Rivian launched the refreshed R1 vehicles on June 6, although it kept many technical details of the Quad-Motor variants under wraps. However, a slide in the Investor Day shareholder deck revealed that the Ascent Quad models would offer up to 350 miles EPA range, an improvement over the 328 miles of the previous generation.
Rivian offered important upgrades to its electric vehicles with the highly-anticipated mid-life refresh. The R1S and R1T got new features, but the most important changes were meant to make them cheaper to manufacture. Rivian is still burning cash at an alarming rate, so it pulled all the stops to stop the bleeding and become profitable. This is why the most important changes were on the production line and at the vehicle architecture level.
For instance, Rivian overhauled its Normal, Illinois, factory to make it more cost-efficient and increase productivity. Many work posts on the production lines have been eliminated as the R1 architecture has been improved and parts have been consolidated. The EV startup removed over 100 steps from the battery-making process, 52 pieces of equipment from the body shop, and over 500 parts from the design of its electric vehicles.
However, this doesn't mean that the refreshed R1 vehicles are all about cost savings. There are meaningful changes for customers, too, with an improved software experience and boosted performance. Thanks to using a new generation of its Enduro drive units, the refreshed vehicles are also more efficient, thus offering better range. This explains why the initial range estimates show increases across the board.
When Rivian launched the refreshed R1 lineup, it only provided the technical details for its dual- and tri-motor configurations. The quad-motor R1T models are expected to start production in 2025, and you can't configure one now. Although Rivian provided power and performance figures, there was no word about the estimated range. Thankfully, this was corrected during the June 27 Investor Day.
In one of the slides in the shareholder deck, Rivian states that quad-motor variants will offer "up to 350 miles" (563 km) of range. This aligns with the rest of the lineup, offering a nice improvement over the 328 miles (528 km) of the original R1 quad-motor models. Part of this improvement is owed to the superior efficiency of the Ascent drive units, which use two motors per axle. The same motors are also responsible for the improved performance, as the Ascent Quad models are quicker to reach 60 mph (97 kph) in 2.5 seconds versus 3.0 seconds.
Another reason why the refreshed models can go further on a charge is the use of a heat pump for the first time. The heat pump offers up to three times the heating efficiency improvement of the resistive heater. It also contributes to the battery thermal management system, allowing the battery to reach its optimal temperature three times faster. Finally, let's not forget that the Gen 2 vehicles are lighter, thanks to architectural optimizations.
After his childhood dream of becoming a "tractor operator" didn't pan out, Cristian turned to journalism, first in print and later moving to online media. His top interests are electric vehicles and new energy solutions. Full profile
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