There has been a lot of buzz and discussion surrounding the R1T pre-order vehicles. In order to provide clarity and update customers on the latest developments, Rivian recently sent an email to thousands of its pre-order holders, followed by a detailed blog post that delves into the new variant introduced. In this post, we will go into more detail about the changes that were communicated to customers and the reactions to these changes.
In the email sent out to Rivian preorder holders for the 400-mile variant, the automaker made some important updates to the configuration options for the R1T vehicles. Firstly, Rivian announced that they would be removing the quad max from the configurator in January, and in its place, would be offering customers standard and enhanced dual max. Both of these options maintain the range estimates and provide a highly capable vehicle.
From the post, we can see that Rivian wants to streamline its manufacturing process as much as possible to make it cheaper and faster to build these vehicles that are so much in demand. Beginning in early 2023, the R1T and R1S will be available to reserve in three All-Wheel Drive configurations. These include the Dual-Motor, Enhanced Dual-Motor and Quad-Motor configurations.
Rivian says All three systems deliver instant torque and precise control, with exceptional driving dynamics both on-road and way off.
The change in configuration options also decreases the price tag for those customers who have already locked in their pricing commitment with Rivian before the date the new EV tax breaks were to take effect in order to benefit from the subsidies before it was no longer available for those vehicles. The email was sent out in segments, with customers who placed their pre-order before March 1, 2022, seeing a reduction of $4500 by switching from the quad motor max to the standard dual motor max and a reduction of $2000 by switching to the enhanced dual motor max. Customers who placed their orders between March 1, 2022, and March 2, 2025, would see a difference of $6000 and $1000 respectively, by switching to the standard or enhanced dual motor max options.
RIvian went ahead to release this information early so that customers would have time to process and think about the situation before they reintroduce the configurator early this year. By providing information about the options that will be available in 2023, customers can consider factors such as range, performance, and cost, and formulate questions to ask our team. This way, when the configurator is live in January, customers can make an informed decision about which option is best for them.
Here is a brief rundown of the dual motor variants and what they offer.
Rivian Dual-Motor AWD features two single-motor drive units — one on the front axle and one on the rear. This system promises a combined output of over 600 horsepower and over 600 ft-lbs of torque with acceleration from 0–60 mph as quick as 4.5 seconds. It can toe up to 11,000 lbs in the R1T and 7,700 lbs in the R1S. The ability to continue adding new drive modes through software updates further broadens its spectrum of capabilities.
ENHANCED DUAL-MOTOR AWD
The Dual-Motor all-wheel drive system can be optionally enhanced through a software upgrade, providing additional power and acceleration. Software enhancement only means the two variants have the same hardware but one’s performance has been limited with software. This option delivers approximately 700 horsepower (vs 600+ hp for Dual-Motor AWD), more than 700 ft-lbs of torque (vs 600 ft-lbs of torque for Dual-Motor AWD), and acceleration from 0-60 mph as quick as 3.5 seconds (vs 4.5 seconds for Dual-Motor AWD). Off-road driving dynamics, including front-to-rear torque vectoring and independent brake actuation at each wheel, are identical between Dual-Motor and Enhanced Dual-Motor options.
One of the main questions that customers have had is about the technical details of the dual motor architecture and options. In response to these questions, we clarified in the blog post that the enhancement is a software enhancement and that the pricing for customers who placed their pre-orders before March 1, 2022, would decrease. For these customers, switching from the quad motor plus max pack to the standard dual motor plus max back one day would reduce the price by $4500, and switching to the enhanced dual motor max would reduce the price by $2000.
In addition to the technical details, also answered questions about delivery timing and pricing. Many customers have asked when they can make changes to their orders to lock in their delivery time, and others have expressed satisfaction with the reduction in pricing. However, there are also questions about the reintroduction of the quad max variant in the future, which was mentioned in the email. Rivian made it clear in the email that there is no information available on this and that their product engineering team is not working on it currently. We expect that the quad max variant will not be reintroduced in 2023 and that it will come back later with a new pricing set.
The team behind the electric vehicle (EV) system is excited about the development of the latest addition to their platform – the dual motor system. With 700 horsepower and over 700 pound-feet of torque, the system is approaching the performance of their quad motor system, while being more accessible to a wider range of customers. The team faced the challenge of integrating the three systems and delivering a solution that met their goals.
One of the questions the team frequently receives is about the voltage architecture of the dual motor system. Rivian is making this model available with a 450-volt DC nominal charging system.
Another area of interest is the increased range of the existing R1s, which is a result of a combination of factors including energy management software and improved efficiency. The team has not yet seen the range increase with the latest OTA, but they expect more information to be available soon.
The delivery window for the new configurations is expected to start in early 2023, with the earliest delivery prioritized for the quad max customers who are located in serviceable areas. The configurator for the changes is expected to be available in January, with some flexibility time for the digital teams in early Q1.
There were also queries about the possibility of a three-motor variant or something similar, but they stated that it is not necessary as the dual motor system is already close to the quad motor in terms of performance. The dual motor system offers many of the same capabilities as the quad, thanks to software advancements.
In conclusion, the recent updates and communication about the R1T pre-order vehicles have sparked a lot of discussion and questions from Rivian customers. However, we see that Rivian wants to provide clarity and transparency to their customers about the options available to them and the changes that are being made to the configuration options.
By sending an email and posting a detailed blog post, Rivian aims to address the questions and concerns of our customers through Rivian guides and help them make an informed decision about their R1T vehicle.
Did you go for the dual motor R1 vehicle, let us know why you picked it over the quad or any other variant. let us know in the comment section below.
