Auto manufacturing expert Sandy Munro believes the Rivian R1T electric pickup is "way underpriced," echoing similar opinions from industry analysts, rival auto executives, and former Rivian employees.

The former Ford manufacturing engineer and current head of Munro & Associates, which tears down vehicles and advises carmakers on how to improve them, told Automotive News the R1T "should be selling for $100,000 -- it's way underpriced for what it is and what it does."

That's a similar assessment to that of Peter Rawlinson, CEO of EV maker Lucid, who told Reuters in March that the R1T probably needs to be priced at $95,000 to be profitable.

The electric pickup starts at $67,500 in dual-motor guise, but the four-motor model Sandy Munro is currently tearing down at his company's headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan, starts at approximately $79,000. It's not all bad news for Rivian, though.

Known for its blunt assessments of electric vehicles from Tesla and other companies, Munro also says the R1T could use some engineering and production changes to reduce its manufacturing cost; he talks about "buckets of cost reduction opportunity."

While that's encouraging for a young company, it's not unusual for a brand-new vehicle from a first-time manufacturer to have room for improvement. Raising the vehicle's price could still be a challenge, though. On March 1, Rivian announced abrupt price hikes that angered its customer base, with many early supporters threatening to cancel their preorders.

Following the backlash, Rivian rolled back the price hikes for existing reservation holders and said it would honor the original prices.

The R1T features a body-on-frame design, just like the Ford F-150 Lightning, but its bed and cabin are all one piece, unlike the F-150. The Lightning starts as low as $40,000 in fleet-oriented Pro grade, while the R1T is priced from $67,500 in dual-motor guise with the new Standard battery pack expected to offer over 260 miles of range.

Munro director Ben Lindamood points out that the R1T is designed and built quite differently from traditional full-size pickups. The build quality is not as good as vehicles from more established brands, though.

Sandy Munro especially likes some of the clever touches on the R1T, such as the tailgate, power tonneau cover and large under-bed storage compartment just behind the cabin.

On October 4, we brought you a story about Edmunds’ long-term Rivian R1T stopping in the middle of the 405 freeway. Edmunds said the vehicle did not present any warnings and just lost power but took it down a few hours later. We now know why: Rivian said the R1T “was accidentally shifted into neutral.” However, there is more to the story than this simple explanation may suggest.
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The accidental shift allegedly happened when the driver tried to activate the truck's adaptive cruise control (ACC). The same lever that selects the “gears” also has the task of controlling this function. However, Edmunds discovered that the electric pickup truck behaves differently depending on how hard you press the selector.

The R1T’s digital screen behind the steering wheel presents the speed on its right side. We can see the familiar “P, R, N, D” sequence to the right of the speed numbers, and the selected gear appears in bold. If the vehicle is driving and you press the stalk up hard, the dashboard will show a warning telling you to hold the selector for four seconds to shift. If you follow these instructions while still pressing the lever up hard, another alert will ask you to slow down for the shift to be completed.

Things change if you press the selector up lightly. You only get the same warnings if you do not hold the lever up for four seconds. If you do, the vehicle goes to neutral without any sort of alert. Getting back to driving works in a slightly different fashion: you have to press the lever down hard. Ironically, you also have to tap the stalk down to activate ACC, which makes us wonder how the Edmunds driver made it shift into neutral while trying to turn on the feature.

There’s another point that makes us wonder about the story: when the vehicle lost power, didn’t the driver see on the dashboard the R1T had a bold N, meaning neutral was selected? It must have been a stressful situation to lose power on a freeway, which makes it more understandable, but it is still strange. Checking if there was any issue with the gears is almost instinctive if you face power issues.

Edmunds stated that it opened and closed the doors, locked and unlocked the car, and put it into park. This last action must have been what made the vehicle move again after drive was selected. Selecting D would have solved the problem immediately.

