Official Video: How Does it Feel to Drive a Rivian (Featuring Preorder Holders)

[SANZC02]

They already did, but haven't released the video yet.

Then I guess we will really find out if he talks like he writes. Should be entertaining… ?

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[DuckTruck]

Then I guess we will really find out if he talks like he writes. Should be entertaining… ?

SANZCO2,

That's so funny to hear you say that. And here I say "hear", when most of us know each other only through our written "voice". I'd like to think I write in the same style that I speak, but you'll be better, more objective judges of that.

At the event, I had to keep the inner Robin Williams at bay, so as not to disrupt the cool vibe that was present. That said, the whole time we were together, I just wanted engage everyone, especially the Rivian crowd, hug them all and tell them how awesome they are, and how special it was to be included.

Oh yeah, did I mention that I was excited to be there?

 

[Sully151]

@DuckTruck thanks for keeping us informed! I am so glad that you got to experience this and share it.

I think I read that RJ thinks the AT 20’s are the best wheel for the truck.

Did he mention anything about the 300 mile vs. the 400 mile range trucks and which one he prefers?

Also, did you get any good picks of fully built Compass Yellow?

 

[AdamsFan1983]

@DuckTruck, Was there an discussion about safety software features like a "pet mode," or something comparable to "sentry?"

 

[superdavePA]

@DuckTruck, Was there an discussion about safety software features like a "pet mode," or something comparable to "sentry?"

@DuckTruck - I've enjoyed all your (and other's) insights during the event and a joy to read. Congrats!

- Also curious if any chatter about a Sentry Mode / Pet type feature like @AdamsFan1983 mentioned....but
...even more interested, since it appears it was a very friendly intro and discussions get together, whether you sensed they've been monitoring the forum(s) and similiar. I remember you saying they were as anxious to get the R1T/S's to us as we are to get them (not withstanding all the challenges). Gives me a sense they know the communities' angst.

 

[Riventures]

...
RJ was adamant that I vet the 20-inch A/T tires before deciding to get a second set of five mounted 22-inch Summer Performance tires. Here he was saying you can certainly buy them, but that all of the vehicles we'll be in have A/T's on 20's. With the silent running of the propulsion and the acoustic glass all around, if they were going to announce themselves, they'd have every opportunity. They were extremely capable in all conditions and surfaces, and very polite, as well.

...

I seem to remember RJ saying I might be giving up 2 to 3 percent (or some other very low amount) of road capability compared to the 22's, but I'd be giving up pretty much all of the off-road Adventures with the street tires. I thought that a CEO telling me to not give his company many thousands of dollars was another example of Rivian doing the right thing. As always, that type of culture starts at the top.

I might be making too much of this, but my mind keeps racing ahead.

I think what RJ might be saying here is that the software managing individual control modules for the air springs and torque management between four motors is more mature at this time for the AT tires, than others. 2-3% performance degradation is not normal in my experience, it should be far more than that.

Then again, he personally may like the idea of adventuring, rather than mall crawling, hence just encouraging the use of AT tires and the vehicles on less paved spaces. As I said, my mind is just racing ahead with little technical details, and sometimes I miss the forest from the trees

 

[MReda]

I might be making too much of this, but my mind keeps racing ahead.

I think what RJ might be saying here is that the software managing individual control modules for the air springs and torque management between four motors is more mature at this time for the AT tires, than others. 2-3% performance degradation is not normal in my experience, it should be far more than that.

Then again, he personally may like the idea of adventuring, rather than mall crawling, hence just encouraging the use of AT tires and the vehicles on less paved spaces. As I said, my mind is just racing ahead with little technical details, and sometimes I miss the forest from the trees

The answer might be much simpler - it's much easier to push a street tire to it's limit off road than it is to push an all terrain tire to it's limit on road.

 

[Pedritho]

@DuckTruck were you able to load anything into the truck bed? Did you notice anywhere to step when items are being loaded into the bed?

 

[SeaGeo]

Great question! RJ was adamant that I vet the 20-inch A/T tires before deciding to get a second set of five mounted 22-inch Summer Performance tires. Here he was saying you can certainly buy them, but that all of the vehicles we'll be in have A/T's on 20's. With the silent running of the propulsion and the acoustic glass all around, if they were going to announce themselves, they'd have every opportunity. They were extremely capable in all conditions and surfaces, and very polite, as well.

Then again, he personally may like the idea of adventuring, rather than mall crawling, hence just encouraging the use of AT tires and the vehicles on less paved spaces. As I said, my mind is just racing ahead with little technical details, and sometimes I miss the forest from the trees

The answer might be much simpler - it's much easier to push a street tire to it's limit off road than it is to push an all terrain tire to it's limit on road.

The general response to the 20" A/T's has started to make me wonder what has prompted Rivian to offer all three tire sizes. If the vehicles have an EPA ranges of say... 315 miles with the 21" tires, and the 20" A/Ts take a 5% hit, that puts the vehicles right at 300 miles. If that's the case, the difference seems to small that I'd be surprised if it makes sense to offer both. If the 20" tires take a 10% hit relative to the 21s, and EPA range with the 21s is 305 miles instead of say 315 that drops the range for the 20s down to 275 miles (in theory) that psychological hit below 300 miles is probably worth it from a marketing standpoint.

All guesses, but it's interesting how we all seem to be hearing the feedback on the 20s from the group that visited and noting the general positive feedback from them.

