Here's What You Need to Know About the Rivian R1S All-electric SUV

author: Manish Kharinta   

It is that time of the year, the Thanksgiving holiday weekend just got over and before we put our Christmas hats on, automotive enthusiasts across the world rejoice, as we welcome the 2018 Los Angeles Motor Show. The motor show is now open for media and the Plymouth, Michigan based electric car company, Rivian used this occasion to officially reveal it's R1S Electric SUV. 

The Rivian R1S is a 7-seat, electric SUV pipeline project and the SUVs debut followed the reveal of R1T pickup truck which was showcased for the first time on Monday.

The Rivian R1S will be offered in 5 or 7 passenger seating layouts and with a choice of three different battery packs that includes a 105 kWh, 135 kWh, and a top-of-the-line 180 kWh battery packs. The smallest of these battery packs will offer an all-electric driving range of 240 miles whereas the top-of-the-line battery pack variant will get 410 plus miles of driving range. 

The most powerful battery pack option will produce 750 HP and a 0 to 60 acceleration time of 3.2 seconds. Whereas the smallest battery pack option manages to offer a respectable 4.9 second time. All the variants come with a top speed of 125 miles per hour.

The R1S gets a skateboard platform, the same as its pickup sibling and the electric powertrain provides the pickup truck with a towing capability of 11,000 lbs.

The Rivian R1S gets DRLs which run across the width of the car at the front. Also on offer is high ground clearance and short overhangs which give the car a distinctive SUV silhouette. Rivivan has also designed a signature headlight cluster for the R1S which have been dubbed the "stadium headlights".

The interior of Rivian R1S sourced its inspiration from contemporary furniture. We find excessive use of sustainably-sourced wood which can be seen in its natural finish. The interior of R1S feels premium, rugged and strong.

Ravivan announced that with the launch of R1T pickup truck, a robust hardware suite will also be introduced will consist of autonomous driving aids like lidar, radar, cameras, ultrasonic and a high-precision GPS coupled with high definition maps. 

These components give the R1T level 3 autonomous capabilities on freeways and will also get multiple self-driving features which are designed for active lifestyles. 

We expect that these autonomous driving features will also make their way into the electric SUV which will follow the launch of R1T pickup truck in the year 2021.

The company confirmed that their R1T pickup truck will be introduced in the year 2020 and will precede the launch of R1S. Rivian has also said that following the launch of these electric offerings, several other electric models will also join the lineup and are currently under development.

Manish Kharinta

Manish Kharinta is a automotive writer based in the Los Angeles area. He has worked for automotive industry websites TheSmokingClutch.com, CarDekho.com and CarBikeindia.com. His experience ranges from covering auto shows, to car reviews and breaking automotive news. Manish aims to bring forth his unique perspective on automotive design and technological innovations in the automotive industry.