Peter Lyon
March 25, 2023
- Rivian R1T Quad-Motor now boasts longest range amongst EV trucks with 328 miles
- The R1T is also the quickest truck with a 0-60 time of 3 secs flat
- A 390-plus mile “Max battery pack” is in the pipeline
- Starting from $87,000 (R1T Quad-Motor)
There’s an ever-growing range of full-sized electric pickup trucks on the market now—including the Ford F-150 Lightning, GMC Hummer EV and the Rivian R1T. But which has the longest EPA-certified range? If you’re looking for a big truck and you don’t want to worry about range anxiety, then the Rivian R1T Quad-Motor might be the truck for you.
After the Rivian upgrade a couple of months ago, the 835-hp Rivian R1T Quad-Motor with the large battery pack now boasts 328 miles. That’s a 14-mile improvement over the 2022 Rivian R1T in the same configuration, which had a previous EPA-estimated range of 314 miles.
For a truck that weighs in excess of 5,886 lbs, that’s impressive. And it’s also quick, sprinting from zero to 60 mph in just 3.0 seconds flat. In fact, it’s the fastest truck to 60 mph on the market at the moment.
The range updates announced by Rivian for the 2023 R1T and R1S EVs now appear on the official EPA website. The new range rating for the R1T makes it the longest-range EV pickup on sale in the U.S. right now.
The range refinements became available after an over-the-air (OTA) software update that also benefited the R1S SUV, giving it 321 miles. Checking the EPA website, we see that Rivian has also made improvements to efficiency, with the MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) combined rating now being 73 MPGe, up from 70 MPGe.
If you thought 328 miles of range was good, Rivian is tempting us with a significantly more efficient “Max battery pack.” With the combination of the ‘max pack’ and a more efficient dual-motor AWD system, sources tell us that the R1T will exceed 390 miles. And with regular ‘OTA’ software updates, Rivian says they can continually improve vehicle efficiency over time, resulting in even higher range.
Apart from the Quad-Motor’s 835-hp and grippy AWD, this Quad-Motor setup allows the R1T to do what Rivian calls a ‘Tank Turn,’ which lets the electric motors rotate the left wheels in the opposite direction to the right wheels, spinning the truck on its axis—essentially allowing it to do a super-quick U-turn.
However, according to a company spokesperson, Rivian says that there may be delays with its ‘max battery pack,’ and that preorder holders should switch from their ‘max’ order to the Quad-Motor R1Ts with Large battery packs, with deliveries expected to start in early 2023.
CONCLUSION
By comparison, the closest EV truck to the Rivian is the Ford F-150 Lightning which, according to Ford, achieves an EPA-rated range of 320 miles. Yes, that’s only 8 miles behind. Although Rivian has got one over Ford with the longest EPA-rated EV truck range now, you can bet your bottom dollar that a range war has just begun as carmakers try to squeeze every extra mile of range possible out of their hefty trucks to claim that all-important No 1 range prize.
