Rivian Automotive electric truck and SUV

[ponyo]

http://products.rivian.com/

I see this company as the true competitor and rival to Tesla. They just revealed Rivian R1T truck and Rivian R1S SUV after being in stealth mode since 2009. They're USA company and will manufacture the vehicles here in the US in Normal, IL. Both the truck and the SUV have awesome specs like 400+ range for the top model and 0-60 mph in 3 seconds. It has quad-motor AWD system with electric motor at each wheel. It can fast charge at 160 kW for about range of 200 miles in 20 minutes. And it's supposed to have Level 3 autonomous driving for highways using combination of camera, lidar, radar, ultrasonic and a high precision GPS coupled with maps. Price starts at $68,000 for the truck and $72,500 for the SUV. But that price is likely for the base 250+ mile range model. 300+ mile and 400+ mile range vehicles will likely cost lot more.

The truck and the SUV are slated for release in late 2020. I don't expect Tesla to sit still. I expect Tesla to reveal their electric truck soon and we'll probably see some type of Model X refresh by then as well. And we should see model Y reveal in March 2019. Competition is good. I don't see legacy automakers challenging Tesla. It will be new breed of auto companies such as Rivian pushing Tesla.

 

[paperfist]

That is the truck of my dreams!



Tesla is working on a truck?

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Curious to hear how that shapes up. Physics wise big heavy motors in the wheels means a long of unsprung weight. Curious to see how they deal with that.

 

[heymrdj]

I’m curious how they’ll handle the luxobarge market. A decent sized population in that large luxury V8 truck and SUV market tow sizable boats and campers. Tesla still can’t keep their cars from overheating within a few laps of track use, pulling 9,000lbs up the Ike Gauntlet with a heavy truck frame is even worse than that.

 

[ponyo]

That is the truck of my dreams!

View attachment 1020

Tesla is working on a truck?

I like the design of R1T and think it looks great! It's not a work truck but could be great lifestyle truck for urban dweller.

Yes, Musk and Tesla is working on a truck. He says it's the product he's most excited about and plans to speed up the development ahead of the Tesla semi. Musk claims it will have very futuristic cyberpunk Blade Runner design.
https://electrek.co/2018/11/02/tesl...stic-cyberpunk-blade-runner-design-elon-musk/

 

[Rifter]

Ill care when i see what happens to the range while towing 10k.

 

[soulcougher73]

Those headlights are hideous. Right up there with the brackets the F-250's have.

 

[RearAdmiral]

I see they partnered with Dyson for their headlight / air scoop looking thing.

 

[K1052]

Ill care when i see what happens to the range while towing 10k.

Most of the people I know with trucks have never hauled anything bigger/heavier than a jumbo sized package of paper towels from Costco. This is for such people, especially higher up the income scale.

 

[bigi]

http://products.rivian.com/

I see this company as the true competitor and rival to Tesla. ...

The truck and the SUV are slated for release in late 2020. I don't expect Tesla to sit still. I expect Tesla to reveal their electric truck soon and we'll probably see some type of Model X refresh by then as well. And we should see model Y reveal in March 2019. Competition is good. I don't see legacy automakers challenging Tesla. It will be new breed of auto companies such as Rivian pushing Tesla.

I have to disagree. They should not and are not a rival to Tesla. Those are supposed to rival 70K gasoline pickup trucks and Range Rover like vehicles.

 

[herm0016]

the headlights are very odd. Overall I like it. I would be interested in the SUV if the price turns out close to a suburban/expedition and it will hold 2 car seats and our 3 large dogs, would make it from our house to various ski areas and back on a single charge and included All wheel drive.

 

[kn51]

Ill care when i see what happens to the range while towing 10k.

Oh it can, for about 10 miles.

 

[tweakmonkey]

Yeah, I'm sure it's only 10...

 

[jlee]

Oh it can, for about 10 miles.

The Tesla semi is supposed to have a 500mi loaded range and a 620mi unloaded range.

 

[heymrdj]

The Tesla semi is supposed to have a 500mi loaded range and a 620mi unloaded range.

While the diesel engine and transmission will weigh a lot more than the electric motors used on the Tesla semi, it’s important to remember that Elon has been uncomfortably quiet on the battery situation, and more importantly, the curb weight. He will not answer this question at this time, which I truly believe means he knows it’s a big problem. With currently known Tesla tech, the required battery pack will weigh between 10-12,000 pounds. That is a completely unacceptable curb weight disadvantage in the class 8 industry. If this pickup were to get any decent mileage towing, it too would have problems remaining in class. For many states, the difference between 9000 and 10000 pound registered GVWR is several hundred to even over a thousand extra every year, not to mention that it may require classification as a commercial vehicle in terms of parking and insurance.

