Rivian is now the proud purveyor of the longest-range electric pickup truck with the Rivian R1T with Max Pack that can go 410 miles on a single charge. It beats the Ford F-150 Lightning Extended-Range by 90 miles and almost every other EV save the Tesla Model S Long Range (405 miles) and the Lucid Air Grand Touring XR that covers 516 miles between recharges.
It should hold that truck title at least until the Chevrolet Silverado EV debuts. The GM pickup is estimated to have a driving range of 450 miles with a 200-kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery capacity. The Rivian Max Pack is now just 149-kWh (down from the originally planned 180-kWh), hitting that range estimate with redesigned batteries a new management system that increases usable energy.
While deliveries of the R1T with the Max Pack battery option are happening now, the Normal, Illinois-based company is now allowing customers to configure its R1S SUV with the Max battery. The company says that dual-motor, all-wheel drive combination will net drivers 400 miles on a charge with the same battery pack as the truck.
The new dual-motor powertrain, which was tested earlier this year at the Rivian plant in Normal, is built in-house by the company. The setup delivers a total of 533 horsepower (hp) and 610 pound-feet (lb-ft) of torque. The Dual-Motor Performance model increases that to 665 hp and 829 lb-ft.
"The dual-motor arrangement is significant as Rivian expects it will help reduce production costs and complexity, compared with the quad-motor setup. Bringing production of the dual-motor in-house also gives Rivian a bit more control over its own destiny, in terms of having sufficient supply," Stephanie Brinley, associate director of research and analysis at S&P Global told Newsweek.
Rivian, since it began production in the third quarter of 2021 has made about 49,000 electric trucks and SUVs and delivered about 42,000 as of July. In this year up to July it produced over 23,000 electric vehicles and delivered more than 20,000. Those numbers are more than three times higher than a year ago.
The least expensive way to get a Rivian R1T with the Max Pack is the standard Dual-Motor all-wheel drive (AWD) setup starting at $89,000. The Dual-Motor Performance Max Pack starts at $94,000 before any state or federal tax credits. The R1S SUV is a little more expensive but with the same powertrain options. The prices are $94,000 and $99,000 respectively.
The R1T is smaller than full-size trucks like the electric Ford F-150 Lightning, the least expensive of which is the Pro model starting at $49,995, and forthcoming Chevrolet Silverado EV (est. at $52,000) and GMC Sierra EV. For some buyers that will be a feature, others a detriment.
"Offering, essentially, small, medium and large battery packs can help consumers find the spot that fits best with their needs, not unlike in a traditional ICE vehicle when a buyer chooses between four-, six- and eight-cylinder engines. More range and power costs more money," said Brinley.
Uncommon Knowledge
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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