Although a driver error caused this situation, the story raised relevant concerns about the R1T operation. Perhaps ACC should not be activated with the same lever that plays the role of the gear selector. A simple button would solve that, as well as another one would solve starting the electric pickup truck and turning it off in an emergency. In a Rivian, the driver only has to have the keys with them to get going. Oversimplifying how you drive a vehicle may have unpleasant effects, such as the ones Edmunds was honest enough to share about the R1T.

Rivian has initiated a voluntary recall to fix the “whompy wheels” issue. This “defect which relates to motor vehicle safety” affects only some of its trucks, SUVs, and vans. However, the recall covers almost all the EVs it has made since deliveries began last year. The CEO also immediately followed up with clarifications. Here’s what you need to know.
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Rivian sent an e-mail to customers in which it lets them know a voluntary recall campaign has begun. The EV owners were notified before the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) had the chance to confirm the proceedings and update its VIN database. However, if you have a VIN, you can now verify on NHTSA’s website if your R1S or R1T is part of the recall. The EDVs (electric vans) are also part of this action.

Back in August, we told you about the “whompy wheels” situation with some of Rivian’s vehicles. This is a term coined on the internet by Tesla customers. In Rivian’s case, it refers to problems with the upper suspension arm.

The automaker is recalling vehicles made during an unspecified 13-month period, but it covers most of the R1Ts and R1Ss it has manufactured. The company says it identified a problem with the front upper control arm and the steering knuckle retention fastener for each of the front wheels. According to the message sent to customers, “an insufficiently torqued steering knuckle fastener could cause excessive wheel camber, or, in rare instances, a separation, affecting the driver’s ability to control the vehicle, and increasing the risk of a crash.”

In most cases, it is anticipated this will be a simple 10-minute fix. All technicians have to do in such instances is tighten each of the loose fasteners. That’s why Customer Service tells owners who live close to a service center to just show up there with no appointment if they feel it’s ok doing so. However, Rivian is also ready for more serious issues. If your pickup truck or SUV requires a part replacement, then the EV maker will provide loaner vehicles. Since for some customers this could be troubling news, Rivian also confirmed towing will be free when requested or necessary for this recall.

Customers can also request Mobile Service at any time of the day since a team is always reachable by phone at 855-RIVIAN5 (855-748-4265).

Lastly, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe followed up with another e-mail and explained to customers that the company decided to do this “out of an abundance of caution” and underlined that the company is ready to fix every affected vehicle in the next 30 days.

“It’s important not to minimize the potential risks involved and why we are volunteering to conduct this recall. In rare circumstances, the nut could loosen fully. I want to reiterate that this is extremely rare, but it does reinforce why we are acting with such urgency and caution,” said Scaringe in the e-mail sent out to buyers.

The executive also advised Rivian drivers to pay attention. If they notice vibration, excessive noise, or a change in how the steering feels, then they should immediately schedule an appointment.

The 2023 Rivian R1T Quad Motor has officially become the longest-range electric pickup truck on the market. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated R1T’s range at 328 miles when configured with the Large battery pack.
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Rivian is readying the R1T and R1S for the 2023 model year, and one of the most important updates is the increased range. Both models have now received the official EPA estimates, with 328 miles (528 km) for the R1T and 321 miles (517 km) for the R1S. The performance makes it the longest-range electric pickup truck on the market. The R1T Quad Motor, equipped with a Large battery pack, thus beat the Ford F-150, which has an EPA estimate of 320 miles (515 km).

The record-breaking Rivian R1T was tested with the 21-inch wheels, which proved to be the most efficient option. The same truck got an EPA-estimated range of 303 miles (487 kilometers) when equipped with 22-inch wheels. Surprisingly, it fared even worse with 20-inch wheels, only achieving a 289-mile (487-km) EPA estimate. For comparison, the 2022 R1T got a 314-mile (515-km) EPA estimate. The fuel efficiency has also increased, from 70 MPGe combined for the 2022 model year to 73 MPGe on the newer version.

