Rivian delays the launch of its R1T pickup truck, now ships in September

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TL;DR: Electric carmaker and would-be Tesla competitor Rivian has been working on its all-electric SUV and pickup truck for years now and both vehicles were finally supposed to launch in July (this month) after an initial month-long delay. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted Rivian just as much as everyone else, so it will be delaying both EV's launches by several months.

Rivian's electric "R1T" pickup truck, which seeks to offer a more practical alternative to Tesla's flashy and controversial "Cybertruck," is now set to arrive in customers' driveways come September. The R1S SUV will follow shortly after, but we don't have a more specific timeline there. If we had to guess, we'd say a November shipment window is likely, but time will tell.

Rivian cites ongoing semiconductor chip shortages as a key reason for the delay, as well as other "cascading impacts" of the pandemic, such as delayed facility construction and equipment installations.

For those who don't know, the R1T starts at $67,500 with a base range of more than 300 miles. It can go from 0-60 mph in "as quick as 3 seconds" (depending on the tires you choose), it can tow up to 11,000lb of cargo, and it will off-road nicely. It's no slouch on the road, either, boasting sports car-tier handling, or so Rivian claims.

And then there's one of the R1T's main stand-out features: Tank Turn. In short, Tank Turn aims to offer R1T drivers the ability to change directions on a dime, much like they could in an actual tank. Every wheel in the vehicle has an independent motor and can operate independently.

It's pretty fun to see in action, so take a gander at the clip above. We hope Tank Turn works as well in September as it appears to in that video. If it does, Rivian owners are in for what looks to be a pretty fun time.

Whether or not the R1T will live up to all the hype Rivian has generated for it remains to be seen. One way or another, we'll find out later this year. If you have around 70 grand to spare, you can configure an R1T through the official Rivian website, though you'll need to put up a $1,000 deposit first.

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Good thing you are not into tech or gaming. The delays there would drive you nuts.
So many years announcing this. It is a pickup truck, not a rocket to Mars. What a poor company. I would never buy anything from them. Negligent!
 
So many years announcing this. It is a pickup truck, not a rocket to Mars. What a poor company. I would never buy anything from them. Negligent!

I can't tell if this is a troll post, satire, or you're being serious.

Entering the car market as a new startup is big business and takes time to minimize risk and maximize chance of success against serious competition.
 
Good thing you are not into tech or gaming. The delays there would drive you nuts.

My only real concern with Rivian is the same as with any electric car entrant not named Tesla: the charge network.

Like many others, our household does 95% of our charging at home. But the network is still really important for peace of mind when away from home. And for many potential buyers who don't own homes, it's a must have/possible deal breaker. It's highly likely this delay is related in large part to delays in getting their charge network built up to a certain internal minimum number of facilities.
 
I can't tell if this is a troll post, satire, or you're being serious.

Entering the car market as a new startup is big business and takes time to minimize risk and maximize chance of success against serious competition.
Excessive in their case.
 
Like many others, our household does 95% of our charging at home. But the network is still really important for peace of mind when away from home. And for many potential buyers who don't own homes, it's a must have/possible deal breaker. It's highly likely this delay is related in large part to delays in getting their charge network built up to a certain internal minimum number of facilities.
I didn't think of that, and it does seem quite possible. More charging stations are a big key right now.
 
There is something bugging my mind. So say we stop producing gasoline cars. Slowly, they will dissapear. And then low incomers start buying used electric cars. And then when they realize new batteries are too expensive...
There are a lot of people who can not afford to fix/replace a battery in all electric car.
So, this push to remove all gasoline cars...Somewhat good for the planet, very good for rich and middle income, and terrible for people with low income.
Does anybody know an article or someone who goes into this problem?
I think it is a serious issue that one day will upset a lot of people, here in the US too. I mean there are lots and lots of old cars on the road. You look at them and you know, their owners might afford a used electric car, but not a new battery for it.
 
There is something bugging my mind. So say we stop producing gasoline cars. Slowly, they will dissapear. And then low incomers start buying used electric cars. And then when they realize new batteries are too expensive...
There are a lot of people who can not afford to fix/replace a battery in all electric car.
So, this push to remove all gasoline cars...Somewhat good for the planet, very good for rich and middle income, and terrible for people with low income.
Does anybody know an article or someone who goes into this problem?
I think it is a serious issue that one day will upset a lot of people, here in the US too. I mean there are lots and lots of old cars on the road. You look at them and you know, their owners might afford a used electric car, but not a new battery for it.
I doubt we will see gasoline vehicles disappear anytime soon, mostly for the reasons you listed.
But it is getting cheaper every month for batteries. Think of a Ford Focus EV or Nissan Leaf. Even now when the batteries are nearing their 100-150,000-mile mark, repacked batteries are already well under $3000 and prices are dropping fast.
And 150k on an EV is absolutely nothing.
 
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