(UPDATED) My review: I got behind the wheel of R1T and here are the details if you are interested!

[Bumble1978]

?...'If'...

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[LeoH]

Just a note, but newer Tesla models (3, Y, and the "Raven" S/X) have regen that can bring the car to a complete stop. Only the older Model S and X cars do the "regen until 5mph" thing.

Thank you for the info, I had 2014 and 2016 Model S, so that is why I did not realize they have it now.

 

[LeoH]

I think they are just trying to quench the thirst right now so they used pre-production vehicles. My concern is that even though we were at the manufacturing plant, no one technical was there to answer the simplest questions. The event itself is like a travelling circus, as they pick up and move somewhere else, but not sure why one was there. You ask them a question and they literally look it up on their phone infront of you on their simple knowledge base.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Charging at home was very odd, they limited the charging without the in-home gadget at 7.2KW ( 7.something ) which means you only get about 14-16 miles an hour, and you must have the home charger to get into the 11.xKWH to receive a 23-26 miles an hour when using the same exact 50amp NEMA 14-50. Apparently they restricted it at the module level that comes built in the mobile charging cable, so if you travel a lot, it seems a 10 hour stay at home will get you 150miles as opposed 250miles, not sure how that factors in your budget of adding the $500 dollar chargers. They also mentioned that scheduling the charging happens on the home charger box. In other words, if you have a Tesla, you can program the car to let it know when to start charging so you can take advantage of off-peak hours, but with RIVIAN this is on the home charger itself. They did not have any other information as how you would do that or whether that is also available in the vehicle itself.

FYI you can't get the full 48A rate on a 14-50 because you have to derate it 80% for continuous loads.

Portable chargers only having 32A is pretty typical. Code allows using a 40A breaker on a 14-50 receptacle in certain situations. You still have to derate 80%. For a semi-permanent installation (like in your own garage) you're pretty likely to know what the breaker size is, but any random 14-50 plug you encounter, you might not have access to the panel to know what the breaker size is, so 32A is the safer limit for a portable cord.

 

[ajdelange]

Charging at home was very odd, they limited the charging without the in-home gadget at 7.2KW ( 7.something ) which means you only get about 14-16 miles an hour, and you must have the home charger to get into the 11.xKWH to receive a 23-26 miles an hour when using the same exact 50amp NEMA 14-50.

Same as Tesla. 32A from the UMC = 7.680 kW with the 14-50R adapter unless you buy the "corded connector" which does 40A from a 14-50R and thus grants 9.6 kW (and will charge the Rivian) which is the max you'll get from any (legal) plug-in EVSE. To get the full 11.52 kW you must have a hard wired EVSE (Rivian, Tesla, ...)

 

[IlliniRivian]

I attended the First Mile event in Normal on Saturday afternoon. A few additional quick hits on things I noticed:

1. Yellow is definitely more muted and mustard tone than I expected.
2. Blue is also less bright than the configurators. I have an R1S LE in El Cap on order but definitely reconsidering Blue after seeing it live.
3. On the Kitchen, I did not notice the sharp edges like the OP. The one thing I noticed was the drawers with pots, pans and utensils were difficult to pull out. It wasn't hard to pull them, it was just not smooth and felt a good deal more flimsy than I would have expected. The rest of the kitchen was pretty cool but the feel of the drawers was not high-end.
4. The interior is nice. I recall some articles saying they were aiming for "Bentley, Lamborghini, Lincoln and Audi" and I'd say it is definitely more on the Audi side. I can't say I have specific experience with Bentley but I have seen Rolls Royce up close and it is not there. It is very nice and sleek but nothing that jumped out at me above and beyond Range Rover.
5. Chilewitch rugs are nicer than carpet but I'll be getting the upgraded weather mats.
6. 0-60 experience was like nothing I have had the chance to experience. It was awesome.

 

[PastyPilgrim]

I wonder if the "pre-prod" issues are more just that they're trying to save time and money on non-retail vehicles by skipping steps (e.g. QC), doing some things by hand, using different materials in a couple places, etc. Just saying that they're pre-prod would be the most succinct way to address things.

Or maybe the trucks just have quality issues as might be excepted from a first vehicle but we don't want to think about that.

 

[PastyPilgrim]

Chilewitch rugs are nicer than carpet but I'll be getting the upgraded weather mats.

Fwiw, if you get the weather mats you still get the chilewitch mats so you could use them in summer or something if you want.

 

[electruck]

They also mentioned that scheduling the charging happens on the home charger box. In other words, if you have a Tesla, you can program the car to let it know when to start charging so you can take advantage of off-peak hours, but with RIVIAN this is on the home charger itself. They did not have any other information as how you would do that or whether that is also available in the vehicle itself.

Fortunately, other 3rd party EVSEs (such as my ChargePoint) will also support scheduling.