The Rivian R1T was supposed to have three battery options: Standard, Large, and Max. Unfortunately, you can now order the Quad-Motor version only with the medium-sized Large pack. The EV maker has already contacted reservation holders who wanted the Quad Motor configuration with the Max battery pack to tell them to switch their order to a Large pack instead. Indeed, Rivian’s vehicle studio lists all other battery options as “not available with Quad-Motor AWD.”

You can still specify Dual-Motor configurations of the R1T with either of the three battery options. The in-house-developed dual-motor AWD powertrain was teased by Rivian in a recent video but will not deliver until mid-2023. According to Rivian, the new powertrain will be offered in standard or enhanced configurations, with 600 hp and 700 hp, respectively. The new drive options will improve R1T’s range, even more when combined with the Max battery pack.

Rivian estimates that the Dual-Motor R1T is expected to cover 260 miles on a charge when configured with the Standard battery pack. There is no estimate on the Large pack, but the Max battery should push the truck’s range to around 400 miles. It remains to be seen if EPA will confirm these numbers. Nevertheless, Rivian is heading in the right direction, and we hope the company will overcome current economic hurdles.

Electric pickup trucks are polarizing all on their own. You have the early adopters who tout their performance as the best thing since sliced bread, and you have the opponents who point to their immense curb weight among other cons. As if that argument wasn't heated enough, SoFlo Customs and Apocalypse Manufacturing have fueled the fire with lithium-ion by building the world's first lifted Rivian R1T.

It'd be one thing if they only modified the frame and suspension, but clearly, it goes beyond that. Just as important to Apocalypse was the Rivian's styling, which they told me looked too much "like a Kia" in its stock form. We'll get to that soon enough, though. Let's talk about the suspension.

The lift is what first caught my attention when I saw a video of the Rivian in its previous form a few weeks back. I've written about this at length before but suspension mods on electric trucks are way trickier than on gas or diesel pickups. That's largely because of their independent rear suspension, but once you exceed a certain height over stock, the front suspension becomes increasingly challenging too. The crew at Apocalypse found that out firsthand when jacking the Rivian sky-high.

At first, they expected it to involve more frame modification than suspension work. However, the owner of SoFlo Customs and Apocalypse Manufacturing Joe Ghattas told me it quickly spiraled into something more. Whereas they originally planned on simply dropping the subframe and bringing the electric motors down in relation to the rest of the chassis, they soon decided the only way forward would be custom-making a host of suspension components.

"We had to fabricate every single part from scratch," Ghattas told The Drive over the phone. "We thought we were going to be able to just slide that subframe down a bit. We ended up having to make our own spindle from scratch, upper and lower control arms from scratch, and our own steering setup there to extend the rack back to where the driver reaches."

"This thing is chock full of sensors; it picks up resistance off one area or another and you've got a dashboard full of lights," Ghattas continued. "It took a lot more than I thought—we're nine months into this project—but we're really happy with what came out the other end. I drove this car yesterday to the Dolphins game, and it's a mixture of a sports car and a big truck all together. You want the feel of a Ferrari and be able to drive over curbs, and that's what I got out of this."

Ghattas mentioned the sensors. There are tons of 'em tied into the R1T's suspension, which consists of adaptive dampers that are hydraulically cross-linked as well as air springs. That's what sets it apart, Ghattas insists, and it took a lot of trial and error to get these systems to play nicely with SoFlo's new hardware.

"We went through a full set of airbags—blew 'em all up because the slightest differentiation of angles on these things makes a big difference," Ghattas said. "This thing was engineered with very tight tolerances and we had to recreate all of that."

The same can be said for the active safety features, which presented a new set of challenges when fitting that extreme bodywork. Apocalypse is known for for customizing trucks with angular fenders and the like, but the Rivian uses a whole suite of integrated body sensors to relay information for adaptive cruise, automatic steering, and braking. They all had to be reworked with the truck's super-aggro fiberglass body panels. It was worth it, though, according to Ghattas.

