Ordered a Rivian R1T after owning a Cybertruck for three months

[REM]

I owned a Rivian for over a year and 12k miles before I traded it for my CT. Real world range (vs EPA ratings) was similar to other EVs I own/have owned (Tesla Model X, Lucid Air Grand Touring). Where Rivian excels is in their trip planner… when you start a trip in a Rivian, you will confidently arrive with 110% of the estimated remaining range at your destination compared to the overly optimistic Tesla estimates that often result in an extra charging stop on a road trip.

There is not a single EV on the planet that is as accurate as Tesla long distance travel calculator.

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[BornToFly]

LOL. I had a reservation for an R1T with bigger battery for years. Cancelled it because the bed on the Rivian is so tiny that I can't carry my road bikes in it (which fit in my Model S and Y). Also their rear clutch system on the rear motor has nothing but problems, and would be completed avoidable if they didn't use a permanent magnet motor (best part is no part). Good luck.

P.S. - You don't need a spare unless you go off roading. Nails, etc., give slow leaks that are easily detected by the TPMS system, and can be driven on after adding air until they are properly plugged or patched. I haven't changed a tire in 30+ years.

 

[SwampNut]

I believe we should also consider Tesla's groundbreaking design philosophy and integral approach to structural integrity and build processes.

Definitely, which Rivian is just now moving towards. Gen 2 cleans up 1.6 miles of wiring and goes towards a zonal rather than domain-based vehicle management system. They now make their own motors, not Bosch. Etc.

Cancelled it because the bed on the Rivian is so tiny that I can't carry my road bikes in it (which fit in my Model S and Y).

Meanwhile I can put my huge-ass dirt bike in it, and also the rather large mountain bike. No idea how you can NOT do this. Plus the cargo bars have a dedicated bike carrier option to "float" them over the bed, which is really cool. My e-MTB is 52 pounds so I'm not sure about this. So far it goes in the bed.

Also their rear clutch system on the rear motor has nothing but problems

LOL. No.

There is not a single EV on the planet that is as accurate as Tesla long distance travel calculator.

The Rivian blows it away when towing or otherwise dealing with a load. I haven't paid super close attention to it otherwise.

 

[BornToFly]

Definitely, which Rivian is just now moving towards. Gen 2 cleans up 1.6 miles of wiring and goes towards a zonal rather than domain-based vehicle management system. They now make their own motors, not Bosch. Etc.



Meanwhile I can put my huge-ass dirt bike in it, and also the rather large mountain bike. No idea how you can NOT do this. Plus the cargo bars have a dedicated bike carrier option to "float" them over the bed, which is really cool. My e-MTB is 52 pounds so I'm not sure about this. So far it goes in the bed.



LOL. No.



The Rivian blows it away when towing or otherwise dealing with a load. I haven't paid super close attention to it otherwise.

They don't fit in the Rivian, and certainly not with room to spare. I close the cover and they are secure from theft.

Kyle on X, who does all the EV testing, has talked about constant half shaft servicing and rear motor clutch problems with Rivian Dual Motor vehicles. You need to do more research.

 

[SwampNut]

You need to do more research.

No, I'm very familiar with the "problem."

 

[EricM]

There is not a single EV on the planet that is as accurate as Tesla long distance travel calculator.

Perhaps they have made some dramatic improvements in the last 12 months since I sold my X, but that definitely was not the case last year. I can only speak to my real world experiences taking multiple 200-300 mile road trips per month.

 

[Speee]

I've had my Cybertruck for three months. Last week, I ordered a 2025 Rivian R1T Adventure Dual Max with an estimated range of 420 miles. I'm expecting delivery of my Rivian in Sep-Oct.

I'm plan on keeping my Cybertruck for at least a year. Hopefully they won't have to be in for service at the same time.

I'm anticipating the R1T to have 30% more range than my Cybertruck. This extended range battery doesn't take up space in the load bed like the Cybertruck's range extender. The Rivian offers two additional advantages. When towing with the Cybertruck, we have to drop the trailer in order to back up to the Supercharger. On the Rivian, the charging port is in front of the front wheels, meaning we can pull straight in up to the charger. The Rivian can charge at many of the Superchargers that I use on a regular basis. Also, the Rivian has storage space for a full size spare tire, like most other pickups. The spare tire in my Cybertruck takes up half of the load bed. Both the Cybertruck and Rivian have a maximum towing capacity of 11,000 pounds. For the reasons stated above, the Rivian will definitely be my towing vehicle of choice.

The R1T Gen 2 truck includes Rivian's Autonomy Platform+ (Trial included through 2024), which includes 11 high-resolution cameras, including new 4K HDR units, ultrasonic sensors, and five advanced radars, including a Front Imaging Radar, detecting objects up to 1,000-feet away even in challenging weather and lighting conditions. These radars serve as a vital backup to the cameras. I liked having radar and ultrasonic sensors on my Model 3. I like having sensors that can see in unfavorable conditions.

Dual NVIDIA DRIVE Orin processors running DRIVE OS help power the Autonomy Compute Module on Rivian's second generation R1, performing over 250 trillion operations per second. Tesla is ahead of Rivian with FSD v.12, but Rivian had the hardware needed to catch up.

The price of the R1T Dual-motor AWD is $69,900, plus $14,000 for the Max battery, for a total of $83,900.
For more info, see https://stories.rivian.com/meet-the-new-r1

I sold my R1T to buy my Cybertruck and I’ve never looked back.

 

[wanders]

Enjoy your Rivian!

Unfortunately, it costs Rivian more to make each vehicle than they can sell them for. They have been whittling away at the cost to produce, but they are getting to the point where it's going to be harder to eliminate all losses.

Not that's not your problem as long as they keep the doors open, I mention it because the price is artificial and unsustainable. It's fake competition that cannot sustain itself. But as long as Rivian can keep getting more cash lifelines (like they just did from VW), they will keep making them in relatively small numbers. The problem from a consumer perspective happens if and when the cash dries up. Because there is no guarantee they will ever be able to compete with other automakers without investor subsidies.

I'm not trying to throw shade, I'm just being realistic with what I'm seeing about the way they operate. Hopefully they are able to increase manufacturing efficiencies, so they get to not only gross profit, but also eventually a net profit. Tesla in the early days was profitable on a gross basis almost every quarter. Meaning each additional car they sold helped them out financially, even though they were still losing money overall (because they weren't selling enough cars at a high enough gross profit). Rivian is the opposite, each additional car they sell causes bigger losses. Yes, the gross loss per car has declined dramaitcally, but there should have been gross profits per car from near the beginning. Elon always believed there was no point in selling a car for less than it cost you to make it, that you should sell cars designed to cost less to make than they were worth on the free market. Anyone can build nice cars, the question is can they be built for less than their actual market value?

I would like to see Rivian remain in business for the long haul.

Totally. I'm all for supporting competition, but don't pretend like Rivian is on the same level as Tesla, when they're losing money out their nose on everything they make.

Personally, I'm here for FSD. That's the game changer for me.

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