If you want an BEV truck quickly, Rivian is the way to go.

[electricAK]

Rivian R1T’s have already traversed road you’ll never - from Ushuaia AR tip of Tierra del Fuego to AK via Pan Americana Carreta. R1T shakedown cruise should be well and truly over for the Gremlins and bugs.
First editions typically have attention to detail and extras later omitted as production expertise streamlines assembly. I’ve enjoyed more than one first edition whose goodies were gone the next model year.

I think there is a big difference between the kind of testing the company can feasibly do (like driving the Pan American and off roading in Moab for photo ops), and real-driver, real-world testing for 200,000 miles or more in myriad climates and use cases. You simply can't test a vehicle for all the wear and tear it will see once in customer hands. Sure, some first editions come out great, but these were not the company's FIRST EVER vehicle. Rivian just hasn't been producing vehicles, so there's no way to work out the kinks that happen after years of customer use and abuse.

...Which is exactly what happened to the Chevy Bolt. They made thousands and thousands, and only now are they realizing a critical defect in the battery structure.

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[Ogre]

Rivian isn’t testing trucks doing all these off-road adventures. It’s all about promotion. You don’t test vehicles by driving them all over the planet in front of a bunch of media.

 

[rr6013]

Rivian isn’t testing trucks doing all these off-road adventures. It’s all about promotion. You don’t test vehicles by driving them all over the planet in front of a bunch of media.

Admittedly agreed. I’ve been on the Pan Americana from AR thru Panama. Its like driving on 1930’s US roadways. More narrow, unshouldered and not exactly over-designed neither. Gravel roads in the US are smoother many times.

Oh Rivian got a definite shakedown of their prototypes. They dealt with calamity and breakdown even with support crew. All of that went into the “Gold Master” for production.

Discovery and hidden defect not visible including error and omissions duly noted byte the hand that feeds it. Teslas battery pack are testiment to refinement, iteration and lessons learned.

Rivian Vlogged and blogged its updates for eyeballs. It paid dearly for real world testing in non-laboratory condition and inclimate ones much harder than its intended target market in the USA.

It does disservice to the lengths to which Rivian took its design at no expense spared to drive the trucks as they will be used - in the real world. To assert that the conditions amounted to a lesser test than manufacturers normally perform defies credulity.

I’m not so cynical that the actual time, distance and expense invested were lost, sunk advertising budget on a made for eyeballs movie - not real or true.

 

[rr6013]

I think there is a big difference between the kind of testing the company can feasibly do (like driving the Pan American and off roading in Moab for photo ops), and real-driver, real-world testing for 200,000 miles or more in myriad climates and use cases. You simply can't test a vehicle for all the wear and tear it will see once in customer hands. Sure, some first editions come out great, but these were not the company's FIRST EVER vehicle. Rivian just hasn't been producing vehicles, so there's no way to work out the kinks that happen after years of customer use and abuse.

...Which is exactly what happened to the Chevy Bolt. They made thousands and thousands, and only now are they realizing a critical defect in the battery structure.

Software fails in-use faster than Verification and Validation test suites. Electrical problems surfaced almost instantaneously. Automotive engineering has gotten proficient over decades ruggedizing components, parts and systems. They know how to squeeze 300,000 mi. out of engineering. So there is little to be learned beyond the first 30 days.

Shit happens! Chemistries, biologies and use-cases can only be iterated over known applications. If hidden corrosion, catalytic reaction or structural failure within those bodies ensues then cycle testing failed prior to manufacture.

Mechanicals do need testing repetitively. Whatever mileagevracked up on the Pan Americana did shake the shit out of that prototype, glass, electronics and moveable fixtures attached. Moab, clearly press event, still had to run its course. I never saw anything a 4x4 production vehicle could NOT handle, color me unimpressed. But if the truck has an obvious limitation, flaw or quirk visible, it was put out there for all the world to see.

Rivian has no history building trucks. That’s to their advantage in BEV terms. Its also Rivians weakest suit as you point iut. Can they build at scale, is the design orthogonal and will it e qual or better protypes hand-built? Damn straight first owners are going to be very vocal about everything Rivian put out for all the world to see. Anthing less is a fail.

Edit:not handle

 

[Ogre]

I’m a little put off by exactly how media focused Rivian is at the moment.

Maybe if they spent as much time in the factory getting their assembly lines in order as they spend in front of the camera documenting every little bump their trucks traverse it would be a little more impressive.

Since Tesla is a Texas company I can use this phrase now.

All hat and no Cattle.
All booster, no payload.
All head, no beer

I think you get the point. They aren’t quite the scam Nikola is, but they‘ve made 10 times as much noise.

 

[Mini2nut]

The pickup and SUV are only the first salvos from Rivian. They are being tight lipped about future products in their portfolio.

The rumor is they will be introducing a Wrangler/Bronco fighter around 2023. If it’s affordable and as good as the R1T it’s going to be a huge hit for Rivian. A lower price point Dual Motor R1T is also on the horizon and may debut in 2022.

If the production version of the Cybertruck isn’t “garageable” I may be looking at an R1T. It will be interesting to see if Tesla made the production version roughly 3% shorther in length and a tad shorter in width.

 

[rr6013]

Since Tesla is a Texas company I can use this phrase now.

All hat and no Cattle.

“All belt buckle, no horse” right now. Luv Texans.

 

[rr6013]

I’m a little put off by exactly how media focused Rivian is at the moment.

Maybe if they spent as much time in the factory getting their assembly lines in order as they spend in front of the camera documenting every little bump their trucks traverse it would be a little more impressive.

<snip>

I think you get the point. They aren’t quite the scam Nikola is, but they‘ve made 10 times as much noise.

Elon has warned to the transition hump ahead for EV startups! Model 3 nearly broke Tesla and Elon. That’s really your Rivian point. Its a good one!

Rivian hasn’t been proven, the company nor its technology. I get it.

CO2 global warming is tracking 4°C. Tesla can’t transition the world by itself, alone. That’s the reasoning Rivian support for bringing fresh innovation and a four wheel-motor platform earned more cred than hybridizing as FORD is doing. FORD is a pure marketing ploy on global warming to keep loyal customers of the brand onboard. Its a brilliant ploy but CO2 - not as much.

I understand startup, done three myself. They aren’t GM, FORD nor Tesla but without test track, R&D lab they made the most of what they had - real world proving ground. Rivian are second only to Elon as underdog in the pickup EV gambit. I respect that they didn’t just copy but lofted a new platform, new utility and new power implementation. Its simple, significant and beyond “wannabe”.

 

[Ogre]

Weird thought/ question.

If the next version of the EV incentive passes, does it sunset the previous version entirely?

That might leave many Rivian owners in the weird position of being disqualified for any EV incentive after the first of the year.

I have no idea if that’s how this will work, just thinking out-loud.

 

[Ogre]

Reply to own post, I was able to browse the measure and it doesn’t appear at first glance to revoke the previous incentives, it relies on the double dipping provision to prevent that.

So shouldn’t affect Rivian. Also makes this weird state where maybe Ford might be able to claim trucks which are over the new $74k limit.

 

[Ogre]

“All belt buckle, no horse” right now. Luv Texans.

Tesla is more literally “All Belt Buckle, No Truck”

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