"I would have never given that car a second thought," Ghattas said. "It looks like a Kia on the outside. But jump in it and it's lightning fast and the ride is really impressive. I was looking at this and it has nearly 1,000 horsepower, it does zero to 60 in like two seconds, but it's ugly as sin on the outside so that's what we went to fix. We rebodied the entire truck, jacked it up so it can clear 38-inch tires, put a nice skid plate on the bottom so you can actually take this thing off-roading. They've done all the hard work by figuring out the torque vectoring and electric drive setup; all I had to do was make it taller and keep it intact."

Ghattas actually loves the R1T so much that he wants SoFlo Customs and Apocalypse Manufacturing to collaborate directly with Rivian in the future. He had this to say at the end of our call:

"I'm so incredibly impressed with the technology in the Rivian. I think it's an amazing truck. Its only downside is the look, and someway, somehow if I could become Rivian's Shelby or Brabus, I would love to be."

The plan is to sell the quad-motor truck, named the Apocalypse Nirvana, to anybody who wants one for around $150,000.

Both Ford and Rivian are using Tesla's off-roading failures to promote their own vehicles' capabilities. A couple of weeks ago, we showcased a clip of a Tesla Cybertruck tackling some light off-road trail. It was at the Hollister Hills State Vehicle Recreation Area (SVRA) in California. The blocky electric truck didn't impress as it showed difficulty turning and gaining traction on the SVRA's "The Steps" section.

Fast forward to today, Ford CEO Jim Farley posted a clip on X showing the F-150 Lightning giving the same stretch of trail a go. Compared to the Cybertruck, the Lightning managed to avoid loss of traction on the very same turn. Its tires squealed a bit on the uneven uphill passage, but generally, it did it smoother and faster than the Tesla could.

Yet another video also from X then goes on to show the Rivian R1T pickup truck battling the same hill, conquering the challenge faster than both the Ford and the Tesla.

Do note that the R1T does have a couple of aces up its sleeve. As commenters pointed out, it showed more suspension flex than the Cybertruck and the Lightning. We aren't sure as to what R1T trim was used on the clip, but note that its most potent quad-motor version is more powerful than the Ford, with 835 horsepower and 908 lb-ft of torque. The top-spec F-150 Lightning makes 580 hp and 775 lb-ft.

For now, only the Cybertruck's dimensions and interior measurements of the Cybertruck have been leaked, and we know next to nothing about its powertrain. It was already indicated that it's getting a high-performance three-motor variant, which could at least hold a candle to the Rivian R1T's more humble 665 hp version.

Going back to the hill-climb clips, plenty of other factors could determine the performance of these trucks in the said off-road section. As such, comparing how they did via clips alone isn't an accurate representation of their true capabilities.

There are plenty of important factors in play, too, that aren't revealed in the clips. What tires were the trucks using? Were they over-inflated or not? Did the Cybertruck have a novice driver, and did the other two EVs have more experienced pilots? Once the Cybertruck rolls out this coming November 30, hopefully, we can witness more proper comparisons between these electric trucks, but on face value, it seems that the Cybertruck will be comprehensively out-performed off the beaten path.

MEET THE NEW R1S AND R1T

Our new R1 vehicles have hundreds of hardware improvements, performance upgrades, a fully redesigned software experience, new in-house drive systems and many new features, updates and design elements throughout.

While the exterior design remains largely the same, our vehicles have been reengineered for more efficiency and higher performance, while also introducing a step change with entirely new compute and autonomy platforms.

Performance

Our new R1 lineup now delivers more power, performance and range with a new Rivian drive unit offered in Tri-Motor and Quad-Motor configurations. Our outstanding Rivian Dual-Motor continues as well. All motors on all Rivian vehicles are now designed, engineered and manufactured fully in-house.

Dual-Motor Our Dual-Motor delivers incredible all-wheel drive capability along with 665 horsepower and 0–60 mph in as quick as 3.4 seconds for the Performance variant.

