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Transportation

The First Reviews of Rivian's R1T Electric Pickup (techcrunch.com) 118

Rivian held a three-day press event in Colorado last week where a number of journalists, including TechCrunch's Kirsten Korosec, were able to take the R1T electric truck for a spin. Today, the embargo lifted and we're able to hear about their experience." An anonymous reader shares an excerpt from Korosec's report: On its first try, Rivian produced the Goldilocks of pickup trucks. The Rivian R1T electric truck is neither too big nor small. It handles rock crawling and off-camber trails with ease, can zip from zero to 60 miles per hour on a dirt road in just a few seconds without the typical back-end slippage -- although there is an option to provide that drifting effect -- and it can crank through winding mountain roads, pushing the edge of each corner without body roll. It's loaded with the kind of interior and exterior touches that put it firmly in the premium zone -- and yet the Rivian R1T is no delicate flower.

The company's designers and engineers helped the truck steer clear of pretension by combining form and function from tip to tail. Some of the added surprises -- the location of functional details like tie-downs, an air compressor and outlets -- suggest that numerous Rivian employees tested the truck in real-world conditions, including camping, mountain biking and even more mundane tasks like grocery-fetching. The result is a vehicle that feels right for all seasons and ready for anything. And, importantly, it's a joy to drive.

On a press drive over three days, a near-production-spec R1T proved to be the electric truck none of us knew we needed. That's not to say every choice landed perfectly. There are a few hardware details and elements on the software user interface side of things that could use a nip here and a tuck there. I'm looking at you, odd notch that is maybe a pen holder, but certainly the soon-to-be dust collector by the wireless charging pad. To be clear, far more time and miles are required to provide a full review. Still, as a total package, the Rivian R1T impresses. [Continue reading to hear about Korosec's thoughts on the nuts and bolts, circuit, handling and performance, user interface(s), and hardware accessories.]
For a technical in-depth review of the Rivian R1T, Quinn Nelson from Snazzy Labs has produced an excellent video explaining his thoughts on the driving dynamics, vehicle functions, user interface design, and more. Fair warning: it's nearly 30 minutes long.

Further reading:
Autoblog: 2022 Rivian R1T First Drive Review: An Electric Truck Is a Better Truck
Car and Driver: The 2022 Rivian R1T Electric Pickup Embraces Duality
Business Insider: Rivian R1T: Hitting the Trails In the New Electric Pickup
Fox News: Test Drive: The 2022 Rivian R1T Electric Pickup Is a Game-Changing Truck
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The First Reviews of Rivian's R1T Electric Pickup

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  • by msauve ( 701917 ) on Wednesday September 29, 2021 @08:08PM (#61846441)
    Can you break the window by throwing a ball bearing at it?
    • Can you break the window by throwing a ball bearing at it?

      Probably. A little bit of spark plug insulator works mind-blowingly well. I've seen it and it is a wow moment.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]

    • Yes, you can. It will probably shatter into a lot of pieces.

      The R1T is mostly designed to do what a normal Pickup Truck can do. Vs. Tesla attempt to make something that will survive the apocalypse.

      I think the R1T is targeted towards the existing truck people, as giving them an alternative to their existing trucks. While Tesla is trying to attract people who want a Truck but could never justify getting one.

      Tesla advantage is that they are attracting a hungry market, of people (including myself) who want a

      • by kenh ( 9056 )

        The R1T starts at $68K - is it really amazing that a company made a really, really, really nice pick-up truck with an electric drive train?

        The Tesla Cyber Truck starts at $40K and looks really nice.

        While I'm certain they'll have no problem selling their really, really, really nice pick-up truck, the Tesla Cyber Truck is (in my opinion) properly aimed at the sweet-spot in the market, just a small premium over a base model ICE Crew Cab pick-up truck. with the various subsidies the US government is and will li

        • with the various subsidies the US government is and will likely continue to offer, I think we'll see a lot of small fleet purchases of the Cyber Truck.

          Point of order. At the moment, Tesla vehicles aren't eligible for any US government subsidies. They exceeded the cut off more than a year ago, selling Model 3s. Congress may be reestablishing their eligibility, but that's tied up in the spending bill that the Senate is busily not passing at the moment, and who knows if it will ever pass.

      • by cusco ( 717999 )

        I'm waiting until Neuralink offers an interface to the CyberTruck, then I'll get both and my conversion to Borg will have begun.

  • I come from the mountains of BC, and a truck like this would be excellent.

