The Rivian R1S is the closed version of the R1T pickup truck, and its initial copies are already driving in the United States – at prices that are acceptable in the luxury off-road segment. Rivian competes with vehicles like the GMC Hummer, Tesla’s Cybertruck, and Ford’s Lightning 150, but these are still far from actual production and sales. The American stock market believes in the young company from Southern California, as evidenced by its massive $11.9 billion IPO, which concluded in November 2021.
Compared to the hypercars we wrote about in previous pages, the engine specifications of the R1S are relatively modest. Nevertheless, it is an amazing machine in terms of practical off-road use – 754 horsepower and a 180 kWh battery, accelerating from zero to one hundred in three seconds, with a range of over 500 kilometers. Rivian’s off-road vehicles are designed for lifestyle branding purposes, but they also have excellent off-road capabilities, from fast trail driving to rock crawling. This capability is supported by air suspensions that allow the vehicle’s ground clearance to be raised to an impressive 38 centimeters.
To test their capabilities, two R1Ts were sent in 2019 to cross America from coast to coast on the TransAmerica Trail, which includes thousands of kilometers of dirt roads and challenging passages. At the same time, Rivian’s off-road capabilities were tested in off-road races and extreme trials in deserts and icy areas.
The absence of an internal combustion engine and the power transfer units give the vehicle unique utility – the tailgate has no engine but rather a large cargo compartment; an additional hidden cargo compartment is built into the width of the vehicle (where the frame and rear axle used to be). The battery allows for lighting, cooling, heating, and music supply for a week-long stay off-road.
Bottom line: a breakthrough, beyond asphalt
Price: $80,000
