Electric vehicle brand Rivian is giving its truck buyers a second powertrain choice and Newsweek's Autos team was one of the first publications allowed behind the wheel.
The Rivian R1T electric pickup truck premiered with a four-motor setup (one for each wheel). The new R1T Dual-Motor and R1T Dual-Motor Performance models will offer more range and almost the same amount of power.
Those powertrains will also be the basis for Rivian's next set of products under the R2 name.
"The dual motor really represents an important step for us because it's where we fully integrate every aspect of driving. With the quad motor setup we built the power electronics, the invertor, as well as the gearbox and the full assembly, but we purchased a rotor and stator," Tim Fallon, VP of Manufacturing Operations at Rivian told Newsweek.
"But with enduro, it's a single driving unit per axle. And this represents an opportunity for us to not only remove a lot of cost, but importantly, still deliver a lot of performance and efficiency."
The Rivian R1T, on sale since September of 2021, is smaller than full-size trucks like the electric Ford F-150 Lightning and forthcoming Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV. Still, those looking at the Rivian, base price of $73,000, will certainly be cross shopping the $50,000 Ford option. If they're purchasing the R1T as a lifestyle vehicle they could also be looking at the more expensive GMC Hummer EV ($108,700).
The new Dual-Motor drivetrain will be built at Rivian's Normal Plant in Illinois (formerly a Mitsubishi plant), which was purchased in 2017 for $16.5 million. It now employs 7,000 people working on its truck, R1S SUV and electric delivery van.
The Dual-Motor R1T is being built in a 620,000 square-foot expansion space. Rivian says it can now produce 150,000 vehicles annually, the same as the new Lotus assembly plant in Wuhan, China.
The Normal Plant's solar charging yard delivers 738 kilowatts (kw) and a new wind turbine adds 2.8 megawatts meaning every Dual-Motor (and Quad-Motor) truck will leave the factory with a battery full of clean energy.
The Rivian Dual-Motor R1T (starting at $73,000) will offer three sizes for battery pack including Standard (270-mile range), Large (352-mile range) and Max (410-mile range).
Those mileages very slightly depending on tire choice and the Standard battery is not available in the Performance model.
The R1T can charge at speeds of up to 200 kilowatts and can regain up to 140 miles of range in 20 minutes on a DC fast charger. A Level 2 home charger adds about 25 miles per charging hour.
"The most significant piece is that we have a dynamic disconnect in the drive unit. What that allows us to do is to run in a more efficient single-axle driving mode. So, when you're on the highway or when you're cruising at 40 miles an hour (mph), the rear unit actually shuts off. It does it dynamically which is different than what we have in our Quad Motor where you select the Conserve drive mode to engage single axle cruising," said Fallon.
The R1T Dual-Motor delivers a total of 533 horsepower (hp) and 610 pound-feet (lb-ft) of torque. The Dual-Motor Performance bumps that up to 665 hp and 829 lb-ft and drops the zero-to-sixty time from 4.5 seconds to 3.5. Those numbers are only slightly lower than the Quad-Motor version, but with more efficiency.
Currently, Rivian is not offering a software upgrade to the Performance model ($84,000), but has not ruled out the possibility.
Newsweek got behind the wheel of the truck on the test track behind Rivian's Illinois hub. There are a few routes on the property including a paved loop and an off-road loop, both of which were made for testing the drivability of the R1T and R1S.
The R1T Dual Motor Performance, both from a standstill and from a rolling start felt only marginally faster than the Quad-Motor version, which was also on hand to test. Around that paved oval at 40 mph and in single-motor drive, standing on the accelerator caused the R1T to hiccup for a fraction of a second before the rear motor kicked in and carried it away in a woosh.
The Quad-Motor does basically the same thing but without that split-second hiccup. Speeds didn't get fast enough on the test track to test the Dual-Motor Performance R1T dynamically, but it does have the same weight distribution as the quicker variant, meaning it stays level even around corners.
On the off-road course the R1T Dual-Motor Performance was set in the All-Terrain driving mode, which raises the ride height (it has a low of 7.9 inches and a high of 14.4 inches) and prepares the traction control for dirt. It also has Snow, Tow, All-Purpose and Sport modes. The Dual-Motor comes with the same except for the lack of Sport mode.
In that All-Terrain mode the R1T easily cleared some concrete tubes buried in the dirt at different angles. It showed off its comfort with articulation, when the truck was twisted by wavy terrain and was nearly unstoppable on the 25-foot rock climb.
The hill was composed of sharp broken concrete and foot-tall boulders. The Dual-Motor Rivian clawed up the broken surface easily. It pauses periodically to figure out which tires to send power to, but as long as the driver slowly adds accelerator pressure the truck will climb as long as the grip on its tires allow.
The Quad-Motor version is impervious to terrain, ripping over obstacles with a bit of tire spin but no brake sound. The Dual-Motor R1T varies rear torque through the brakes; the Quad-Motor controls each wheel independently.
The cabin of the Dual-Motor R1T is identical to the Quad-Motor meaning two main screens including a 12-inch driver cluster and a 15-inch main infotainment display (with navigation, climate and comfort settings). The leather steering wheel features redundant buttons and the digital cluster shows cars and people on the road around the driver like a radar.
The dashboard has wood accents with vegan seats and floor mats than can be hosed off. It has a ton of USB-C ports and 12-volt chargers, to go along with a few 110-volt outlets. Alexa and Spotify are standard. Every Rivian comes with a Wi-Fi hotspot, and a Camp Speaker that can be removed from the system and used via Bluetooth.
The Ford F-150 Lighting offers more utility than the more expensive Rivian, but the R1T offers more power and a modern, chic look. It's also a little smaller so it will fit on narrower trails and the range is better, at least in some variants.
Among the intangibles is this: there's prestige (some might call it 'stigma') that's attached to owning a vehicle from a new-to-the-game automaker.
More options for buyers, and new product offerings, will help make Rivian increasingly competitive and worthy of new car shopper interest.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jake Lingeman is the Managing Editor for the Autos team at Newsweek. He has previously worked for Autoweek, The Detroit ... Read more
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