2021 Rivian R1T

What's a Rivian? We're not surprised at the question, because not only has this fledgling U.S. automaker not yet brought any product to market, it hasn't made much noise about what it's been up to. But the automaker's getting close, as evidenced by its very public unveiling of the intriguing 2021 Rivian R1T, a working prototype of a fully electric pickup truck it's been toiling over for some time.

Sizewise, the R1T is a bit of a tweener. It's not as big as your average 1500 series full-size crew-cab truck, but it's bigger than any crew-cab truck you'll see in the midsize segment. Its wheelbase of 135.8 inches sits halfway between crew-cab short-bed examples of the Ram 1500 (144.6 inches) and the Honda Ridgeline (125.2 inches), but it is only 6 inches longer than the Ridgeline and stands only three-quarters of an inch taller.

As you might imagine, the R1T is no ordinary pickup. For one, this all-electric machine has four motors, one for each wheel. And its performance specs are impressive. It's built to tow as much as 11,000 pounds. And when it is empty, it can either accelerate to 60 mph in as little as 3 seconds or cruise for 400 miles on a single charge. Want to go off-road? Its height-adjustable air suspension can deliver up to 14.2 inches of ground clearance, and the claimed water-fording depth is 39 inches — a full meter in new money.

Well, nothing. But that's because the Rivian rolls around on a skateboard platform that contains the suspension, the four motors and the battery pack. Each motor is rated at 147 kilowatts, and total combined output can be as high as 562 kW, which equates to 753 horsepower. The cool part about having four motors is that it allows supremely accurate traction control and torque vectoring using nothing but software control. In theory, it means there are no differentials to lock or unlock either.

Rivian plans to offer three sizes of battery pack, which in turn leads to three different ranges — although all range numbers are mere estimates at this point. The automaker says it'll offer two of them at launch — a 135-kilowatt-hour pack that'll be good for over 300 miles and a 180-kWh pack good for over 400 miles. A smaller 105-kWh pack good for over 230 miles will go into production six months to a year after the other two. For reference, the biggest pack you can get in a Tesla is 100 kWh of capacity.

As a pickup, the Rivian needs more capacity because consumption goes up considerably when towing, a reality we've confirmed for ourselves when towing a rather small trailer with a Tesla Model X. But it's also about having enough range to get out of town and have adventures. The R1T aims to be a lifestyle truck, not an outright workhorse.

Electric vehicles are expected to present a more stylish and tech-forward interior than their internal combustion engine counterparts, and the R1T certainly follows that trend. Inset within open-pore wood trim (sustainably sourced, according to Rivian) are two fairly large digital displays: one in front of the driver, where a normal instrument pod would live, and the second in the center of the dash. Though we haven't had a chance to sit in the R1T yet, we prefer the idea of a dual-screen setup to the single screen found in Tesla's Model 3. The rest of the interior looks solid and well-made, although time will tell if the materials can withstand the adventurous use the R1T is designed to deliver.

We've not yet driven the R1T, so it's hard to comment about the ergonomics of its interior layout and the usefulness of its unique infotainment system. Few such details have been released, but Rivian has outlined a fully connected system that will readily enable over-the-air software updates. Tesla owners tend to love this functionality, but it can also lead to sloppy development practices.

As for automated driving, Rivian says it's building the R1T with the hardware necessary to support Level 3 automation on the highway. Whether this functionality will be enabled when vehicle deliveries begin remains to be seen. We've learned to take any such announcements with a grain of salt, but Rivian does not seem to be making wild claims at this stage.

The R1T is unusual in its use of space. At just 55 inches long, its truck bed is stubbier than most. But it has a front trunk under the hood because, well, there's no engine under there. And the bed offers an underfloor trunk of its own that's suitable for a full-size spare. But the weirdest and coolest part may be something Rivian calls a gear tunnel, which is a lockable space behind the cab and under the bed that can hold golf bags and snowboards. Accessible from either side of the truck, its doors open in such a way that they also function as bed steps.

We have no reason to doubt Rivian's claim the R1T can tow 11,000 pounds. What we do wonder is exactly how far the R1T will be able to tow even half of that weight since towing severely affects an electric vehicle's range, a reality we've confirmed for ourselves when towing a rather small trailer with a Tesla Model X. But it's also about having enough range to get out of town and have adventures. The R1T aims to be a lifestyle truck, not an outright workhorse.

The 2021 Rivian R1T pickup is a ways off, but the way Rivian has flown under the radar until the automaker had something to show gives us confidence that it might pull this off. The truck looks good, its claimed performance seems achievable, and Rivian still has months to refine the product before it begins deliveries in early 2021. Until then, watch this space for more updates and an eventual first drive of the Rivian R1T.