Rivian made a couple of very important changes this year. It figured out how to ramp up production while also keeping an eye on refining its products. But there are even more important novelties coming next year. In 2024, the smallest LFP battery pack will become available, and the brand will start charging customers who use its high-power charging network. However, for now, the best news is that the dual-motor large-pack R1-series units are reaching customers.
Confirmations that buyers are putting their hands on the dual-motor R1 EVs with large-pack batteries are emerging on the most important social media platforms. It looks like Rivian is finally sending these vehicles on their way. It's an important moment for the Irvine-based manufacturer.
A customer who placed a deposit on August 16 for a performance dual-motor large-battery R1T finished in Canyon Red with an Ocean Coast interior and riding on 21-inch wheels took delivery of the unit on September 20. They waited a little over one month and announced on Reddit that the truck presented itself in great condition.
Another buyer showed on a private Facebook group their spanking-new Limestone R1T with the 22-inch wheels and the Black Mountain interior.
The Rivian EVs with two fewer motors differentiate themselves from the quads through the silver badges and brake calipers. These vehicles have a base output of 533 hp or, for $5,000 more, 665 hp.
Sadly, we did not find a buyer sharing that they took delivery of a dual-motor R1S. But there could be Americans out there already driving one, though! Pictures showing the SUV with the silver badges surfaced online and there were multiple dual-motor units ready to be snatched away in the R1 shop.
Photo: Rivian Updates on Twitter
Starting deliveries of the dual-motor R1-series EVs coincides with the automaker allowing everyone interested in buying an already-built all-electric pickup truck to look at inventory R1Ts. People can see what pickup truck versions could be near where they live. However, how the tool is built suggests the brand also explores hauling these inventory units to various zip codes across the country or service centers.
We looked around and saw that for two different zip codes and various color options, the results displayed were always six – no more, no less. On top of that, all R1Ts were quad-motor versions that have the Bosch drive units, not Rivian's in-house Enduro motors.
Even weirder, other prospective buyers who received access to the so-called "secret shop" shared with Rivian fans that many dual-motor vehicles are readily available for purchase. Those did not appear when we searched the R1T inventory. That suggests the EV maker might try to offload all the newer vehicles that sit in a parking lot without an owner, and it's doing so by offering different builds to different types of customers.
Making and actually delivering the dual-motor R1T and R1S to customers is an important milestone for Rivian. The brand dropped the production costs by about 25% per unit thanks to the Enduro motors that require fewer semiconductors and no transportation from a third party. The company gets the chips from its two partners and makes the motors at its plant in Normal, Illinois.
But debuting deliveries could also signal that Rivian might gear up for finally putting customers behind the wheel of a dual-motor R1T with the max-pack battery. That's the energy storage unit providing the pickup truck with a range of up to 410 miles on a single charge.
Even though you cannot order a dual- or quad-motor R1S with the max-pack, Rivian confirmed the vehicle would get up to 400 miles of EPA-rated range.
Finally, some R1T buyers reported October – December as delivery estimates. They might come sooner, folks!
Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one. Full profile
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