‘Large pack' Rivian The EPA range numbers are in: 314 miles and 70 mileage.

 

The EPA range rating for Rivian's future R1T and R1S electric vehicle and SUV has been announced. The R1T pickup truck will have a range of 314 miles and 70 mpg with the “large pack” arrangement, while the R1S SUV will have a nearly identical 316 miles of range and 69 mpg.

Rivian plans to offer an optional “max pack” configuration of the R1T for an additional $10,000 in addition to the figures announced today. Rivian hasn't revealed the EPA rating for the max pack, but expects it to have a range of 400 miles or more. Rivian has not yet announced the availability of the R1S's max pack, but will do so once the Launch Edition vehicles are on the road.

Rivian is just waiting for official approval to start putting trucks on the road, so deliveries of the R1T are expected to begin this month. “All options will be available for delivery beginning January 2022,” according to Rivian.

Rivian also plans to provide a smaller “250+ mile pack” for both cars, though the company has not yet specified when that configuration will be available.

Surprisingly, the ratings for the two vehicles are nearly identical, although the SUV has a slightly bigger range (1% ) and slightly lower efficiency (1.4%). However, the differences are small enough that they could be due to a flaw in the testing procedure or a rounding error.

These numbers place the R1T and R1S among the least fuel-efficient electric vehicles on the market (only a small bit better than the Porsche Taycan Turbo S), but they are also the largest. As a result, this was expected. They are still over three times more efficient than gas-powered pickup trucks and large SUVs at 70 mpg.

As the first electric vehicle to receive an EPA certification, we now know where future electric trucks will fall in terms of efficiency. We may find similar consumption from the Tesla Cybertruck, Ford F-150 Lightning, GM Hummer EV, and other vehicles if the R1T consumes around 480Wh/mile. To achieve a 400-mile range, such trucks will require a battery pack with a capacity of around 200 kWh. Currently, the largest electric vehicle battery packs on the road are around 100 kWh.