 

[crashmtb]

The general response to the 20" A/T's has started to make me wonder what has prompted Rivian to offer all three tire sizes. If the vehicles have an EPA ranges of say... 315 miles with the 21" tires, and the 20" A/Ts take a 5% hit, that puts the vehicles right at 300 miles. If that's the case, the difference seems to small that I'd be surprised if it makes sense to offer both. If the 20" tires take a 10% hit relative to the 21s, and EPA range with the 21s is 305 miles instead of say 315 that drops the range for the 20s down to 275 miles (in theory) that psychological hit below 300 miles is probably worth it from a marketing standpoint.

All guesses, but it's interesting how we all seem to be hearing the feedback on the 20s from the group that visited and noting the general positive feedback from them.

If I never left pavement and lived somewhere without winter or, I’d get the 22” wheels with summer tires. If I lived somewhere with actual seasons and moderate winter, but didn’t leave pavement other than the odd gravel road, 21” with all seasons.

But I live in the middle of Canada, with 6 months of winter, and drive on lots of ”unimproved” roads. (Although the paved ones are also so bad, I know people who came here as refugees from war torn countries who say the roads back home are better despite having been bombed ?).

so 20” A/T for me. And the max battery. With -40 winters and big distances, the more electrons the better.

 

[SeaGeo]

If I never left pavement and lived somewhere without winter or, I’d get the 22” wheels with summer tires. If I lived somewhere with actual seasons and moderate winter, but didn’t leave pavement, 21” with all seasons.

So 21 vs 20 is where I'm curious about the value. Maybe it's just them being able to save cost and have a slightly greater range. But if the 20s perform well on the pavement and the only major improvement if the 21st over the 20s is... Range, what's the number makes sticking with the 21s worth it to you? 10%? 5%?

At 5%, it just surprises me that it's worth it for Rivian to come up with a new wheel size, and carry three configurations that are so close in size and performance.

 

[crashmtb]

So 21 vs 20 is where I'm curious about the value. Maybe it's just them being able to save cost and have a slightly greater range. But if the 20s perform well on the pavement and the only major improvement if the 21st over the 20s is... Range, what's the number makes sticking with the 21s worth it to you? 10%? 5%?

At 5%, it just surprises me that it's worth it for Rivian to come up with a new wheel size, and carry three configurations that are so close in size and performance.

the 20” AT is about an inch larger In overall diameter than the 21” all season. I bet back to back the A/T is noticeably squishier And louder, there’s no getting around that. The 21” will likely be more responsive. Smaller diameter and lighter.

I’d be very interested to see the differences in each broken down and quantified by a Rivian engineer.

 

[DuckTruck]

@DuckTruck thanks for keeping us informed! I am so glad that you got to experience this and share it.

I think I read that RJ thinks the AT 20’s are the best wheel for the truck.

Did he mention anything about the 300 mile vs. the 400 mile range trucks and which one he prefers?

Also, did you get any good picks of fully built Compass Yellow?

I'm so glad you asked me about the differences between the 300 and 400-mile packs. I can't believe I haven't mentioned this before but, upon returning from the ride-along that three of us did with RJ on the first night, I asked about the acceleration differences. If you remember, early on, we saw the numbers favored the 300-mile pack, with 0-60 in 3.0 seconds, and the 400-mile R1T was shown at 3.2 seconds. Also, they initially rated the 300 with slightly more HP and lb ft of torque, although I'll leave it to others to find those numbers.

This may be old news, but it caught my attention. I'm not sure if it's in print anywhere, or if RJ has mentioned it in prior videos, but he had a very candid answer when I asked him about the acceleration differences between those two battery packs. I said something to the effect that "I remembered the 300-mile (Large) Pack was slightly faster than the 400-miler, but heard you may be changing that." He made the comment that it has been changed. He said it didn't seem fair to charge the MaxPack people more money, and not provide the same or a better level of performance.

I trust means that the 400-mile pack has improved inverters or different software than initially planned, thus allowing it to accelerate from 0 to 60 in 3.0 or under. I trust they didn't just swap the inverters between the 300 and 400-milers, but at about 300-350 pounds heavier, I'd guess they had to soup up the 400-miler to get those numbers with the extra weight. I didn't ask how they accomplished that improvement (we were just getting back to the gathering at the Center), so I don't know how that upgrade came about (Again, upgraded inverter, different software, or both).

Judging by my Perma-grin I saw in the Sideview mirror , I'm guessing that nothing in the 300-miler had been degraded in any way. That thing is a rocket!

I wish I had remembered this when talking with the guys in the s___ to be released interview.

Great question, Sully! Keep asking about things everyone, as my memory banks need a nudge now and then.

 

[crashmtb]

@DuckTruck did you have a chance to open/close the powered tonneau cover?
How was it?
Any mention of if it’s robust enough to stand on?

 

[DuckTruck]

@DuckTruck did you have a chance to open/close the powered tonneau cover?
How was it?
Any mention of if it’s robust enough to stand on?

The tonneau cover was one of the first things we tried when the LG version rolled in. It functioned smoothly in both opening and closing. I slapped it a few times and it felt solid, but I have no idea if it would support an adult standing on it.

Even if I had the green light to do it, I can't say that I would, but that's just the clumsy, 200-pound me talking. I don't want Martin, my Guide, to get a call in the middle of the night from Burning Man and hear my friends laughing as they tell him my last words were "Hey! Hold my beer and watch this!"

The good news is if that happened, the controls to the Gear Tunnel worked perfectly, and as long as they loaded me in before I stiffened up, it would leave the bed for all of their stuff.

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