Rivian electric pickup truck will be able to steer like a tank — here’s what it looks like

Rivian’s electric pickup truck, the R1T, is going to have some special features, and one less known about is the ability to steer like a tank.

A new video shows what it looks like.

After the unveiling event last year, we took a close look at Rivian’s R1T all-electric pickup truck, and I was so impressed that I ordered one.

It’s equipped with four electric motors, each a 147 kW power capacity at the wheel, while the total power output can be configured to different levels, from 300 kW to 562 kW (input to gearbox).

The system gives Rivian an incredible ability to control to torque at the wheel, which the company can use to steer the pickup truck almost like a tank.

Auto Vision produced a CGI video showing what this tank steering could look like on the Rivian R1T:

https://youtu.be/2720lLcyVqE

While this video is CGI, we have seen an actual video, which Rivian has yet to release, of a prototype of the R1T doing exactly that, and even more impressive tank steering.

As for the other specs, the different power levels (300 kW to 562 kW) match different choices of battery packs, which are another impressive feature since they have the highest capacity of any other passenger electric vehicle out there: 105 kWh, 135 kWh, and 180 kWh.

Rivian says that it will translate to “230+ miles, 300+ miles, and 400+ miles” of range on a full charge.

They’re talking about a charge rate of up to 160 kW at fast-charging stations and an 11-kW onboard charger for level 2 charging.

The automaker is trying to bring the truck to market by the end of next year with a starting price of $69,000.

Electrek’s Take

This CGI video is an interesting example, but I have to say that the actual video we saw of the prototype was way more impressive.

It actually showed the electric truck basically doing multiple 360-degree turns in place.

At the time, we were told that Rivian was working on a way to only allow owners to make that happen off-road on softer surfaces than asphalt in order to avoid destroying the tires.

It could be a useful and fun feature for off-road driving, and Rivian has been really showing the capability of using its electric pickup truck off-road, including with a cool camper mode of the Rivian R1T pickup.

I really can’t wait to test that truck.