# Rivian R1T Electric Truck



## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

Looking for other references led me to the press release, which I had not previously read. There are different power levels for each battery pack size. It also lists weights, which show that it is not very front-heavy: it will not handle a lot of load in the cargo bed well. It also has length dimensions for wheelbase and the cargo bed.

An amusing detail is that there is a 95 litre storage space under the seat, but not in the largest-battery version, so apparently a portion of that battery sticks up from the skateboard.


Electrek: Rivian unveils all-electric pickup truck with unbelievable specs

Teslarati: Rivian announces R1T pickup truck: $69k starting price, 400+ mile range, and 11k-lb towing capacity
Top Gear: The Rivian R1T is a new electric truck, will do 0-60mph in 3.0s
InsideEVs: Rivian R1T Electric Pickup Truck Shocks World In LA Debut
Motor Trend: 2020 Rivian R1T EV First Look: The Electric Pickup Truck
MotorAuthority: Rivian R1T electric pickup revealed ahead of 2018 LA auto show, R1S SUV coming too
Jalopnik: Rivian R1T: The Electric Pickup With a Front Trunk That Does 0 to 60 MPH in 3 Seconds
Car and Driver: A New All-Electric Pickup Truck Is Coming from a Startup Called Rivian
Motor Trend has some interesting mechanical details - full marks for them.
Jalopnik is the only one to catch (albeit in the reader comments) that the Gear Tunnel is an inferior version of the compartment in the original VW pickup, and similar to cars from the 1930's.
The others don't add much to the press release.


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

*Rivian R1S Electric SUV*

The SUV variant was announced today. It's the same vehicle, with a 375 mm shorter wheelbase and the obvious rear body change, but electrically and mechanically identical.

Motor Trend had the best coverage in the pickup round, so here's their SUV coverage:
2021 Rivian R1S EV First Look: The Electric SUV


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

*Battery configuration*

The battery description in the Motor Trend article (I didn't see it anywhere else):


> Regardless of capacity, each battery pack is made up of modules that can be replaced individually and won't strand the vehicle if one goes down. Each module holds up to 15 kW-hr and contains 864 cylindrical 21700-type cells. The small battery uses seven modules, the midsized one has nine, and there are 12 in the MegaPack. All have been fully tested to work between -40 and 122 degrees Fahrenheit.


This is interesting, because it suggests that either:

the modules are all in series, meaning that the system voltage is very different between capacities and there must be a bypass for each module in case of failure; or,
the modules are all in parallel, with an internal configuration of something like 108s8p (assuming about 400 V nominal), and a full 108-point BMS for each module.
The capacity and cell count values imply about 17 Wh and 4.6 Ah capacity per 21700 cell, regardless of module configuration.


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## Nuts&Volts (Dec 20, 2011)

Nice analysis Brian! It is an elegantly designed vehicle. 

I’m thinking they paralleled all of the packs based on how they describe one being able to fail


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

Nuts&Volts said:


> I’m thinking they paralleled all of the packs based on how they describe one being able to fail


It would work, and if they're configured this way a single module would be a potential short-range battery pack for a small EV.


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

Still digging nuggets out of Rivian's media package...

The motor output is listed as 147 kW each (one motor per wheel) but from 300 to 562 kW limit on total input to the motors depending on battery, so the battery is always the limit on the total. Torque is 560 Nm or 1120 Nm total (to all four wheels), again depending on battery, and that gets multiplied by 12.5 to get wheel torque (i.e. a 12.5:1 reduction gearbox on each motor).

The 135 kWh battery is actually capable of higher power output than the 180 kWh battery (562 kW versus 522 kW), so something interesting is going on, such as cooling limitations. The total torque output is the same for those two sizes, so either the torque is limited by the motors, or whatever is going on with the big battery limits power more than current.

I didn't see any specification of regeneration power.


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