American-based electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian has confirmed details about the first of two “Electric Adventure Vehicles” that can accelerate as fast as a supercar and are now confirmed for production before 2022.
Rivian is looking to upset Tesla by introducing the world’s first full electric pickup ahead of its established American competition.
The R1T will be a full-electric, full-sized pickup with a range of over 640km and quad-motor AWD capabilities. The new pickup will be followed by a full electric SUV — the R1S — that shares the same platform and electric motors.
“We’re launching Rivian with two vehicles that reimagine the pickup and SUV segments,” said Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe.
“Starting with a clean sheet, we have spent years developing the technology to deliver the ideal vehicle for active customers. This means having great driving dynamics on any surface on- or off-road, providing cargo solutions to easily store any type of gear.”
The R1T pickup and R1S SUV will be built on Rivian’s “skateboard platform” that sees the battery pack, electric motors, suspension, braking and thermal system all positioned below the height of the wheel.
Both models will also feature Rivian’s newly developed quad-motor system that delivers 147kW of power to each wheel.
With 3500Nm of grounded torque each wheel (14,000Nm of torque for the full vehicle), the R1T can reach 100km/h in around 3 secs and 160km/h in less than 7secs.
Rivian says the electric powertrain and chassis enable a payload of 800kg and a tow rating of five tonnes. The pickup’s kerb weight is 2670kg.
“Our quad-motor setup isn’t just about brute power; this architecture provides instantaneous torque with extremely precise control at each wheel, which is game-changing from a dynamics perspective, both on- and off-road,” said executive director of engineering and programmes Mark Vinnels.
The vehicle’s architecture also achieves a low centre of gravity for better agility and stability.
Off-road credentials are boosted with unequal length double wishbone suspension in the front and a multi-link suspension in the rear.
The suspension features dynamic roll control, adaptive dampers and ride-height adjustable air-suspension — allowing the suspension to be adjusted for highway comfort, on-road performance or off-road capability. On-road the new pickup is set to feature some of the latest self-driving technology.
Rivian says the R1T will launch with “a robust hardware suite with multiple modalities” including camera, lidar, radar, ultrasonic and a high-precision GPS coupled with high-definition maps. Rivian says its hardware will support Level 3 (hands-off wheel and eyes off road) autonomy for highway operation.
Pricing for the R1T pickup starts at US$61,500 (NZ$90,700). Production is due to start in late 2020 at the company’s plant in Illinois.
