Buzzy electric car company Rivian announced a $500 million investment from Ford Wednesday, coming months after a $700 million funding round led by Amazon in February. The Michigan-based business, founded in 2009, has been called the "Tesla of trucks," and many experts believe Rivian will be competition to Tesla, as well as established truck manufacturers like General Motors.
Currently, Rivian has two models available for pre-order with delivery in late 2020: the R1T, a pickup truck with a base price of $69,000, and the R1S, an SUV with a base price of $72,500.
Both trucks have 754 horsepower and can go from zero to 60 miles per hour in three seconds, with a top speed of 125 miles per hour.
They also have three battery capacity options: 105 kilowatt-hour (kWH), which can travel up to 240 miles on one charge; 135 kilowatt-hour that can travel up to 310 miles; and 180 kilowatt-hour that can travel up to 410 miles.
The cars feature Quad Drive capability, which is a motor feature that helps "off road" driving, like controlling high-speed cornering and low-speed driving over rocks. They both have a camera, radar and ultrasonic and high-precision GPS with hardware that allows "hands-off wheel and eyes off road" driving for highway operation, according to Rivian. They will have a range of self-driving features too.
They are also built with a "skateboard platform" according to the company, a skateboard-shaped unit that houses the battery pack, drive units, suspension, braking and thermal system all below the height of the wheel.
The interiors have natural, "sustainably sourced wood" on finishes, according to Rivian, and a central, digital screen, as well as roof-rack system designed to hold items like tents and skis.
Check out the trucks:
Rivian R1T
The five-passenger pick-up truck can tow 11,000 pounds. The front of the car has two LED lights as headlights and a central light bar with no grille.
The front of the car has a 12-cubic-foot trunk (where the engine usually is for a non-EV car). The back "Gear Tunnel" provides more than 350 liters of additional space.
Rivian R1S
The full-size, seven-passenger all-electric SUV can tow more than 7,700 pounds.
Inside, there are three rows of seats. There is a center console touchscreen in front...
...and second row passengers have a touchscreen to control climate settings, according to Rivian.
There is cargo capacity in the front trunk and the back cargo space. Speakers in the rear doors "pop out" to be portable, according to Motor Trend.
There are also two sunroofs.
Both models were announced in November.
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