Tri-Motor Our all-new 850 horsepower Tri-Motor packs two motors in the rear and one in front for a blend of exceptional power and range. The Tri-Motor R1T delivers 0–60 mph in 2.9 seconds while offering an estimated range of 380 miles. In Conserve Mode, the estimated range is up to 410 miles.

Quad-Motor For peak adventure, our new 1,025 horsepower Quad-Motor delivers 0–60 mph in less than 2.5 seconds in R1T — and ¼ mile in 10.5 seconds — with a staggering 1,198 lb-ft of torque when using Launch Mode. 60–80 mph acceleration is 1.5 seconds, with incredible torque control at each wheel for superior on-road performance and off-road capability

Our newest drive unit houses two motors, used in the rear of the Tri-Motor and in both the front and rear of the Quad-Motor. With Quad, the two-motor front drive unit is smaller, optimized for efficiency at cruising speeds. The rear application is much larger, geared to maximize torque to the tires’ traction limit. In both Tri and Quad variants, while operating in Conserve mode, an automatic rear disconnect ensures AWD performance is always available, but intuitively turns off when driving demand doesn't require it, helping you maximize range when you need it, and performance when you want it.

All Rivian motors are oil-cooled, significantly improving thermal performance during high-torque, low-speed driving such as rock crawling while also improving range efficiency during low-torque, high-speed cruising.

Ride and Handling

Our second generation R1 vehicles feature a fully reengineered suspension system, with a key focus on enhancing R1S ride and handling. On the first generation R1S, the suspension biased toward a more sport-tuned feel. In listening to customer feedback, the second generation R1S delivers a smoother ride quality while utilizing the adjustability of our dampers to ensure there is no compromise to on-road performance and off-road capability.

R1S ride and handling advancements are achieved through new air springs with recalibrated front and rear spring rates, new dampers and a new hydraulic roll control system specifically optimized for R1S, similar to those found on supercars. The vehicle is now even more fun to drive, with a more progressive and stable ride in all environments and increased passenger comfort in all rows.

Range and Batteries

We continue to offer three battery pack sizes with our next generation of Rivian vehicles.

Our completely reengineered Max and Large battery packs deliver estimated ranges of up to 420 and 330 miles respectively while achieving substantial improvements in the cost to manufacture these packs. These updated battery packs continue to use a 2170 cylindrical cell and the pack enclosure now utilizes large high pressure die castings to not only dramatically simplify manufacturing but to also reduce mass.Our new Standard pack now features a lithium iron phosphate chemistry and provides up to 270 miles of EPA-estimated range. Thanks to more efficient manufacturing processes across the lineup, our battery packs are less complex to assemble and easier to service.

All Rivian vehicles can add up to 140 miles of range in as quick as 20 minutes and are compatible with all major public high-speed charging networks, including our own Rivian Adventure Network and Tesla Superchargers.
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Electrical Architecture and Compute Platform

Our second generation R1 vehicles feature an entirely new electrical architecture and compute platform developed in-house by our hardware and software team. This significant update to our onboard computing system makes our vehicles more robust, less costly to produce and easier to service — all while improving the experience for our customers. Our new system also dramatically improves scalability for deployment in future vehicles.

Core to the new system is a substantial reduction in the number of electronic control units (ECUs) used to control the vehicle, down from 17 different ECUs in our first generation to just seven ECUs in our second generation. This massive simplification has been achieved by shifting to a zonal architecture and by significantly increasing the computational capabilities of each of our ECUs. While infotainment, autonomy, vehicle access and our battery management system each have their own ECU, every other vehicle function is controlled by just three ECUs.

Shifting to a zonal system enabled us to remove over 1.6 miles (2.6km) of wiring from each vehicle, shedding 44 lbs (20kg) of weight. This reduction in wiring, along with the elimination of 10 ECUs, greatly reduces production costs. Fewer components needing to be installed during assembly also improves manufacturing efficiency, allowing us to build vehicles more quickly and with better quality. With less components onboard, vehicles are easier to service and require us to stock fewer parts, improving serviceability.