LOS ANGELES — New electric vehicle start-up Rivian got a jump on the competition. The Plymouth, Mich.-based automaker held the world premiere of their R1T all-electric pickup truck on Monday, Nov. 26 at the Griffith Observatory before the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show press preview even began.
The R1T truck is brand new, built from the ground up. It is quite unique from other pickups on the road today. The R1T features stadium headlights and a daytime running light that extends the entire width of the vehicle. In addition, there’s more storage space than any other pickup worldwide. That includes a 330-liter front trunk, a 350-liter lockable Gear Tunnel and a telescoping racking system.
“This is all-new pickup truck available in the United States from 2020,” said Michael McHale, Rivian’s communications director. “This completely reimagines what a pickup truck can be. Eight hundred horsepower, over 1,000 pounds of torque, three-row, all-electric 400 mile range. We’re the first people that have understood that there’s a gap in the market around the idea of adventure and capability and utility. A car that you can use and get dirty. It’s still premium and has little consequence on the environment.”
The all-electric truck sits on Rivian’s skateboard platform, which includes the battery pack, drive units, suspension, braking and thermal systems. It is compatible with DC fast charging meaning that 200 miles of range can be added in just 30 minutes. In addition, there is an 11 kW onboard charger that works just as fast as a Level 2 charging station.
There are three battery packs available for the R1T. The 105 kWh battery produces 300 kW and offers a 230-mile range while the 135 kWh battery produces 562 kW and a 300-mile range. Meanwhile, the larger 180 kWh battery produces 522 kW and a 400-mile range. The top speed on all models is 125 mph.
“Because it’s all-electric, it doesn’t breathe,” McHale added. “It doesn’t need air and because of that we can take away all of the grille. The daytime running light will also give you state of charge. When you are charging the car up, you can watch it charge in your driveway. There is a fully modern interior–two screens in the front and one in the back. It’s a beautiful, inviting experience.”
Another cool feature about the R1T is that it will be partially autonomous. The electric pickup truck will come with cameras, liar, radar, ultrasonic and high precision GPS coupled with high definition maps. It will be meet SAE Level 3 autonomous standards meaning that it can operate on the highway with the driver’s hands off the wheel and eyes off the road.
The R1T will be produced at Rivian’s manufacturing plant in Normal, Ill., beginning in mid-2020. Pricing starts at $61,500 after a $7,500 federal tax credit. Deliveries will start in late 2020. Rivian is now accepting preorders with a refundable deposit of $1,000. More info is available online at www.rivian.com.