This truck will be a show truck in it’s class, pure and simple. The technology doesn’t exist for it to have any work performance close to an ICE powered vehicle in the same class. In Class 1 dress it should be able to tow 8,000lbs 250 miles without stopping, including any heating required in winter. In class 2 and 3, that increases to 10,000 and 14,000 pounds, at least 350 miles.

 

[killster1]

it only looks like a truck in shape, i dont think it will tow or be able to haul much in the back, but i guess lots of people just get them for the looks. to me it looks pathetic, are those headlights or your charge ports in the front.

 

[Sgt. York]

Looks like they doubled the Edsel front end.

 

[Greenman]

That is the truck of my dreams!

View attachment 1020

Tesla is working on a truck?

It's depressing to see yet another new pickup that would have no more utility to me than a Toyota Camry. Such a waste.

 

[paperfist]

It's depressing to see yet another new pickup that would have no more utility to me than a Toyota Camry. Such a waste.

Lol

That’s why I’ve been shopping for a 1950s pickup.

Seriously though, this thing has motors on all 4 wheels. It’s got to be able to move some weight around. Would be awesome in the NE with all the snow we get to be able to control torque to each wheel.

 

[tweakmonkey]

It's depressing to see yet another new pickup that would have no more utility to me than a Toyota Camry. Such a waste.

Camry can tow 11,000 pounds?

I'm sure like most trucks, many people will be using this to simply drive 3 miles to the grocery store anyway.

 

[Greenman]

Camry can tow 11,000 pounds?

I'm sure like most trucks, many people will be using this to simply drive 3 miles to the grocery store anyway.

That's what they're used for these days. 4 doors, bed so short as to be nearly useless, huge body that's to high to have any utility, car tires so they ride nice.
For me, an entirely useless vehicle. I need and use a pickup, not an SUV with an extra half acre of sheet metal to make it look like a battleship.

I see guys with these things in the lumber yard every time I'm there. They're always trying to load material that the truck simply wasn't designed to haul. Even the ones with racks have a lot of trouble with long material because the part of the racks that are anchored to the bed is smaller than the amount hanging over the cab.

 

[tweakmonkey]

Oh, you want a real truck. This definitely looks more like a suburban daily duty vehicle and not a work horse. I'm waiting for small box trucks or vans like the Ford Transit Connect.

 

[jlee]

While the diesel engine and transmission will weigh a lot more than the electric motors used on the Tesla semi, it’s important to remember that Elon has been uncomfortably quiet on the battery situation, and more importantly, the curb weight. He will not answer this question at this time, which I truly believe means he knows it’s a big problem. With currently known Tesla tech, the required battery pack will weigh between 10-12,000 pounds. That is a completely unacceptable curb weight disadvantage in the class 8 industry. If this pickup were to get any decent mileage towing, it too would have problems remaining in class. For many states, the difference between 9000 and 10000 pound registered GVWR is several hundred to even over a thousand extra every year, not to mention that it may require classification as a commercial vehicle in terms of parking and insurance.

This truck will be a show truck in it’s class, pure and simple. The technology doesn’t exist for it to have any work performance close to an ICE powered vehicle in the same class. In Class 1 dress it should be able to tow 8,000lbs 250 miles without stopping, including any heating required in winter. In class 2 and 3, that increases to 10,000 and 14,000 pounds, at least 350 miles.

You're creating an arbitrary "should" based on existing ICE technology. Given that, any EV "should" have a 300+ mile range, yet somehow the Leaf and Bolt still sell.

 

[heymrdj]

You're creating an arbitrary "should" based on existing ICE technology. Given that, any EV "should" have a 300+ mile range, yet somehow the Leaf and Bolt still sell.

I’m creating an “arbitrary” should based on what the vehicles can be used for. Leaf and Bolt are commuters, something most people don’t need the full capabilities of. Trucks are often a different story (like the existence of 4x2 6” lift 35” tire pavement princesses). I don’t see too many strictly luxury trucks running around that never had a hitch in them that don’t have a lift or tires, or gears, or straight pipes, or any of the other items that make them bad for work. Modifications that you can’t do to a computer heavy EV (so far). The crowds by those trucks for the sound and power of the V8 and the need to have its size compensate for the lack of confidence. We’ll see what happens of course, but you ignored the entire rest of the post just to attempt to point that out so I’m just going to go on that you don’t really understand that market at all.

 

[K1052]

Corporate fleets who's performance envelopes the Tesla semi meets will be the buyers. They know their loads, routes, and costs to infinitesimal detail. Certainly any purchases they've done are contingent on specifications and performance being satisfied. If you're hauling a bunch of partially filled cardboard boxes like FedEx or UPS on set routes then the extra up front expense and acceptable limitations are probably going to be worth it if operating costs are lower and you convert a highly variable cost into a permanently low fixed one (fuel).

There is going to be a huge market for Tesla's semi if they can produce it as promised. It won't be the whole tractor market by any means though.