This new American startup might stand in line with other EV giants

RIVIAN is an American startup brand that spent the last decade in the dark only to introduce their Rivian R1T and Rivian R1S, an all-electric pickup truck and a 7-seater SUV. The futuristic R1T promises more than 400 miles range and supercar-like acceleration. The first concept truck was revealed at the 2018 LA auto show. The company says that the revealed truck is no concept vehicle, what you see is what will enter the production.

The R1T will be available in three battery pack variants but all the variants will feature an electric motor for each wheel, offering precise all-wheel drive. The top variant will have the biggest battery of 180kwh that will offer more than 400 miles of range. The mid variant will get a 135kwh battery pack that is good for about 300 miles. The base model gets a 105Kwh battery pack with a 230 miles range.

The price announced for the base model was $70,500 and the mid variant was priced at $75,500 whereas the top variant was proved at $80,500. However, new updates say that the prices will be less than what was mentioned before.

All-wheel drive is standard on the 2021 R1T thanks to an arrangement similar to the top variant of the Tesla Cybertruck, instead each axle is powered by its own electric motor. The 135.0-kWh model will be the quickest of the three, with 750 horsepower and a claimed zero-to-60-mph time of 3.0 seconds. The 180kWh model sends 700 horsepower to the gearbox and the base variant outputs only 400 horses. Adjustable air suspension will be standard at launch and can adjust the clearance height from eight to 14 inches. Every version of the R1T has all-wheel drive, with an electric motor at each wheel. This allows the R1T to do what Rivian calls a Tank Turn, which sets the electric motors to rotate the left wheels in the opposite direction of the right ones to spin the truck on its axis just like a tank.

Rivian says that all of its trucks can tow about 11000 pounds and have 1760 pounds payload capacity. Towing such a heavy load can drain the battery more, buyers who are utilizing this towing capacity should think of buying the model with the highest range.

The interior is made of leather, wood and large displays for both instrument clusters and infotainment systems. The R1T has a 330 liter truck under the front hood, a big storage compartment behind the cab (front of the bed).

Being an electric vehicle made in the late 2010s, the truck is unsurprisingly equipped with hardware that Rivian says will allow it to one day drive itself. That includes those cameras, as well as LIDAR, radar, ultrasonic, and “high-precision” GPS technologies, according to Rivian. This tech will allow for “eyes off, hands-off” driving on the highway, the company says, and one day will make it possible for the truck to do more impressive things in the future, like meet a driver at the end of a hiking trail or river run.