Photo: EPA
Can an off-roader be a fuel-efficient machine? After many years covering the automotive industry, the closest we ever got to that was the Suzuki Jimny and only because it was tiny and very light. These vehicles are usually massive and have a vast frontal area and big engines, making them not very frugal. The official EPA numbers for the Rivian R1T and R1S show that this is also the case with electric vehicles with that mission, even if they are much better than their combustion-engined competitors.
EPA itself allows us to compare the R1T and R1S to some of its best opponents. We put them side-by-side with the Ford F-150 4WD HEV and the Ford Explorer HEV AWD in an attempt to achieve fair competition. Apart from being made by an early Rivian investor, they respectively match the R1T and the R1S in most dimensions.
As the main image in this article shows, the R1T achieves a combined energy consumption of 70 MPGe. The F-150 in its hybrid version manages to deliver only 24 MPG – or only 34.3% of what the Rivian electric pickup truck can offer.
When it comes to the R1S, the Explorer is slightly smaller than the electric SUV. Despite being lighter, it is still beaten by the Rivian by a large margin: 25 MPG against 69 MPGe of the R1S. That’s 36.2% of what the Rivian SUV gets with its electric motors. No other hybrid SUV of a comparable size does any better than this Ford.
As the first electric SUV of this size, the R1S has no direct opponent, just like the R1T. The closest we can get to it is with PHEVs (plug-in hybrids). Again, Ford Motor Company has the most competent contender to pit against the R1S, even with another brand: the Lincoln Aviator PHEV AWD. It offers 56 MPGe, still below the 69 MPGe of the Rivian product.
The only PHEVs from other brands that are almost as big as the R1S are the Land Rover Range Rover PHEV, with 42 MPGe, the Bentley Bentayga, with 46 MPGe. Some could argue that the BMW X5 xDrive45e (50 MPGe) or the Volvo XC90 AWD PHEV (55 MPGe) could also compete with it, but they are smaller and do not get the same energy efficiency numbers as the Aviator.
Comparing the R1T and the R1S to other electric cars that do not have the same off-road capabilities or similar dimensions would be just stupid. According to EPA, the Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus gets 142 MPGe, but it cannot be fairly compared to the current Rivian vehicles. If that were possible, the Toyota Prius Prime would beat most of Tesla’s products apart from the Model 3 SR+ and the LR AWD (134 MPGe): it gets 133 MPGe with a combustion engine.
With that in mind, Rivian must be pretty proud of its numbers. What still penalizes EVs is the range: the R1T gets 314 miles, while the R1S goes a little further: 316 mi. New battery technology or battery swapping may help solve that in the future.
As the main image in this article shows, the R1T achieves a combined energy consumption of 70 MPGe. The F-150 in its hybrid version manages to deliver only 24 MPG – or only 34.3% of what the Rivian electric pickup truck can offer.
When it comes to the R1S, the Explorer is slightly smaller than the electric SUV. Despite being lighter, it is still beaten by the Rivian by a large margin: 25 MPG against 69 MPGe of the R1S. That’s 36.2% of what the Rivian SUV gets with its electric motors. No other hybrid SUV of a comparable size does any better than this Ford.
As the first electric SUV of this size, the R1S has no direct opponent, just like the R1T. The closest we can get to it is with PHEVs (plug-in hybrids). Again, Ford Motor Company has the most competent contender to pit against the R1S, even with another brand: the Lincoln Aviator PHEV AWD. It offers 56 MPGe, still below the 69 MPGe of the Rivian product.
The only PHEVs from other brands that are almost as big as the R1S are the Land Rover Range Rover PHEV, with 42 MPGe, the Bentley Bentayga, with 46 MPGe. Some could argue that the BMW X5 xDrive45e (50 MPGe) or the Volvo XC90 AWD PHEV (55 MPGe) could also compete with it, but they are smaller and do not get the same energy efficiency numbers as the Aviator.
Comparing the R1T and the R1S to other electric cars that do not have the same off-road capabilities or similar dimensions would be just stupid. According to EPA, the Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus gets 142 MPGe, but it cannot be fairly compared to the current Rivian vehicles. If that were possible, the Toyota Prius Prime would beat most of Tesla’s products apart from the Model 3 SR+ and the LR AWD (134 MPGe): it gets 133 MPGe with a combustion engine.
With that in mind, Rivian must be pretty proud of its numbers. What still penalizes EVs is the range: the R1T gets 314 miles, while the R1S goes a little further: 316 mi. New battery technology or battery swapping may help solve that in the future.
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