    • by apoc.famine ( 621563 ) <apoc...famine@@@gmail...com> on Wednesday September 29, 2021 @08:28PM (#61846495) Journal

      I'm just excited that more than one company will be pushing Ford to compete in the electric market. Getting the F-Series electrified represents a MASSIVE step forward in targeting climate change.

      I grew up out in the country and lived in the city/suburbs now for about equal time, and I can say with a rather large dataset that 95% of truck owners don't use their fucking truck in any meaningful way. They don't put shit in the back, they don't tow with it, they don't put it in 4 wheel drive, they don't go offroad with it.

      They drive it to work and back 5 days a week. On the weekend they drive to the grocery store, mall, or out to eat.

      My dad is a great example. He splits 6-7 cords of wood every spring, dries it over the summer, and runs wheelbarrows of it up the hill to the house all winter long. He has a bigass truck with a hitch and a full sized bed. He hunts and fishes, and has been an outdoorsman his entire life. Lives on a few acres in a little town out in the country bordering a farm and a couple hundred acres of pastures and woods.

      And 99% of his truck trips are 5 miles or less, into town to work and back home.

      These fucking trucks can do a lot of stuff that cars can't do. But 99.9% of the time that's not what they're used for, so sacrificing 5x more gas mileage than a compact car is asinine.

      At least if they go electric the massive waste of owning a truck is mostly mitigated.

      • by caseih ( 160668 ) on Wednesday September 29, 2021 @11:27PM (#61846835)

        I farm and drive a truck every day for things that trucks are meant for, but even for me an electric truck would work rather well. I'm definitely excited for the Ford electric truck. Ford will be releasing a work version without the giant screen, thankfully. Specs look really good. I drive my truck at most 20 miles a day between the yard and fields, checking pivots, etc. Speed never gets over 80 kph, and average is maybe 30. At those speeds fuel efficiency is horrible on any pickup truck. Wasting so much gas. An electric truck would be ideal for me. Also in the dry harvest season, we're always worried about starting fires, constantly checking the underside of the truck to make sure nothing is touching the hot exhaust. Electric would solve that one nicely. And could easily charge overnight. There's enough range even to drive into town for parts. We're planning to put our $100 down on a truck this winter (funny how Ford is trying the Tesla marketing strategy).

        • yeah, the giant screen is the major downside, although I can see how that appeals to weekend worriers, who need their videos and giant maps to get anywhere

      • OTOH for the times they do benefit from a truck the option can be worth having vs. a far less capable automobile.

        While I flog my trucks doing truck tasks (towing, hauling steel, machinery, motorcycles and vehicle parts etc) more than often enough to justify owning them it would not pay off for me to add an econocar to the fleet. Cars are expensive too and given the choice between owning one vehicle that is large and comfortable (I'm tall and many Americans are both tall and fat) and owning another whose sol

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by thegarbz ( 1787294 )

        Rather than electrifying trucks, how about we convince Americans to buy cars instead. I'm lucky if I see an SUV or pickup truck once a week here in Europe and they are almost universally owned by farmers / tradesmen who actually need them.

        There's just no need for it for the majority of the population. Hell I know an American who bought one simply because he was too lazy to shovel snow in his driveway and instead wanted a car big enough to drive over it. This is how we're burning the world down. One lazy ars

        • by JudgeFurious ( 455868 ) on Thursday September 30, 2021 @08:55AM (#61847503)

          Pass on that. They're incredibly useful and I'm not giving mine up for anyone. Need to pick up lumber for a project? Pickup Truck. Need to pick up a load of mulch for the flower beds? Pickup Truck. Need to haul a bunch of construction debris from the kitchen remodel to the dump? Pickup Truck. Need to move anything too big to go in a car somewhere? Pickup Truck.

          We're not Europe. We're not built like Europe and we don't live like Europeans. There's a reason that these vehicles are incredibly popular all over the United States and it isn't because Americans are lazy.

          • Europeans have all the same needs for their vehicles that you do. Most people there don't drive pickup trucks because all the use cases you listed are better served by just hooking up a cheap utility trailer to your car. And for the other 99% of the time, when you're not hauling stuff, you have a much nicer ride.

            Pickup trucks are a weird compromise of features that just don't work well together. The bed is small; there's not enough interior cargo space; it's difficult to load stuff into the bed because of t

          • No argument that a pickup truck can be really useful. I've owned a couple of different ones myself over the years. But last time I found myself really needing one (trying to do a long distance move by myself on a budget), I realized the prices on used pickups in America are hugely inflated. Men buy them for the image as much as anything else. Whether or not they really use the truck for hauling things very often? They like the fact that driving one around makes them appear to be the "rugged outdoorsman" ty

        • Rather than electrifying trucks, how about we convince Americans to buy cars instead.

