tend to flip a coin at crossroads.

For me right now, an EV is nothing more than a commuter. If I am going to buy a sole run around town car, probably just get a cheap $20K something gasser hatchback. While if you could get a Ford Lightning for $40K, which I think is reasonable, still doesn’t solve any problems and actually creates a couple. Dirt bike and camping season is almost here, don’t really want to think too hard if I can charge or not during travel, while I know gas stations are plentiful.

 

The entire idea makes less sense today than it did in 2022.
https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1142332_vw-scout-ev-brand-us-plant-truck-nostalgia

 

Don’t get it. An EV microbus makes waaay more sense for VW than a Scout. Waaaay more diehard bus fans than Scout, fanatics have been screaming for a new bus for decades and VW has been teasing for almost as long. ‘24 supposedly we will see it, and they gave it a stupid name. Some of the shit they do (or don’t do is more like it) baffles me almost much some of the shit Toyota does (or doesn’t)

https://www.vw.com/en/models/id-buzz.html

 

Scout Motors breaks ground on US facility where it will build its all-electric off-road trucks

https://electrek.co/2024/02/15/scou...ility-build-all-electric-off-road-trucks-evs/

 

Just about every locomotive in service thinks using a combustion engine as a generator for electric propulsion makes sense.

One of GMs best selling cars from 2013-2019 used this same setup. I’ve had my Volt since 2017, close to 100k miles now and it’s fantastic. Zero range anxiety. A combustion engine is most efficient when running at a constant RPM. This hybrid drivetrain setup allows exactly that. Since Americans seem to be under the impression that their vehicle needs to be able to drive across the country non-stop every day while towing at max GVWR…. This setup allows that without worrying about charging but still allowing max efficiency compared to a traditional ICE.

 

Rivian will be long gone by 2025

 

Kinds hard to be long gone by 2025 when that’s only ten months away and Rivian has enough cash on hand to keep operating at current loss rates until 2026. Definitely not a rosy outlook given current economic conditions in the US but not the end of the company in a few months either.

 

Amazon owns too much of rivian for that to happen imo, but that’s just another reason to not get one