The R1T in the dunes of Glamis, California.
Emme Hall/Roadshow
Listen up, EV nerds. The Rivian configurator goes live on Nov. 16 — for those who preordered one of the R1T trucks or R1S SUVs, anyway. The rest of you will have to wait until Nov. 23. But in the meantime, Rivian announced a number of new details on Wednesday, including pricing and equipment for various trim packages.
Both vehicles will be offered with Adventure or Explore packages and come with Wi-Fi, over-the-air updates, vegan seats and a snazzy panoramic glass roof. Regardless of model, the Adventure package adds an onboard air compressor and sturdier underbody protection, as well as heated and cooled seats and what the company calls a Rivian Elevation 360 stereo system with a removable Bluetooth speaker. For the R1T truck, the Adventure package also adds a remote monitoring system and a power tonneau cover so your kit won’t get nicked while you’re out on a hike. Vehicles with the Adventure Package will be available in January 2022 and will have 300 miles of range. The R1T will be priced at $75,000 while the R1S will go for $77,500.
Here’s the Rivian R1T electric pickup truck in action off-road
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The Explore package is cool, but it doesn’t have as many features. The vegan seats are there but the cooling technology isn’t. There’s a surround-sound audio system but there isn’t a Bluetooth speaker. And with this package, the R1T will get a manual tonneau cover instead of a power one. However, the Explore package’s price is lower to account for this lack of kit. Explore-equipped Rivians will come online in January 2022 with 300 miles of range, with the R1T costing $67,500 and the R1S coming in at $70,000.
If you want a Rivian right away, you’ll have to snag one of the limited Launch Edition models. The R1T Launch Edition will be ready in June 2021 with the R1S following a few months later in August. The Launch Edition includes the Adventure package and 300 miles of range, and drivers will be able to add upgraded wheels and tires for free. It comes painted in a unique color called launch green and will of course have special badging. The Launch Edition doesn’t cost any more than the R1T or R1S with the Adventure package, but quantities are limited.
And what of the 400-mile battery pack that we’ve heard so much about? On the R1T it will be available in January 2022. The R1S will be available a little later, though Rivian hasn’t said exactly when that’ll be. Lower-priced, 250-mile R1T and R1S variants should be announced at the same time.
The R1S will have a boxy, utilitarian look.
Rivian
As for tech, Rivian says the Driver Plus hands-free assistance system will be standard on every vehicle. This geofenced system uses 12 ultrasonic sensors, 10 exterior cameras, five radars and high-precision GPS, allowing the vehicles to steer, change lanes and keep up with traffic on their own. But be aware: This is not a self-driving feature. Owners will have to pay attention at all times and there is an interior camera to monitor driver alertness.
For those worried about charging their Rivian, the company says it will soon launch the Rivian Adventure Network, with fast-charging stations throughout the US that can add 140 miles of range in just 20 minutes. However, no specific timeline is available for that rollout.
As the only journalist to actually drive a Rivian R1T (so far), I greet this bit of news with a smile. Even the preproduction truck I drove had plenty of range and the off-road chops to charge up sand dunes and soak up whoops. Conventional, gas-powered trucks should be nervous. I can’t wait for the Rivians to launch.
Source: Electric - cnet.com
