The Rivian R1T Pick-up Is Your Passport to an Electric Adventure

This is the discussion thread for a recent post on GTPlanet:

This article was published by Joe Donaldson (@Joey D) on November 27th, 2018 in the Automotive News category.

 

The Rivian's specs are mighty impressive. Hopefully this thing can actually make it to market.

 

I just dont get this whole crazy futuristic look thing going on at the moment, why cant electric cars just look normal?

 

Because electric cars don’t need a grill, they don’t need a large engine in the traditional engine bay, they have to be much more aerodynamic.
Also, many electric cars look quite normal imo. Like the Tesla model S, e-golf, new Leaf, Mercedes B class electric, Ford Focus Electric, Opel Ampera-E, Audi E-Tron.

 

That thing is mighty impressive.

 

I would drive this and I’m more of a SUV type of guy if we’re not talking cars. The interior is great. Very promising.

 

I can't think of any futuristic-style car currently on the market aside from the i3 & i8. The rest are just prototypes or concepts, like this one. And frankly, the style of this ute/truck is a welcome departure from the norm. The styling of an average modern day car is pretty dull, lets be honest.

I wish Rivian well. This thing looks awesome.

 

Somewhere at a red light:

Rivia R1T owner to Ferrari owner: "wanna race"
Ferrari owner to Rivia R1T owner: "sure "

Green light:

Rivia R1T owner: "yeeehaaa, that's what I'm talking about"!
Ferrari owner: "

 

What a shame it's so incredibly ugly - the front looks like a concept from the 1950's - and I don't mean that in a good way!

 

Meh.

If I had $60-90k to spend and needed a truck, there are better options.

 

They’re supposed to be showing an SUV version of this (R1S) along with the pickup.

I see zero reason for there to a truck to have 700hp when it has no effect on payload or towing. The 400hp version (which is already more than enough for a truck) has exactly the same stats, and they could easily combine it with the bigger battery pack. This will be a fun, lifestyle vehicle anyway, no one will purchase it to do actual work beyond towing a boat or small RV trailer, since I imagine as soon as you attach a trailer to a hitch the range will be cut in half

 

Big horsepower numbers sell vehicles, especially with trucks since many buyers want something to brag about.

And yes, if you tow with it at the max 11,000 lbs the range does drop by about 50% to 200 miles.

 

Can’t wait to see the nordschleife lap time of the Tesla model 3 Performance.

 

What does this have to do with the Rivian?

 

I think an electric pickup is a great idea considering how well trucks sell. Range will be an issue for the few trucks that are actually used as trucks, hauling and towing etc. Charging this thing while towing trailers may be an issue - Tesla's Semi charger network is expected to be installed at truck stops but obviously doesn't exist yet. Not sure if there are any chargers designed in a way that a truck towing a trailer could use them. They will also stuggle to crack the overlanding market - it's considerably smaller than urban truck drivers, but the places where people like to go exploring tend to be far away from the types of places you'd find electric car chargers, even in the smaller cities they would start from. I think a solar panel option could help alleviate that so if people go hiking they can just let their truck charge all day in the sun.

 

The overlanding market in other countries is different than in the US. A vast majority of overlanders in the US just drive fire roads and camp out overnight. It's pretty rare to actually do a bit expedition of sorts like they do in Australia, Africa, and South America.

Even more people who overland in the US are what we affectionately call "mall squatters". It's like hard parking but for overlanders. It's people who buy a rig, bolt a ton of stuff to it, and then never both to use it. When I had my Tacoma, I used it to at least camp with and explore places, but I'll even admit I had some mall squatter stuff on there too that was pretty useless.

 

A trunk in the front... omg... biggest problem with pickup trucks is now solved.

I want one.

 

Im personally a big fan, but I can tell you right now that absolutely nobody in Texas would be caught dead in a truck that looks like that, no matter how good it is.

There’s already a massive stigma against people who own Honda Ridgelines. I can only imagine what it will be with this.

Before my comment is dismissed as a sweeping generalization, let me remind you that Texas likely makes up a large population of trucks sold in the world as it truly is part of the landscape out here.

There are Ford dealerships near farm towns which sell nothing but pickup trucks.

So, while it may be mighty impressive (and believe me, I think it would be a great vehicle, and an EV is a perfect setup for a truck that needs torque), I’m afraid that I have no idea who it’s supposed to be sold to. I’m sure somebody on here will enlighten me.

It just seems like when you’re releasing a vehicle with an unknown badge name, using a drivetrain that many are still skeptics of, and trying to take on a very specific market, you want the appeal to be as LARGE as possible.

And I think that it’s fururistic looks will alienate it from the massive crowd of “neo-cowboy truckers” (anybody who lives near this region will definitely know what I’m talking about) the same way that the much less controversial Ridgeline struggles to find any kind of market share in the biggest truck market in the US

 

It looks like a concept car from 2007. Tone down the front end a bit and it would look handsome, though, and the specs are impressive. I doubt they'll be selling it for the estimated price, but if they do it'll be quite an attractive package.

 

Looks cool, but i'd rather have a bollinger ^^

 

Why ? That monstrosity looks like someone tried to redesign a defender with an etch-o-scetch .

 

Here’s the R1S. This one will be the key. It’s supposed to be cheaper than an equivalent Model X, actually have off-road capability, and not look like a blobfish with silly doors.

 

That, and the Rivian has torque that would shame many diesels.

I've always thought the Model X looked like a fastback minivan. The R1S would probably be a legitimate Model X beater.

I suppose there is a novelty in a super quick pickup. I do suppose the 400 horsepower version (Which already claims performance that beats any other pickup on the road) would be the most sensible though, especially if you could combine it with the biggest battery.

 

Considering its electric I can see it taking advantage of instant torque on off road.

Bigger question here is how well the battery endure after being exposed to various conditions, especially water.

 

Apparently the truck will float when an internal combustion vehicle would just hydrolock. I don't know how much physical abuse the batteries would be able to take though.

 

Thats my point, its not impossible to make normal looking electric cars.

 

Mainly, people who buy trucks that don't need to do truck things. So really a vast majority of pickup buyers in America. I'm not sure how well they will receive it, but the market is there for Rivian to sell the R1T. It also makes sense as a fleet vehicle, especially with municipalities. I can see city governments picking these up for the run-of-the-mill city tasks that require a truck, but only ever need to drive it less than 100 miles a day.

Probably a ton of abuse. I have a friend who works with battery technology with cars and the testing they put these packs through is insane. They even have a team of people that sit around dreaming up incredibly unlikely scenarios that customers could potentially find themselves in so they can test the battery packs to make sure they survive. With proper cooling and shielding, they really are no more vulnerable than any other part of a vehicle.

 

Just saw the SUV version. Nice.

 

i just love how there's longitudinal trunk space on the whole lenght of the vehicle ;D

 

I think the "gear tunnel" is the coolest storage space on the truck. And few other trucks have a storage bin in the bed except for the Honda Ridgeline. Does the Ram still offer the Ram Boxes? And it looks like there's some pretty good space in the frunk too. Can't say that about... any other truck unless Tesla wants in on this.