Update March 3, 2022: After just of a day of angry tweets, irate Reddit threads, and order cancellations stemming from price hikes on the original quad-motor Rivian R1S and R1Ts,electric vehicle startup Rivian is reportedly backing off on increasing the price of its electric pickup and SUV for existing reservation holders.
"Earlier this week, we announced pricing increases that broke the trust we have worked to build with you," Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said in a letter to reservation holders and shared with the media, "We wrongly decided to make these changes apply to all future deliveries, including pre-existing configured preorders. We failed to appreciate how you viewed your configuration as price locked.
"For anyone with a Rivian preorder as of the March 1 pricing announcement, your original configured price will be honored. If you canceled your preorder on or after March 1 and would like to reinstate it, we will restore your original configuration, pricing and delivery timing. Our team will be sending an email in the next few days with more details"
For those who haven't yet plunked down a refundable $1,000 deposit on a Rivian R1S or R1T, the new pricing structure for dual- and quad-motor R1s detailed below applies.
If you're one of the thousands who've pre-ordered or are interested in purchasing the 2022 MotorTrend Truck of the Year (not to mention the only electric vehicle to cross the Trans-America Trail), the Rivian R1T pickup, and its SUV sibling, the R1S, we have some mixed news. The good news is that the company is expanding its R1T and R1S lineup, now offering dual-motor variants and a new battery pack. The bad news is that it's going to cost more for less Rivian, as quad-motor prices rise to make room for the new two-motor versions of the R1T and R1S, which will cost the same as the entry-level quad-motors did before—at least for those who lack an existing reservation, per the update above.
As we long suspected, Rivian-built dual-motor variants are now slated to join the R1 lineup. Available starting in 2024, these new Rivian designed, engineered, and built motors (one installed at each axle) are said to be good for over 600 hp and 600 lb-ft of torque, and Rivian promises a 4.0-second 0-60 mph time, making the dual motor R1T about a second slower to 60 mph than the quickest four-motor R1T we've tested. Current quad-motor Rivians produce 835 hp and 908 lb-ft of torque.
Rivian also says that its new motors are simpler, lighter, and cheaper to build than the supplier-sourced motors on today's R1S and R1T.
The California-based automaker isn't publicly committing to utilizing its new motors on the quad-motor R1S and R1T, but sources at the company have told us that Rivian is currently hard at work on a quad-motor R1X super SUV that makes 1,200 hp and 1,200 lb-ft. We're not math experts, but we're fairly certain that if you put four of Rivian's new motors together, the output would add up to 1,200 ponies and pound-feet.
We suspect that in addition to the R1X, a detuned quad-motor R1S and R1T featuring the new motors is in the cards given CEO RJ Scaringe's desire to bring core competencies in-house.
In addition to the new twin-motor models, Rivian today announced its new Standard battery pack will go on sale in 2024. Available only on dual-motor R1S' and R1Ts, the Standard pack joins the Large pack (on-sale now), and Max pack (slated for 2023). Dual motor R1s will be able to travel about 260 miles on a charge with the Standard pack, 320 miles with the Large pack, and over 400 miles with the Max pack, all pending EPA certification.
Quad-motor R1Ts will continue to be available with only the Large and Max packs. The Large pack is the only one currently available; it nets the R1S an EPA-estimated range of 316 miles and R1T 314 miles.
Although Rivian is keen to point out that base prices for the R1T and R1S remain unchanged at $68,575 and $73,575, respectively, that's a bit disingenuous, as the dual motor, standard pack is the new base configuration for the R1 line. Previously, those prices applied to quad-motor, Large pack models.
Those quad-motor prices rise from $68,575 for a Large pack R1T Explore model to $80,575, and from $73,575 for a Large pack R1S Explore to $85,575. Max pack prices rise as well. The cheapest quad-motor R1T Max pack is now $90,315. The R1S, which has a shorter wheelbase than the pickup (and therefore less underbody space for batteries), is unavailable with the Max pack.
Dual-motor Large pack R1Ts will begin at $74,575, and R1S' will begin at $79,575. Prices for the dual-motor R1T Max Pack start at $84,575.
Rivian chief growth officer Jiten Behl points to global supply chain shortages, increasing component parts, inflation, and semiconductor delays as the primary reason for the price changes. "This rise in cost and complexity due to these challenging circumstances necessitate an increase to the prices of the R1T and R1S models we offer today — prices which were originally set in 2018. This decision will allow us to continue to offer competitive products that maintain the high standard of quality, performance, and capabilities that our customers expect and deserve from Rivian," he said in a statement issued to the media.
A source at the company initially told us that customers who are already in the final steps of completing their R1T orders won't be affected, and at the time of the March 1 announcement, unfortunately for the vast majority of existing Rivian reservation holders, the price increases were going to apply. However, given how those price changes (understandably) did not sit well with existing R1 customers and reservation holders, Rivian has made right and announced it will honor the original prices, and no doubt hopes that the new two-motor variants will cushion the blow for everyone else.
