A Californian start-up called Rivian wants to be one of the serious challengers of Tesla. At the auto show in Los Angeles, the first two models have now been revealed.
"No, we really have nothing to do with Ford", swears Robert "RJ" Scaringe and calls the placement of the booth in a niche of the Ford area a "pure coincidence". The head of the young company Rivian wants to use the auto show in Los Angeles for the world premiere of the first two self-developed electric cars and now rumors about joining forces with Ford need not.
The two electric giants have also earned the undivided attention. In contrast to the main competitor Tesla, they compete in a format that has so far been dominated by powerful diesel engines and gasoline-consuming displacement giants. The 5,48 meter long pickup named R1T has been known for some weeks, now in Los Angeles for the first time to marvel at its massive beauty. At the end of next year, it will shake up the pickup market in the USA.
A surprise, however, the second model of Rivian, which should be from 2020 to have. The SUV R1S has three rows of seats, is 5,04 meters long and can take along with the driver another six occupants even for excursions into the area. The technique he shares with his intended rather as a workhorse sister model. Four 147 kW / 200 PS engines, each responsible for one wheel, provide electronically controlled four-wheel drive. Up to 552 kW / 750 PS makes the electric quartet. Legendary the pulling power that Rivian indicates with 14.000 Newton meters. The seven-seater can pull 3.500 kilograms behind it or pack 800 kilograms by itself. As range, Rivian aims for a range of around 640 kilometers when the most powerful engine and battery version is ordered by the customer. The other values only apply to the top version of the SUV, whose battery then delivers 180 kWh.
The choice between a battery capacity of (105, 135 or 180 kWh) has been checked out by Rivian Tesla, but now other manufacturers leave the buyer to decide how far he wants his Stromer to go before it runs out of juice. Although there are still two years to go before the delivery of the R1, fans can already secure such a large family SUV for a reservation fee of 1.000 Dollar. Again, Tesla and his model greet 3. The price list, which has not yet been determined in detail, starts at the converted 57.200 Euro. The pickup with a double cabin costs about 3.000 Euro less.
At the first seat fitting in the monster SUV deliberate simplicity is noticeable. All eyes should concentrate on the large monitor, reminiscent of a horizontal tablet computer. All important functions can be controlled by touch screen. Behind the steering wheel, some of the displays, such as the map of the navigation system, can be mirrored onto a separate monitor. The interior design and the materials look high-quality, whether the jump into the series succeeds, is not certain yet. Even in the last row of seats, elsewhere usually rather emergency seats, can be quite comfortable sitting in the Rivian, even if the legroom is much more modest than in series 2. The ascent succeeds but without dislocations.
But the rather small company actually makes it to series production, after all, there are many examples of failed start-ups. A question that naturally does not arise for the young boss. “We are solidly financed, have a great team and products that customers in the US are waiting for,” he says, adding: “Most importantly, we have our own factory that we took over from Mitsubishi and that is ultra-modern with robots and a paint shop “. There will be no traditional dealers, but mainly sold online. Similar to the big role model, advice centers in major cities are intended to encourage customers to buy.
Will we see a Rivian in Europe? A member of the board of directors deviates, considers an export of the two large models rather unlikely. "But we are also thinking about a smaller SUV. That would be fitting for Europe too. "
Peter Maahn / SP-X