          Lol, you think that's the easier path?

          That's fucking hilarious.

          • Rather than electrifying trucks, how about we convince Americans to buy cars instead.

            Lol, you think that's the easier path?

            That's fucking hilarious.

            America used to make big spacious luxurious cars. I'm talking Olds 98s, Chrysler Imperials, Ford LTDs, Town Cars, Fleetwoods. I know people who still seek out, fix, and drive those cars to this day. Then due to regulation cars started shrinking, and people who wanted big spacious luxurious vehicles started buying trucks instead.

            I don't think there is any benefit to going back to building big cars over just sticking with trucks and SUVs, and the people who drive those are not going to be buying little

          • Lol, you think that's the easier path?

            No. Where did I say it was easier? Its the more sane approach, definitely more difficult though.

        • America is big, and has low population density.
          A lot of services that in Europe that you may happy pay for, or be convenient is not convenient to us. I don't have a Truck, but I want one. I have a broken down rider lawn mower rusting in my back lawn, that I would want to send to the junk yard and get recycled. I don't want to pay a lot of money for someone to drive all the way up to pick it up and drop it off. Where if I had a truck I could just drop it off myself and collect money for the parts. If I

          • America is big, and has low population density.

            That horseshit doesn't fly in the face of the USA's urbanisation figures. Country bumpschkins can drive trucks all they want, what's your excuse for driving your kids to school in an F350 in the middle of inner city Houston?

            I have a broken down rider lawn mower rusting in my back lawn, that I would want to send to the junk yard and get recycled.

            So for the one time you have something that needs moving, why not borrow a trailer? It's far cheaper than actually owning a large truck to simply borrow one on the occasional time you need it. I spend every year camping in SUV only accessible areas. Not owning an SUV never stopped me fro

          • I have a broken down rider lawn mower rusting
            in my back lawn, that I would want to send to the junk
            yard and get recycled. I don't want to pay a lot of money
            for someone to drive all the way up to pick it up and
            drop it off. Where if I had a truck I could just drop it off
            myself and collect money for the parts. If I get a new
            large appliance, do to how far away I am from the
            commercial district getting such a large product
            delivered

            BUT, you can buy a utility trailer with greater capacity than
            a typical pickup truck bed for about $1000 new or half that
            used. And, when you don't need the extra capacity, you
            can just unhitch it and drive away.

      • There is one aspect of efficiency and progress that happens.
        When a process become more efficient people will use it more. So part of the reason why Pickup Trucks are so common now, is that their fuel economy is within the same ball park as most cars are today, pushing closer to 30mpg.
        EV Trucks with more cheaper charging, will often encourage people to drive more. Having to charge at home every night leaving with a full charge, means you are not spending time at a gas station feeling the pain at the pump.

  • only an extra $5k, including induction cooktop.

    There's a pretty good video showing all the options, maxed out, $98k

  • by dogsbreath ( 730413 ) on Wednesday September 29, 2021 @08:26PM (#61846489)

    Only 110 miles pulling a decent load. Still, it would handle maybe 80% of farm/ranch related activities. Good to see the development of more than urban passenger vehicles.

    However, that last 20% tends to be very important. Auctions, shows, and all sorts of heavy long haul stuff.

    • by PPH ( 736903 )

      Looks like there's enough room in the bed to carry a genset and a few cans of gas.

    • That is not the target market for this truck whatsoever. It's an adventure truck. Rivian is an adventure company. They have no interest in the market you just described, at least not right now.

        There is a reason this entire press junket was done off-roading in the mountains.

      • It's an adventure truck. Rivian is an adventure company.

        Then it seems like the range would be an issue, as lots of adventure guys cart around things like kayaks or ATVs or dirt bikes.

        • Yup. I dunno if I would take that machine down the forestry trunk road into the foothills for my "adventure" knowing I'm at the range limit with no easy way to top up the tank.

          I guess it is aimed at adventures within a reasonable distance from home.

          Sorry, I actually like electric light trucks arriving in the market. It's about time.

          • by dfghjk ( 711126 )

            I guess since it's not a Tesla it cannot possibly be charged on the road. No doubt this will not be a problem for the Cybertruck, just ask SuperKendall.

            It should be noted that the R1T has a 400 mile long range option, not yet shipping (like the Cybertruck). Not that it matters, it only needs to be bad news for any threat to Tesla.

