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Rivian Ushers in the Age of Electric Pickup Trucks With the Impressive R1TRivian Ushers in the Age of Electric Pickup Trucks With the Impressive R1T

Using an electric motor for each wheel, the Rivian R1T offers more than 400 miles of electric driving range with more than 800 horsepower.

Dan Carney, Senior Editor

September 28, 2021

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Dan Carney

While Tesla has grabbed headlines showing off the ambitiously styled Cybertruck, General Motors has amazed with its planned Hummer EV’s four-wheel steering, and Ford has pocketed orders by the thousands for its F-150 Lightning electric pickup, startup Rivian has quietly slipped past them all, delivering the first all-electric full-size pickup to market.

The R1T (which will be accompanied later by the R1S full-size SUV) delivers on the promise hyped by its rivals, but unlike those other trucks, it is rolling off the assembly line at Rivian’s Normal, Ill. factory and into customers driveways today.

We’ve been able to put the R1T through its paces climbing the mountains around Breckenridge, Colorado, where the truck’s electric drivetrain not only demonstrated its superior off-road traction management, but also its immunity to the effects of thin air that would sap a combustion vehicle’s power at the 12,600-foot summit we climbed.

Rivian, which was founded in 2008, initially planned to build sport coupes, but seeing the popularity of pickup trucks and SUVs, pivoted to America’s largest market segment for its planned vehicles. Our off-road drive confirmed that electric power is not only more effective at doling out power exactly where it is needed when scrambling up a rock-strewn climb, its serene power delivery also produces less noise, heat, and drama than a combustion-powered Jeep Wrangler or Ford Bronco would.

Related:Ford F-150 Lightning Is Poised to Spark Mass-Market Shift to EVs

As with our drive in the hybrid-electric Wrangler 4xe, we found that driving remote trails with silent electric power provides an experience nearly like hiking, and we snuck up on and spooked a fox while driving to prove it. And while hiking might sometimes be more fun, at 12,600 feet, it is probably just as well to let the truck do the work.

The Rivian has three off-road driving modes to help optimize the suspension, steering, and traction control for the conditions at hand. They are Off-Road Auto, Rock Crawl, and Rally, and each changes the ride height, throttle response, and power delivery to target those conditions.

On the road, the R1T is perhaps even more of a revelation. There, it has All-Purpose, Sport, Conserve, and Tow drive modes. The truck employs the same Tenneco cross-linked hydraulic damper system used by McLaren supercars (with some changes for off-roading), and the system that works so well on sports cars provides nothing short of miraculous results in a truck

Not only do the dampers contribute to the R1T’s off-road ability, but by adjusting them every 5 milliseconds, the truck’s on-road comfort and handling are astonishing. Sport mode stiffens the suspension for maximum handling, but we found that the All-Purpose setting delivers practically the same handling without the ride quality sacrifice of Sport.

Conserve saves battery power when the truck is running low, and Tow is for using the R1T’s 11,000-lb. towing capacity.

Towing would quickly sap the truck’s EPA-rated 314-mile driving range, though we found the truck has more than enough range when driving without a heavy trailer.

Base price for the R1T is $67,500, and our tested Adventure trim model lists for $73,000. Average price for a pickup truck in 2021 is $55,600, so the EV premium here is not that much. We expect that factory to be running at full speed to meet demand for the R1T.

About the Author

Dan Carney

Senior Editor, Design News

Dan’s coverage of the auto industry over three decades has taken him to the racetracks, automotive engineering centers, vehicle simulators, wind tunnels, and crash-test labs of the world.

A member of the North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year jury, Dan also contributes car reviews to Popular Science magazine, serves on the International Engine of the Year jury, and has judged the collegiate Formula SAE competition.

Dan is a winner of the International Motor Press Association's Ken Purdy Award for automotive writing, as well as the National Motorsports Press Association's award for magazine writing and the Washington Automotive Press Association's Golden Quill award.

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He has held a Sports Car Club of America racing license since 1991, is an SCCA National race winner, two-time SCCA Runoffs competitor in Formula F, and an Old Dominion Region Driver of the Year award winner. Co-drove a Ford Focus 1.0-liter EcoBoost to 16 Federation Internationale de l’Automobile-accredited world speed records over distances from just under 1km to over 4,104km at the CERAM test circuit in Mortefontaine, France.

He was also a longtime contributor to the Society of Automotive Engineers' Automotive Engineering International magazine.

He specializes in analyzing technical developments, particularly in the areas of motorsports, efficiency, and safety.

He has been published in The New York Times, NBC News, Motor Trend, Popular Mechanics, The Washington Post, Hagerty, AutoTrader.com, Maxim, RaceCar Engineering, AutoWeek, Virginia Living, and others.

Dan has authored books on the Honda S2000 and Dodge Viper sports cars and contributed automotive content to the consumer finance book, Fight For Your Money.

He is a member and past president of the Washington Automotive Press Association and is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers

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