 

[Speedrye]

I'm hoping they're just being financially conservative since most pre-production vehicles get crushed afterwards. Might as well put them to use.

 

[LeoH]

FYI you can't get the full 48A rate on a 14-50 because you have to derate it 80% for continuous loads.

Portable chargers only having 32A is pretty typical. Code allows using a 40A breaker on a 14-50 receptacle in certain situations. You still have to derate 80%. For a semi-permanent installation (like in your own garage) you're pretty likely to know what the breaker size is, but any random 14-50 plug you encounter, you might not have access to the panel to know what the breaker size is, so 32A is the safer limit for a portable cord.

That is correct, but my tesla was always getting 20+miles an hour without a wall connector, my co worker "claims" he gets well over 25miles an hour without a wall connector on his model 3; I could never get my head around the maths for that but he had a snapshot of it.

I tried looking into a legit table with those numbers, but all what I can find seems posts on threads, however, I know I got more than 12miles on 32AMP.

 

[mcatt2264]

I reserved the first slot for Sunday and I got there early, hoping to get more time on the track; I did not, but I got to spend a long time in the testing vehicle messing around and picking the guide's brain. Found a lot of interesting info that some might not care about but here we go.

They had all the colors waiting except Canyon Red, so I walked around to see them up close The yellow is definitely more honey mustard hew than taxi ( sorry, can't find better work to describe it ) The blue was more AirForce blue and less sparkly yet very imposing. The rest of colors were same as the pictures. Those were the same vehicles that went to Colorado.

I got into the Rivian Blue with black interior, basically the configuration I have for my R1S. I am 5'11 and I found it to be a tad high for me to step into, expected from a truck. I was asked to adjust the seat in front of the guide so they can make sure I am in a safe position. Why? Apparently they had someone cocky get in there, and once they punched it to launch they ass slid back and they could not reach the breaks anymore; luckily the regen braking was on max which enabled the car to stop. We played a bit with the infotainment system, it had a great design, much friendlier and snappier than that of Tesla. Adjusting the mirrors was weird, you have to select the option from the menu, but then use the scroll wheels and button on the steering wheel to adjust, same for the steering itself. I think I can get used to it, its like I will be adjusting the mirrors often anyway. Then we moved to the climate controls, the ventilated seats work great! I never sat in ventilated seats that works this well, but butt froze so quick, I had to dial it back a lot. The vents are controlled by dragging the symbols on the screen, but there is 1 concern with the 2 large vents under the screen. The cup holder pop out of the arm rest, and if you have a drink in there, it does block the vent a bit, might not be a deal breakers, but I was annoyed by that. However after examining the wood trim, and seats maximum up and down travel, I realized that they are placed in the most practical position so I understand why they are where they are. Driving mode selectors and entertainment are very easy to navigate, it definitely puts the Tesla UI to shame.

There is no glove compartment, but the storage inside the arm rest is very deep, so you can put a lot of items in there. Arm rest opens like french doors, making less distracting that having to open it backwards, I like that. At this point we were ready to roll so we started in a small area to test the regen breaking. The multiple options are great, but I prefer max gen because it enabled true one pedal driving and it brings the car to a complete stop rather than a Tesla slow roll. After than we moved into an area and you are given the option to try backing up the vehicle. They had 2 spots marked by blue cones, so I decided to give it a show ( why skip on anything right?) I put the truck in reverse, and 3 extremely clear camera screen show up. A middle large one for the back camera, and 1 on each side that show you the side of the vehicle including the rear tires! The idea was that you could backup the vehicle without having to look at the main camera, rear view mirror, and 2 sides mirrors so you are less distracted and enables view of a trailer if you are backing up one. I backed up into the spot, and asked why they have 2 spots reserved, I was told that many people who are not used to large vehicle were hitting the blue cones, so they expanded to 2 spots. I pulled out and moved into the main track area.

At this point, you are asked to floor it until you hit 60mph then you step once you reach the speed gates; since it was early, they did not have the gates setup. I floored, and behemoth took off! The launch was strong, but much smoother than a Tesla ( I had P90 so that is my point of reference ) by the time I looked at the speedometers, I was at 95mph so I released the gas pedal. The guide made a cheeky comment, but was very nice about it and asked me how it felt to go that fast, I was on cloud 9 at this point then you make a turn and you got to another straight, here you are asked to do a slalom at about 35 - 45mph. I was up to 40MPH and swinging left and right trying to make the vehicle fish tail bit, but that thing never slipped even on the wet trail! It was insane, I was expecting some skidding at the rear tires, but I was proven wrong. Now it was time to make another pass, same things gun it, then Slalom. This time I was determined to make the tires skid, so I started swinging that steering wheel and got up to 60MPH, nothing. It would not budge. Its like I am not even trying to make it go loose. At this point I started laughing at the people who are ordering CT or the Lightning but also offered some sympathy, internally. I exited to the left and parked the vehicle. I played with the suspension a bit, opened the drunk, pressed buttons, moved the seats, I am sure the guide started wondering if I was a 5 years old trapped in a adult body, I felt like a kid in a candy store.

