The 2020 Rivian R1T is a brand new truck concept that can spoil Tesla’s plans to be the only all-electric pickup. How serious is Rivian? Pretty! They stunned us with many previous editions, but it seems like they found fans in big companies that are ready to give a financial hand to their projects. Rivian announced that Amazon invested $700 million. This injection will speed up the development, so the first R1T pickup truck could appear already in 2020.
Details about the partnership and specs are yet to be unveiled. However, an all-electric 2020 Rivian R1T will have zero emission and a range of 400+ miles. With high expectations and ambitions of the company founded in 2009, we can expect some radical boosts and technologies. Besides Amazon, other big fish are also interested in investment in Rivian’s cars. Since the trucks are very popular in the US, it will definitely pay off sooner or later.
2020 Rivian R1T Design
Rivian is not the only manufacturer that plans to bring an all-electric truck. There are also Tesla and Ford. But, it seems like the 2020 Rivian R1T will be smaller. A mid-size pickup has a futuristic design and we can’t wait to see the production version of the R1T. Prototypes are already being tested and the company speeds up the development ahead of 2020 release. Test mules are 215 inches longs and 73 inches wide. Well, it is larger than other mid-size trucks, but still short from the full-size segment. On the other hand, the small bed is not promising great working skills. Instead, the Rivian Pickup Truck will be more family than the utility vehicle.
The 2020 Rivian R1T is not changing the outlook radically compared to existing trucks. Well, the details are much more interesting. Vertical bars are highlights on the front fascia. These are lights. On the rear end is horizontal stripe serving as a taillight. Vertical side door on the bed can open electrically to 90 or 180 degrees. In the first case, the door can serve as a seat.
Interior, Front Trunk
With electric batteries giving power to the pickup more free space is created under the hood. So-called “frunk” can take some load. However, this is not the only hidden storage area in 2020 Rivian R1T. There is also a “rear tunnel” under the second row of seats. You can access this compartment from the back of the pickup.
The dashboard is futuristic. It is almost entirely digitalized and in screens. The cabin can take five passengers. The length of the cockpit in the prototype is large and all occupants have enough space for legs. Of course, plenty of storage units will leave more space for people. Without the transmission tunnel, there is even more room for designers to create whatever they want. Comparing to Tesla’s vehicles, the 2020 Rivian R1T is going to be more conventional. Still the combination of premium materials and some futuristic shapes (air vents, screens), the truck will be pretty attractive.
2020 Rivian R1T Specs
Current idea is to use two types of electric drivetrains. The entry-level model will be a 105 kWh battery, while the more powerful truck is using a 135 kWh unit. This one will deliver up to 790 hp, and it is capable to tow more than 11,000 pounds. Still, the prototypes are not the same thing as production vehicles, so we will definitely see some corrections. The truck will need less than 5 seconds to accelerate to 60 mph. With larger batteries, it takes less than 3.5 seconds, and first estimations are 3 seconds. A 135kWh battery can go over 400 miles between recharges, while the smaller one returns 300 miles from a single refill.
Price
Rivian is not out with pricing of their first pickup truck. Experts are sure it will come with a hefty price tag. First predictions are saying around $70,000 for the less powerful unit. Well, if you want a monster with almost 800 hp, that sprints to 60 mph in 3 seconds, and that can tow 11,000 pounds, you will have to prepare at least $100k.