R1T electric adventure truck from Rivian



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Both vehicles are built on the Rivian "skateboard" frame, in which drive and energy storage are installed even with or slightly below the vehicle chassis, in the same way as trucks, spacers, wheels and bearings of a skateboard. This, coupled with the fact that there is no engine or drive shaft (since the motors of each wheel make it AWD), frees up a huge space for designers to work. The hood of the R1T rises to reveal a load volume of 330 liters – in that the company is the "front chest" or "trunk" of the vehicle – the rear loading area offers nearly 2 square meters of flat space for A small smart compartment (nicknamed the "speed tunnel") hidden under the rear passenger seats that extend across the width of the vehicle offers 350 liters of extra space for long objects like the golf clubs, hunting equipment or skis.

"So when you start with a clean sheet, you start to look at where you put different things and how you pack the vehicle," said Engadget, Rivian's founder and CEO, RJ Scaringe. "We have developed [the skateboard frame] give us a very low center of gravity and a high level of performance. So, a lot of suspension settings, a lot of torque, a lot of power. "

Unlike other luxury SUVs, whether gasoline or electric, the 5-passenger R1t and the 7-passenger R1S are both designed to live in nature. The Rivians offer three types of batteries, ranging from a 105 kWh block with a range of 220 km to an impressive 180 kWh, which exceeds 400 km. For comparison, the Tesla Model X manages a maximum of 335 km with its energy storage system of 100 kWh. They are fast too. With the largest battery, these vehicles can take off from 0 to 60 in 2.8 seconds. It's a tenth of a second shorter than the Lamborghini Aventador and less than half a second less than the 2.4-second record of the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. And you do it in a flippin 'pickup.

Plus, the Rivians are smart enough to drive themselves. Well, to a certain extent. Both models will offer level 3 battery life (so you can leave the road for the eyes and the road for short periods when you're on the highway) when launching the R1T and R1S in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Better yet, they do not even really need roads. They can do everything from dirt roads to suede trails, without the driver guiding them.

"It's actually easier," Scaringe explained. "Because your speeds are relatively low, your reaction time is longer and your level of complexity much lower."

The rest of their specifications are not surprising either, with the R1's towing capacity of 5,000 kg, its ability to reduce slopes by 45 degrees and, as these vehicles do not need to breathe like engines internal combustion, they can cross a meter of dead water. Disclaimer: Do not be stupid and think that it gives you a ford pass across flooded roads. Do not drown, go back.

Inside, although featuring two touch screens acting as both an instrument cluster and an infotainment system, Rivian vehicles are designed for spills … or rather for spills. because seats, carpets and floors are designed for easy cleaning. I especially dug the air compressor built into the R1T. By using the suspension air, drivers will be able to relieve the pressure exerted on the mountain bikes and inner tubes of their 4×4 without having to drag a separate compressor and a power inverter.

The R1T and R1S should both cost between $ 50,000 and $ 70,000, depending on the options and size of the battery, when they go on sale early in the next decade. They will be produced here in the United States, specifically in a former 2.6 million square foot Mitsubishi plant that the company acquired and converted for its use.

"We will start in the thousands of units, and we will crawl." Said Scaringe. "And then we have four other products on skateboarding, which we have not yet shown, all of which talk about this idea of ​​adventure and exploration, have a lot of features, a lot of performance, a lot of efficiency, of course, being the electrical architecture, which we will show over the next few years. "

Certainly, 2020 is still a long way from life, and it is still possible that Rivian ignites as Faraday Future did before one of his vehicles really took the road. But if these people succeed, I have no doubt that they will revolutionize the electric vehicle market in a way that Tesla has only dreamed of.

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