Rivian Launches 600-HP Dual-Motor R1S and R1T, Raises Quad-Motor Pricing
The new entry-level Rivian models use motors designed in-house and are offered with a lower-range Standard battery pack, while the quad-motor trucks are getting a lot more expensive.
Rivian is launching new versions of the R1T.
Rivian's fully electric R1S SUV and R1T pickup truck have always seemed like kind of a bargain. For $68,575 the R1T has 835 horsepower from a quad-motor setup, which provides mega capabilities both on- and off-road that best pretty much any other light-duty truck on the market, even ones that are much pricier. Today Rivian announced new entry-level dual-motor versions of both the R1S and R1T, which come alongside a serious price hike for the existing quad-motor models.
While the quad-motor models use electric motors engineered and built by Bosch, the dual-motor variants use new motors designed and built in-house by Rivian. The company says the new motors are among the most power-dense single-drive units on the market and they have fewer moving parts than the Bosch motors, making them lighter cheaper to build. The dual-motor trucks will make more than 600 hp and 600 pound-feet of torque and hit 60 mph in as little as 4 seconds, just 1 second off the quad-motor models. The rear motor has a higher gear ratio and more torque bias, and the dual-motor setup has torque vectoring capabilities.
The new dual-motor setup is still very powerful.
Coming along with the dual-motor R1S and R1T is a new Standard battery pack, which joins the existing Large and upcoming Max packs. No size or cell count were announced, but Rivian says the Standard pack will give the dual-motor R1T a range of over 260 miles; with the Large pack the dual-motor models will do over 320 miles. For reference, the quad-motor R1T with the Large pack is rated by the EPA at 314 miles of range while the R1S will do 316 miles. The R1T-only Max pack, which is coming in 2023 for the quad-motor model and 2024 for the dual-motor, will offer over 400 miles for both motor setups.
Aside from the motor and battery setups, it seems that the new variants are identical to the existing models in terms of styling and features. Rivian says deliveries of the dual-motor R1S and R1T will commence in 2024, with the Standard battery pack versions coming in the summer specifically. The dual-motor R1T with the Standard battery will start at $68,575 including destination, the same price as the outgoing quad-motor model, and the R1S with the Standard battery is $73,575. Upgrading to the Large pack costs $6,000 for both dual-motor models, while the Max pack is $16,000 for the dual-motor R1T. As part of this lineup update the price for both the quad-motor R1S and R1T are increasing by $12,000, putting the R1T at $80,575 and the R1S at $85,575. (The Max pack is also $16,000 for the quad-motor R1T.) Rivian says this price increase will apply to the majority of existing preorder holders, except for those who are already in the final steps of getting ready to take delivery.
Making the motors itself is part of Rivian's vertical integration strategy and key to continuing to ramp up production. In the near future even more components will get designed and built in-house by Rivian -- even battery cells, which are currently provided by Samsung. It seems like a sure bet that the quad-motor R1S and R1T will eventually start using the Rivian-built motors, meaning those models could offer well over 1,000 horsepower. Rivian's existing Illinois plant has the capacity to build up to 200,000 vehicles a year, and a new plant in Georgia that will start production in 2024 will put out up to 400,000 units a year, with battery production happening nearby.