        • by dfghjk ( 711126 )

          ...or maybe you're mistaken, or maybe you are ignorant. I know what my money is on.

          "...lots of adventure guys cart around things like kayaks or ATVs or dirt bikes."

          Which says nothing about range. Mailing this one in, eh SuperKendall?

          Tell us again how great the Cybertruck is?

        • by brunes69 ( 86786 )

          MotorTrend already drove this truck across the entire United States on the Trans America Trail - something that is a feat with *ANY* vehicle - and had zero issues with range or charging.

          They called it "the most remarkable pickup [theyâ(TM)ve] ever driven."

          Maybe do 5 seconds of research....

      • by Rhipf ( 525263 )

        They are also making electric delivery van for Amazon as well. Maybe these vans will be markets to the general public once Amazon's order is filled.
        https://youtu.be/KS1HdnKG0YY?t... [youtu.be]

        • by Rhipf ( 525263 )

          I guess I should actually proof read before posting (since /. doesn't seem to want to add editing). Let's try that one again.

          They are also making electric delivery vans for Amazon. Maybe these vans will be marketed to the general public once Amazon's order is filled.

    • by Strider- ( 39683 )

      I work with a remote site... Our road is 12 miles long, gains/loses 2000' of elevation depending on your direction. Even this is overkill, but it's nice to see electric trucks starting to become something we can look at. The other thing we're looking for is electric power packs to replace the diesels in things like our backhoe and other heavy equipment.

      • Yeah, I know what you mean. I think the range requirement will differentiate who buys what.

        Someone said it is for the "adventure" market, but I think that is being too kind. An awful lot of pickups are sold to people who just like to drive heavy metal and otherwise have little use for the capabilities of the truck.

        • by dfghjk ( 711126 )

          If you do not understand that Rivian is in the adventure market, why are you even commenting? You think it is being too kind? What does that even mean? Have you even looked at what Rivian has been doing for years?

          "An awful lot of pickups are sold to people who just like to drive heavy metal and otherwise have little use for the capabilities of the truck."

          How is this even slightly relevant? Are we now attributing posers to Rivian's detriment? Is describing Rivian's product as "too kind" justified becaus

    • What you fail to to mention is that your ICE vehicle's mileage also goes to shit when pulling a decent load.

      I know this because the trucks we use to tow our race car in a 28" enclosed trailer burn fuel like it's going out of style when on the road, so stop bitching like it's a thing that only affects electric vehicles.

      This truck has the tow rating to haul our race car around but it wouldn't work for us because our average tow is something like five hours in each direction, and we have to stop at least once

      • My Cummins does quite well hauling thank you, and with my extra tank I can pull a full load over 1200 km.

        Even your guzzler should go much farther than 110 miles on a tank

        Gas ICE will get shit for mileage.

        • We use Chevy 2500HD diesels for towing, something like 9-11 mpg towing through the mountains in the PNW. How much extra did you pay for the big tanks in your truck? I know extra tow shit ain't cheap. With the 110 gallons in the bed tank we're able to go round trip without hitting a gas station, but we're still burning a shit ton of fuel.
          • Yeah, fuel consumption increases considerably but I do a little better than that. Hauling four horses in a 28' trailer I get about 14 mpg (actually about 16L/100km). Probably be same as yours going through the mountains to the coast.

            Point is that as nice and useful that electric light trucks are, if you need the range they just don't have it. Hopefully that will change but I think there will be a market for diesels for a while yet.

          • I think it was about $1200 CAD for a 100 gallon setup.

          • by dfghjk ( 711126 )

            Yes, and anyone who has done this, including me, knows this is true.

            Diesel mileage is cut just like gas mileage, and just like electric will be. The person you are responding to has a testosterone problem.

        • by dfghjk ( 711126 )

          Degradation in range while towing has NOTHING to do with how the energy is converted. There is utterly NO difference in reduction in range between your macho Cummins and a BEV tow vehicle.

          The ONLY different is the ease of having a bigger tank and refilling it quickly. Any BEV whose range is cut in half towing is pulling a load that will cut your diesel's range in half as well.

          "Gas ICE will get shit for mileage."

          Thanks for making your intellect clear.

      • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        I guess it depends how often you make that journey. If it's only a few times a year then you could save much more time by charging at home than you would lose on those occasional long trips.

        That was certainly my experience of owning an EV. Occasionally I needed to charge for 20-30 minutes but that was nothing compared to the amount of time wasted at petrol stations over the year.

