Well-funded EV startup Rivian has two of the coolest (and most capable-looking) electric vehicles we expect to see anytime soon arriving next year: the R1T pickup and the R1S SUV. Now, the company has confirmed details about the launch dates and prices for the two vehicles — and the R1S and R1T are going to be cheaper than we thought.
Rivian will start deliveries of the R1T Launch Edition in June 2021, with the R1S reaching the streets in August 2021. The R1T pickup will begin at $75,000 before the federal tax credit, while the R1S will start at $77,500. Both vehicles will offer 300-plus miles of range in that configuration and offer fancy features like a panoramic roof and an upgraded adventure/off-roading package.
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More affordable versions of the two vehicles will arrive in January 2022. They will have the same 300-plus mile range, but miss out on some of the fancy features; you may have to manually close your tonneau cover. Those will start at $67,500 for the R1T and $70,000 for the R1S, lower than the $69,000 and $72,000 figures first mentioned. Long range 400-mile and short range 250-mile versions should be forthcoming.
Rivals like the Bollinger B1 / B2 and the GMC Hummer EV will be launching in the same general timeframe, but the Rivian R1S and R1T launch editions will be a good bit less expensive. And as a bonus to prospective buyers, Rivian announced that its appropriately-named Driver+ hands-free driving technology will come standard on all of its vehicles. (Tesla’s comparable “Autopilot” technology is an $8,000 option.)
Rivian is currently taking $1,000 refundable deposits for the R1T and R1S on its website. The company’s online configurator goes live on November 16 for deposit holders and on November 23 for the rest of us.