First close look at Rivian’s R1T ahead of LA Auto Show debut

On the grounds of this historical Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles on Monday night, Rivian, a US-based electric car startup from Illinois, unveiled its first car to a tiny, quaint bunch. Food has been served, and calming music befitting a Four Seasons Hotel serenaded members of the media and case ’s guests, that included social media influencers and even a number of celebrities in Hollywood. Amidst the chill vibe, though, a sense of excitement permeated the air, thanks to this centerpiece of night’s occasion — a futuristic, rugged, vehicle with the capacity to disrupt the US’ highly lucrative pickup truck industry. 

The Rivian R1T, with its high off-road wheels, imposing posture, and also adventure-themed design flourishes almost stood as a stark contrast to this unveiling’s classic setting. Quite unlike Tesla, whose unveiling events feature large numbers of individuals and a modern, high performance setting, Rivian’s unveiling occasion for the R1T pickup truck has been composed and almost restrained. The excitement in the air, though, was palpable. 

The R1T could be described as a luxury adventure vehicle. The pickup truck was made from the ground up to be in the home both on the sidewalk and off the beaten trail, however, the automobile maintains an air of elegance yet. While Rivian did not let test drives during the event, the truck display was very well put together. It was obvious that a great deal of thought went to the car ’s interior design, from its luxurious seats, its all electronic instrument panel, and its own distinctive floormats that were made from a lightweight, lightweight material that almost seemed like carbon fiber.

Rivian unveils its R1T all-electric pickup truck. [Credit: Teslarati]

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Speaking before an audience comprised mostly of Rivian employees, select media and even some A-list celebs, CEO RJ Scaringe presented the R1T’s crucial characteristics and abilities. Rivian confirmed they are utilizing 2170 battery cells to the R1T pickup truck and also the R1S SUV, that will be defined to be unveiled Tuesday. The business noted that it wouldn’t be generating its own batteries in this stage of its operations, even though their long-term plan also includes the possibility of setting a dedicated battery production facility such as Tesla’s Gigafactory 1. Rivian aims to become a battery manufacturer like Tesla eventually, and it aims to sell and license its cells to other manufacturers in the future.

There’therefore no wonder that the automobile ’s target demographic are buyers who enjoy luxury and the outside. As such, we’re impressed with some of their pickup truck’s attributes that are targeted at creating the possession experience simple. One of these were its automated liftgate, and also a skinny, black lining that automatically protects freight on the mattress using the press of a switch. We also found some of those R1T’s quirks — like headlights that twice as a green progress bar once the automobile is charging — clever and enjoyable. Finally, we enjoyed the automobile ’s storage alternatives, from the “gear tunnel” for its 11.7 cubic foot (330 liter) frunk, that is larger than those located in other premium electric vehicles such as the Tesla Model S and Model X.

Rivian noted that it intends to create self-driving capabilities for the R1T. As such, the truck comes with the hardware required to make this a fact. These include a suite of cameras, ultrasonic detectors, radar, and high-precision GPS technology, and even a LiDAR. Later on, the business notes that the vehicle should be able to meet its driver in the end of a hiking path or lake conduct. The company did not provide details regarding how it intends to achieve that, though thinking about its focus on the outside, there is a good chance that Rivian could be mapping popular paths across the country.

Rivian unveils its R1T all-electric pickup truck. [Credit: Teslarati]

After operating in stealth for the most part of this last decade, the Rivian has chosen to come out with a bang, leasing out among the most historical landmarks in LA to unveil a car that could very well be equally historical if made and also ramped successfully. The R1T begins at $69,000 for its base trim, which is outfitted with four electric motors and a 230+ mile range between the 105 kWh battery. The all-electric truck remains more expensive than mainstays of this US’ pickup truck market like the Ford F-150, that begins at a cheaper $29,650. Nevertheless, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe made it clear that the organization is going for a very specific niche with its initial two vehicles — those that love the outside, and the ones that love luxury. For this particular niche of buyers, the Rivian R1T could just be the perfect automobile.

Production of this Rivian R1T is expected to start in 2020 in the company’s factory in Normal, Il, that it obtained from Mitsubishi at January 2017 for $16 million. The business plans to make the pickup truck’s higher-end variants initially, followed closely with the R1T’s $69,000 variation within 12 weeks from the start of production. Rivian has also begun accepting pre-orders for the R1T, with curious buyers needing to put a non refundable deposit of $1,000 for your own automobile.

With assistance from Christian Prenzler.

The article First close look at Rivian’s R1T before LA Auto Show introduction appeared initially on TESLARATI.com.

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