  • by swell ( 195815 ) <jabberwock@poetic.com> on Wednesday September 29, 2021 @08:51PM (#61846569)

    I seem to have found the Shopping Channel by mistake. No, I'm not in the market for a new electric pickup truck, but as long as I'm here- I have been considering a new electric refrigerator. Any suggestions?

    • Must have been that link you clicked from GQ.

      So you want a new electric refrigerator, eh?

      You poor emasculated snowflake.

      I have manly Diesel Refrigerator, with a Cummings fuel injected inline six.

      When the compressor on that baby turns on I always get a smile from the sound of that sweet turbo kicking in.

      Since you're asking for suggestions snowflake, try Consumer Report for your sissy electric refrigerator.

    • by shanen ( 462549 )

      Me, too. I'm thinking about a new electric razor. Any suggestions?

  • It can go 0-60 on a dirt road in just a few second with no dust thrown, but you can disable it in order to drift?

    As a long time off roader, they might add something to disable that acceleration feature. I mean, I've gone 60 mph on dirt or gravel a few times, but it's a great way to kill yourself, your passengers, or the person you drift into coming the other way while cornering.

    • by dfghjk ( 711126 )

      What "off roader" offers a "disable that acceleration feature"? You realize that you control the throttle, right?

      Have off road vehicles suddenly become unsafe with the Rivian?

      • What "off roader" offers a "disable that acceleration feature"? You realize that you control the throttle, right?

        Have off road vehicles suddenly become unsafe with the Rivian?

        As an offroader that isn't a 16 year old, The idea that the first boast of the trucks maker is that it can accelerate to 60 miles per hour in a few seconds is irresponsible. It's like boasting how my jeep can do 60 on Ice without spinning the tires. (it can - their traction control system is impressive) There's a little problem though - Stopping or cornering, or sudden evasive maneuvers because of someone coming the other way while you are doing that. Dirt and gravel are not dry concrete, and you have to be

  • by Traf-O-Data-Hater ( 858971 ) on Wednesday September 29, 2021 @09:08PM (#61846595)
    They've brought a pair of Rivians to Australia
    https://thedriven.io/2021/09/0... [thedriven.io]

    Apart from desert crossings over Big Red and corner country, I hope they test it out up in Far North Queensland. There are some mud and river crossings up there that are doozies.
    And also on the Thousand Dollar Track in Tasmania (so named as that is the minimum amount of damage it does to a vehicle):
    https://www.youtube.com/result... [youtube.com]

    But most of all I hope our anti-electric-vehicle government takes notice - they have ridiculed electric utes as not being powerful enough for tradies (tradesmen) to tow boats and go offroad on weekends.

  • The front end looks hideous to me. Those headlights look cartoonish.

    Too much touchscreen, too little physical buttons. Maybe it just takes some getting used to but poking away at a touchscreen while driving down the road sounds distracting and, frankly, dangerous to me. Anything that is used frequently like the stereo, A/C and heat controls, etc. should be physical buttons. Either that or give me voice controls..."Alexa, it's too hot in here".

    On the plus side...the power it generates is astounding. It would

  • Can I buy one now?
    Can I buy one in Europe?
    (Normally I would look at their site first, but it is not loading at the moment)
  • by mugnyte ( 203225 ) on Thursday September 30, 2021 @08:53AM (#61847499) Journal
    As a city dweller in the Pacific NW, this style of vehicle meets our family's needs well: Small enough to fit in narrow streets, can handle 1-2 days in nearby mountains, and ticks all the feel-good checkboxes for next-gen mobility. I understand the drastic differences in uses from our current vehicle (Honda Element), but the choices to satisfy our all needs are narrow without owning 2 vehicles. This compromise, like any, could be a letdown but so far the numbers work for our plans. My biggest concern isn't the vehicle, but the appearance of it may elicit strongs words from gawkers when we're not @in the bubble" of home, where the streets are already a mix of EV's, ICE-vehicles and alternative transpo (scooters, bikes, etc) And my informal survey of this area points towards a huge adoption of BEV's if rebates, trade-ins and leases can get them 50k.
  • Per the online configurator:

    Deliveries begin January 2022

  • There's actually a fairly interesting series on Apple TV called "Long Way Up" where Harley's electric bike was put through a pretty grueling, 13000 mile, test [insideevs.com] along with a couple of Rivian prototypes from the tip of South America to Los Angeles. The story was more around the Harley's and the riders adventures but it also was keen to point out problems the Rivian Trucks had along the journey as well since they were the support crew for the riders. Unsurprisingly, there was at least one point where they e

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