Rivian R1S

The Rivian R1T has been out to the public for months now, and the R1S has seen several employee deliveries. But this week we saw the first non-employee customer deliveries of the new R1S SUV.

We were lucky to receive an update from Rivian today on the new R1 series Ocean Coast interiors. The EV startup is excited to announce a few critical design updates, but there’s a catch.

The automaker also increased the price of the quad motor option from $6,000 to $8,000 and removed its Explore Package trim.

One simple fact is going to tell you more than all of the Rivian R1S Review words, images, and video below: I’m in line to buy a Rivian R1S, and after a few days on and off the roads of upstate NY, I’m more excited than ever to get my hands on it.

But if you’ll indulge me, I’d like to tell you about this mighty, electric seven-seat off-road SUV and why it is on my, and many many others’ dream car list – from the perspective of someone who is test-driving their next vehicle.

American EV automaker Rivian has shared production totals for Q1 of 2022 less than a month after sharing revised production goals for the year. Despite a slow ramp-up of EV production, Rivian stated that it remains on track to achieve its 2022 output numbers.

As new, larger, and more powerful EVs make their way into consumer driveways, their deliveries still remain quite small in number compared to the other electric vehicle types. That being said, the demand for electric trucks has exploded with many manufacturer models reserved into the next couple years. As a result, some early customers of these EV trucks are taking advantage of this demand and reselling them for a profit, some more than double what they paid.

Just two days ago, Rivian announced it would be either increasing the price of reservation holder vehicles $12,000+ or making reservation holders wait until 2024 at the earliest and giving them a smaller battery with a slower drivetrain and only two motors. Not the type of note Rivian reservation holders were hoping to see before their delivery.

The backlash from reservation holders, some from as far back as 2018, was alarming. In polls we and others took, a significant majority of reservation holders dropped their reservations. Most of the rest were waiting to see what Rivian did. Just two days later, we have an answer…

American automaker Rivian reportedly halted its production lines in Illinois to fix some issues and streamline its manufacturing processes. After a difficult start to R1T production amidst COVID-19 and supply chain shortages, Rivian looks to hit higher output targets, aiming for 200 deliverable EVs a week.

This pickup truck has everything – faster than most sports cars, a roomy interior with lots of storage and extras, and it can go off-road where no other production vehicle can go. It’s the first time electrification has hit the off-road pickup in a meaningful way, and it proves why electric is king both on-road and off.

Fresh off the heels of delivering its flagship R1T electric pickup to first customers, Rivian has shared details of its first hub, centered in Venice, California. Rather than existing as solely a retail space, Rivian hopes this first of several hub locations will offer a space for public gatherings and encourages its community to visit and connect. If you happen to order a $70,000 EV while you’re there… well that’s a welcomed option as well.

Images discovered by a member of Rivian Forums show Rivian has filed a patent with the US Patent and Trademark office for a sliding door on a dual-guide-rail. Interestingly enough, the images in the patent show the door on a minivan-style vehicle. Before speculation runs rampant, we want to point out that this patent is one of hundreds filed by the automaker and likely does not allude to a future Rivian minivan. However, it does present a growing niche Rivian would be well suited to fill.

A Tweet by Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe shared a pivotal moment for the nascent EV automaker as its first R1T pickup destined for a customer rolled off the production line today. Images show a large group of Rivian’s staff at its Normal, IL facility cheering on the flagship EV completing assembly ahead of customer deliveries this month.

Rivian has released the EPA range rating for their upcoming R1T and R1S electric truck and SUV. For vehicles with the “large pack” configuration, the R1T pickup truck will have a range of 314 miles and 70mpg and the R1S SUV will have a near-identical 316 miles of range and get 69mpge.

In a recent tweet from Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe, its upcoming flagship R1T pickup can be seen driving through a “lazy river”-like pool of water, submerged up near its hood. The company and its CEO continue to hype the EV as its initial Launch Edition sits on the precipice of deliveries in September.

A member of Rivian forums recently got the chance to have an informative call with his “Rivian Guide” this week, where he asked a ton of questions, all of which were answered to some degree. This included everything from R1T and R1S delivery updates, a possible Rivian store, and more details about Apple Carplay compatibility. Here’s everything we know so far.

In a new video, we can watch Rivian’s latest R1S electric SUV prototype climb an insane 45-degree slope like it’s nothing.

Rivian’s CEO RJ Scaringe Tweeted a video of himself surrounded by R1S electric SUVs. In the video, he explains how the second and third-row seats fold down and shares perspective of how much room future drivers will actually have.

Recent job posts on Rivian’s career page reveal the automaker is searching for manufacturing engineers to develop solid-state batteries. The five positions currently listed are all for Rivian’s Palo Alto facility in California. Solid-state batteries have been touted for their potential of higher capacity compared to conventional lithium-ion batteries EV automakers currently use. That includes Rivian.

Last week, Rivian released a slew of winter test footage of its upcoming R1T pickup. Fans in Rivian’s forums have managed to catch an interesting anomaly in the shared content. One of the R1T EVs in the background appears to have a smaller cab and different wheelbase. Could it be a first glimpse at an R1T extended cab from Rivian?

Rivian continues its recent run of occupying headlines and social feeds. This comes as the automaker inches closer to the debut of its first two consumer EVs this summer. Most recently, the Amazon and Ford backed manufacturer has been reportedly exploring locations for a Rivian factory in Europe.

The Rivian R1S has been somewhat of a sleeper model living in the shadows of the R1T pickup truck, but the electric SUV’s production version is now being unveiled starting at $70,000 and could be coming for the luxury market.