Meet the Rivian R1T electric adventure truck. Rivian is a startup company that began in 2009. However, they did a good job of staying under the radar in the automotive industry until recently. A video of their upcoming pickup truck the R1T made it onto YouTube. Shortly thereafter, a debut at the L.A. Auto Show. Rivian has since released a new video of the truck. The specs are fairly impressive, at least by today’s standards. At the top end with a 180kWh battery option, the truck is expected to have a range of over 400 miles per charge. The base model, with a 105kWh battery pack will have a range of over 250 miles. Even the smallest battery is larger than any other EV on the market today. Of course, the 2020 Tesla Roadster is expected to have a 200kWh battery.
The Rivian R1T comes with a few unique features. This includes the tunnel cargo area which runs the full width of the vehicle and can be accessed from both sides. It also has a fold down tailgate, LED lighting in the interior bed sides, and 110 power outlets.
Rivian R1T Truck Price
According to their website, the Rivian R1T Truck will have a starting price of $61,500. This is after the federal tax rebate here in the US. If you are in the US, depending on where you live, you may also be able to qualify for state electric vehicle incentives as well.
A $1,000 deposit can get you a pre-order on the R1T which is expected to begin production in early 2020. www.rivian.com
Other Competition
There will be additional competition coming for Rivian as well in the truck and SUV realm of electrification. The question is which ones will make it to market. Bollinger has a truck and SUV they’ve been working on. Tesla is also designing a pickup. Will legacy manufacturers start jumping onto the electric pickup truck bandwagon? It’s not easy to start a new car company, time will tell how many of these startups can head into production.
Charging Infrastructure
Will Rivian offer their own charging network? They may have to rely on third party companies such as EVGo, Blink, and Chargepoint.