Told you that skateboard would be widely utilised.
US electric vehicle marque Rivian, who have been working in the shadows since 2009 to properly-disrupt the EV space, have announced and detailed their second model, following the unveiling of the R1T ute that we discussed in an earlier post. Using the same drivetrain and ‘skateboard’ beneath, the R1S SUV has been unveiled, ahead of its in-the-metal reveal at the 2018 Los Angeles motorshow.
It’s no small machine, the R1S. Coming in at 5040mm long, 2015mm wide, 1820mm high and 3075mm between the wheels, the R1S is about the size of a standard-wheelbase large SUV in the United States, though it’s markedly shorter than its ute brethren. However, thanks to the packaging benefits that come with electric propulsion, the R1S is able to offer class-leading levels of space & practicality, with seating for up to 7 (though top-spec models will only seat 5).
The R1S will utilise the same powertrains as its ute sibling like we said before, meaning that there’ll be 105kWh, 135kWh, and 180kWh variants offering 385km, 500km, and 660km of range per full charge respectively. The SUV offers only a marginal amount of additional range over the ute, likely due to weight. The R1S continues to use the one-motor-per-wheel design as the ute too, topping out at 201km/h at full-chat and offering up between 300kW/560Nm and 562kW/1120Nm. What has changed is towing capacity, with the ute capable of pulling up to 5,000kg whereas the SUV has to make do hauling just 3,500kg.
Like the ute, the R1S SUV will offer the same gamut of advanced driver assistance systems, capable of up to Level 3 autonomy on the motorway, all fed by a series of cameras, lidar, radar, GPS, and high-definition maps. There will also be a whole suite of touchscreens, with a 15.6-inch unit on the dash, a 6.8-inch unit in the back, and a 12.3-inch non-touchscreen ahead of the driver doing instrumentation duties.
The R1S is a capable off-roader too, with Rivian talking up its 34º approach angle, 30º departure angle, and 29º breaker angle. It was unspecified, but wading depth here should also be about a metre. With prices starting at US$72,500 (or just under $100k without US government incentives), the Rivian R1S certainly appears to be quite the segment upsetter, offering greater space, versatility, and capability than current EV SUV fixtures like the Jaguar I-Pace and Tesla Model X. With deliveries set for late-2020, could this perhaps be something we’ll see on our roads too?
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