Darrell Woo has beforehand shared with us about his Teslas and his father’s Ioniq 5. He additionally uploads quite a lot of movies about EVs on his YouTube channel. Just lately, he changed his Mannequin Y with a Rivian SUV. It appeared like a superb alternative to get some inside info on this intriguing EV, so I reached out to him and he shared his first impressions under.
First, here’s a fast R1S snapshot:
All-electric SUV
Three seat rows
260 miles of vary for the usual battery pack, over 300 for the bigger non-compulsory pack
Giant frunk and rear cargo space
Costs — $79,800 and up
0–60 mph in about 3.1 seconds with the quad motor powertrain
Weight: slightly over 7,000 kilos
Why did you select to get the Rivian?
They’re similar to Tesla in quite a lot of methods, from the direct to client mannequin to their very own charging community. I’m assured this firm will make it as a result of they’ve merchandise that no one else out there is providing proper now. At present they’re promoting each SUV they’ll construct and have a backlog nicely into 2024. And even when they do begin to stutter, they’re Amazon backed, so they’d most likely leap in and purchase Rivian if it got here right down to that.
Did you think about comparable EVs such because the Tesla Mannequin X?
We did. However since we’ve had this preorder in since July 2021, my ultimate value was fairly a bit cheaper than right this moment’s pricing. Moreover, the Mannequin X was nonetheless costlier than right this moment’s Rivian pricing and actually not a lot greater than a Mannequin Y. We have been searching for a real SUV, not an outsized crossover.
Was there a federal tax credit score accessible? Any California incentive?
As a result of we ordered so early, we have been capable of make the most of the “outdated” EV federal credit score for automobile corporations who hadn’t offered 200,000 models. We have been sadly not capable of make the most of any CA credit or rebates although.
Which model of the Rivian did you get and the way a lot horsepower does it have?
At present solely quad motor R1Ts and R1Ss can be found. The quad motor variants have about 835 HP and about 900 ft. lb of torque. That’ll shoot you to 0–60 in 3 seconds! In a 7,000+lb SUV!
How lengthy have you ever had it and what do you want about it to this point?
We took supply slightly over 3 weeks in the past. The dimensions and cupboard space. Tons of room within the hatch for our 2 canines plus gear. And an enormous extra house within the frunk for much more storage. No joke, a full dimension grownup would be capable of match into the frunk. That’s how large it’s.
How spacious is the frunk?
There may be precise utilization room to retailer a ton of stuff. Not simply 2 grocery luggage or a pizza, haha. I consider it’s measured out to 11 cu ft.
How spacious is the inside in comparison with your Teslas?
Big. To be honest, the Mannequin Y was comfy as a 5 seater. Nothing incorrect with it. However the R1S has a ton extra space and you’ll match 7 adults within the automobile with no issues. The third row is lots large enough for any grownup on a protracted highway journey. Sadly, in case you have a 7-seater Mannequin Y, you’ll be able to’t say the identical.
How are the dealing with and construct high quality?
Dealing with and construct high quality are glorious. No loopy panel gaps. Automobile handles nice for an SUV. Tesla homeowners would want to know that this isn’t a crossover on a automobile chassis, however a full on SUV constructed on a truck platform (physique on body). So the automobile just isn’t going to be as nimble. But it surely additionally has far more room, so there’s that.
What’s the car’s guarantee?
As with many issues Rivian, it’s fairly just like Tesla. 5 12 months bumper to bumper or 60,000 miles. 8 12 months battery pack and drivetrain or 175,000 miles. 8 12 months physique corrosion guarantee as nicely.
Did you could get a distinct dwelling charger?
No. Though the NEMA 14-50 solely will get you 15 MPH on a Rivian, we don’t drive that a lot. So it’s completely advantageous for us. Nevertheless, it’s possible you’ll need to improve to a 48A on 60A breaker charger just like the Rivian wall charger or Tesla wall charger. It depends upon your state of affairs and the way a lot you drive. A mean commute would nonetheless be advantageous on a NEMA 14-50 if charged each night time. I’m contemplating getting a Tesla wall charger (J1772 model) only for enjoyable for the coolness issue, however we’ll see.
The place do you cost the Rivian exterior of your property?
Proper now I’d have to make use of Electrify America for DCFC (Rivian DCFC aren’t in our space but). Nevertheless, the cherry on prime of me was that Rivian shall be leaping to the Tesla plug/community subsequent spring. So as soon as the SC community is open to Rivian, I plan on utilizing that solely for DCFC. Rivian has introduced that for us early adopters which have J1772/CCS cost ports, they are going to present us adapters to cost on Tesla’s community at no cost.
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