Rivian Just Buried The Cybertruck
Rivian Just Buried The Cybertruck
No stupid gimmicks, just a better vehicle.
Tesla’s Cybertruck has been a mixed bag, to say the least. It seems to be both the most hated and most loved vehicle on the planet. It’s understandable why, as despite the deeply questionable design choices and far higher price than promised, it is still one of the most capable electric pickup trucks on the market. However, the OG EV pickup automaker, Rivian, has just thrown down the gauntlet with their upgraded Gen 2 R1T pickup and made the Cybertruck look a little silly.
The Gen 2’s will be available next year, and at first glance, they don’t seem to have had all that much of an upgrade. The base-spec Gen 2 R1T is pretty good. For only $71,700, you get a 92.5 kWh LFP battery pack that can charge at a rate of 200 kW, meaning 10% to 80% charge happens in just over half an hour. This massive battery gives the pickup a more-than-usable 258 miles of range (EPA). But, even though this is the base-spec, it still comes with an all-wheel-drive dual-motor drivetrain, delivering 553 horsepower and 610 pound-feet of torque. This means it can do 0–60 mph in only 4.3 seconds and tow up to 7,700 lbs (3.5 metric tons). All in all, nothing to sniff at.
But where it gets really interesting is the middle spec Gen 2 R1T with the Max Battery Pack upgrade. This costs a little more, at $85,7000, but you get some enormous upgrades! The Max Battery Pack has a whopping capacity of 141.5 kWh and can charge at a peak rate of 220 kW. As such, despite its size, 10% to 80% charge happens in just over 40 minutes, and it has an estimated (EPA) range of 420 miles! This spec has the same drivetrain as the base spec, meaning its 0–60 time is about the same. However, the larger battery means peak torque can be sustained for longer, allowing this model to tow up to 11,000 lbs (5 metric tons).
If that isn’t enough, there are also faster models with a tri or quad-motor set-up, and they are insane! The Quad-motor with the Max Battery pack costs $125,000 and has 1050 horsepower and 1198 pound-feet of torque, meaning 0–60 happens in only 2.5 seconds. Despite this, it still has over 400 miles of estimated range and can still tow up to 11,000 lbs. Moreover, its one-motor-per-wheel set-up and more refined suspension make this massively off-road capable.
So, how does all of this compare to the Tesla Cybertruck?
The currently available base trim Cybertruck costs $81,895, making it slightly cheaper than the mid-spec Gen 2 R1T with the Max Battery Pack, but its specs come nowhere close. Its interior is far cheaper and spartan than the luxurious Rivian. It has a smaller battery with only 123 kWh of capacity. Technically, this battery can charge faster than the Rivian, with a peak rate of 350 kW. However, it is very “peaky”, and its average charge rate is far lower, meaning that it actually takes longer to charge from 10% to 80% than the Rivian’s Max Battery Pack, with a time of 45 minutes. This wouldn’t be a problem if the Cybertruck had a similar estimated range, but it doesn’t. It only delivers 340 miles of range (EPA), 80 less than the Rivian. Moreover, many journalists, owners and reviewers have reported that the Rivian’s real-world range is close to the estimate and that driving at highway speeds doesn’t dramatically impact its range. Meanwhile, they have also reported that the Cybertruck falls far short of its estimate. But it isn’t all bad news; this Cybertruck is slightly more powerful and faster than the Rivian, having 600 horsepower and a 0–60 mph time of 3.9 seconds, and can tow the same 11,000 lbs.
There is also the $101,985 tri-motor Cybertruck Beast trim. This has 834 horsepower and a 0–60 mph time of 2.6 seconds, but its range drops to 301 miles (EPA). As such, it isn’t really a competitor to the quad-motor Rivian, as it has a far larger range, faster charging, a nicer interior and way more power.
So which is the better buy, the base spec Cybertruck or the mid-spec Gen 2 R1T?
Well, let’s think about how people want to use their pickup trucks. These are meant to be adventure or work machines, travelling deep into the unknown while heavily laden. As such, the utterly giant range offered by the Rivian more than makes up for the tiny difference in power and speed. Furthermore, as the Rivian is designed like a regular pickup, it can take regular pickup or overlanding accessories, like rooftop tents. If you want a pickup truck that can actually do pickup truck stuff, the Rivian is the obvious choice!
This was painfully demonstrated by a recent expedition to drive a Cybertruck from Klondike in the Yukon across the Arctic Circle and to the edge of the Arctic Ocean, a rugged semi-offroad journey of 460 miles. The team massively struggled with the Cybertruck’s sub-par range, making the journey to the start line practically impossible, let alone the actual planned expedition. They have even had issues with the rugged stainless-steel bodywork, as reportedly bits keep falling off.
In short, the Cybertruck is far more of a pavement princess than the Rivian. It’s all Picasso-like looks, straight-line speed and not very much actual off-road capability. But even then, the Rivian is pretty much just as fast for the money. And if speed is your priority, why not buy a far faster, better-handling car for the money, like a Model S or a Taycan? As such, I can’t actually think of a scenario where the Cybertruck is a better buy than the Gen 2 Rivian.
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Sources: Forbes, Futurism, Car And Driver, Rivian, Car And Driver