Photo: @gardnernichols, @pikespeakhillclimb via Instagram
Rivian prepares to start selling the refreshed R1 lineup, with an official announcement expected on Thursday. The EV startup will run a refreshed R1T at Pikes Peak to mark the sales debut, hoping for a new victory. The prototype revealed new details about the updated model, including the new user interface and a surprising drive configuration.
Rivian will officially announce the facelifted R1T and R1S on Thursday during the Electric Summer Kick-Off event. The announcement is all but confirmed, thanks to a couple of influencers admitting they were in Seattle for a shooting session with a new model that will be revealed soon. Prototypes of the refreshed models have been spotted in several cities, and some pictures shared on social media have been quite revealing.
However, something else caught our attention in the past few days. Rivian confirmed that they will race a refreshed R1T at Pikes Peak. The EV startup set a production truck record last year when Rivian's Performance Test Engineer Gardner Nichols raced his truck. Nicols wants to beat his record this year, thanks to driving an updated vehicle. The PPIHC website reveals a few unknown details about his new truck, and people connected the dots.
Although Gardner Nicols's competitor info on PPIHC's website states that the Rivian frame is "stock," pictures shared online show that it features a few modifications. For instance, two intriguing red pipes are visible under the truck's rear. Upon closer inspection, these proved to be air ducts, presumably blowing cold air toward the truck's brakes.
Nicols revealed that the battery overheating hampered last year's performance. To mitigate this, he ran the truck with minimal regen, presumably putting a lot of strain on the brakes. The air ducts will direct cool air toward the brakes, improving cooling during the 156-turn hill climb race. This means that Rivian is aiming higher than last year.
Another piece of information taken from the same page is that the Peaks Peak R1T features new motors designed and built in-house. This confirms that Rivian ditched the Bosch drive units for its own Enduro motors, which offer better performance and efficiency.
A reel Nicols shared on Instagram (which has since disappeared) showed the interior of the R1T, with the new user interface attracting people's attention. The image shows a new Performance screen that will be offered to existing R1 vehicles via an OTA update. This allowed us to see that the R1T had a quad-motor configuration since the infotainment system displays the temperature readings for all four motors.
This is the first time we have confirmed that the Rivian R1T Quad Motor will feature Enduro motors, although we have speculated about it before. The information put the rumored tri-motor configuration in doubt. It's hard to believe that Rivian will offer three drive configurations, considering that the main goal with the refreshed models is to cut costs as much as possible.
However, something else caught our attention in the past few days. Rivian confirmed that they will race a refreshed R1T at Pikes Peak. The EV startup set a production truck record last year when Rivian's Performance Test Engineer Gardner Nichols raced his truck. Nicols wants to beat his record this year, thanks to driving an updated vehicle. The PPIHC website reveals a few unknown details about his new truck, and people connected the dots.
Although Gardner Nicols's competitor info on PPIHC's website states that the Rivian frame is "stock," pictures shared online show that it features a few modifications. For instance, two intriguing red pipes are visible under the truck's rear. Upon closer inspection, these proved to be air ducts, presumably blowing cold air toward the truck's brakes.
Nicols revealed that the battery overheating hampered last year's performance. To mitigate this, he ran the truck with minimal regen, presumably putting a lot of strain on the brakes. The air ducts will direct cool air toward the brakes, improving cooling during the 156-turn hill climb race. This means that Rivian is aiming higher than last year.
Another piece of information taken from the same page is that the Peaks Peak R1T features new motors designed and built in-house. This confirms that Rivian ditched the Bosch drive units for its own Enduro motors, which offer better performance and efficiency.
A reel Nicols shared on Instagram (which has since disappeared) showed the interior of the R1T, with the new user interface attracting people's attention. The image shows a new Performance screen that will be offered to existing R1 vehicles via an OTA update. This allowed us to see that the R1T had a quad-motor configuration since the infotainment system displays the temperature readings for all four motors.
This is the first time we have confirmed that the Rivian R1T Quad Motor will feature Enduro motors, although we have speculated about it before. The information put the rumored tri-motor configuration in doubt. It's hard to believe that Rivian will offer three drive configurations, considering that the main goal with the refreshed models is to cut costs as much as possible.
Oh hey it's new infotainment screens! #riviansoftware #rivianr1t #pikespeak #pikespeakhillclimb #rivian pic.twitter.com/g4PUwP5d0H
— Kanundrum (@Kanundrum17) June 4, 2024
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