The fun ended, and I headed towards the field to check the parked show vehicles and pick some brains. Here comes the disappointing part. Even though I was in Normal, by the manufacturing plant, they was not technical staff. They only give you information that we already know, but here are my concerns if someone else happens to stumble upon a tech person in their journey.

The front area under the hood is plastic, which is fine but those pieces were uneven and stuck to the car using velcro straps. When I asked why, they said they do not have any information, but they are sure the real production vehicles would be different.

The rear hinges of the hood had dents on the lower area, I kept investigating, and I found that there is a bolt that acts as a stopper that is hitting that arm hard ( I did not know if I could take pictures at the time ) Again they said they have no answer, and they are positive it would be on a production vehicle. But the parts seemed welded already, so it was hard for me to buy that answer.


The tailgate was fine, but I noticed that the edges on the lights have gashes on them, so I tried closed the gate manually and I realized that the inner side of the lights on the tailgate, rub against the inner side of the lights that are fixed on the rear. I got the same answer again.

The guards around the rear of the vehicle are attached with hidden clips, but they were easy to pop out. I was tying to look under the tent ( btw, the tent is awesome! ) and I hit my elbow on the upper bed guard, and it just snapped off, so I put it back.

The last concern means nothing to me since I am getting the R1S, but the pull out kitchen has drawers to store the utensil and pots/pans, and I hut my forearm on the corners and edges. I am not sure who's idea was that, but that specific kitchen had some seriously sharp edges! But of course, it was not a production version either...so they said.

The rear seats were huge, comfortable, lots of space, you can fit 3 adults and a dog in there easily. There is so much head room for a 5'11 person in the front and back, it made me feel I was driving a giant tank. I was told unofficially, that the R1S second row is just as big.

I think those are all the details I have, if I remember something else later, I will add it to the comments. But the 90 minutes drive home was the longest 90minutes in my life, and probably the least economical trip because I trying to stay on the R1T mode and floor the sorry little ICE Mazda the whole trip.

(UPDATE)
I did ask them if the screen were automotive or industrial grade, and they did not know. The questions stems from a Tesla issue where the screen would develop yellowish areas around the screen and eventually stop responding to touch at the edges. The reason is that the screen they used is industrial and not automotive and there was a big debacle on whether it is warranty covered or not.

Charging at home was very odd, they limited the charging without the in-home gadget at 7.2KW ( 7.something ) which means you only get about 14-16 miles an hour, and you must have the home charger to get into the 11.xKWH to receive a 23-26 miles an hour when using the same exact 50amp NEMA 14-50. Apparently they restricted it at the module level that comes built in the mobile charging cable, so if you travel a lot, it seems a 10 hour stay at home will get you 150miles as opposed 250miles, not sure how that factors in your budget of adding the $500 dollar A chargers. They also mentioned that scheduling the charging happens on the home charger box. In other words, if you have a Tesla, you can program the car to let it know when to start charging so you can take advantage of off-peak hours, but with RIVIAN this is on the home charger itself. They did not have any other information as how you would do that or whether that is also available in the vehicle itself.

I found it interesting that you were allowed to actually get behind the wheel and operate the truck. At the Friday (Oct 1) First Mile event, we got demo ride-alongs only. What was the difference?

 

[LeoH]

Fortunately, other 3rd party EVSEs (such as my ChargePoint) will also support scheduling.

I was just confused as to why the home charger controls the scheduling and not the vehicle itself. There seemed to be little to no information on the aspect and you would think since deliveries already started there would be no more ambiguity on something like charging.

 

[LeoH]

I found it interesting that you were allowed to actually get behind the wheel and operate the truck. At the Friday (Oct 1) First Mile event, we got demo ride-alongs only. What was the difference?

I think they run 3 events in at the same time.
1- Field event : You just go around the trucks and press buttons and poke around
2- Drive event: You get behind the truck, but you run a lap, you do not get to go up a slope or anything like that.
3- Not confirmed, but there is a standby list of some sort where you get a ride along but I have not seen that at all on Sunday. Frankly after driving the truck myself, I had no interest seeing other people drive it because it is depressing to watch after you tried it knowing you can't do it again for a while. It was a gateway ride!

 

[electruck]

I was just confused as to why the home charger controls the scheduling and not the vehicle itself. There seemed to be little to no information on the aspect and you would think since deliveries already started there would be no more ambiguity on something like charging.

Since it may not be available in the vehicle itself, it seemed worth pointing out for the benefit of the community that scheduling won't be exclusive to the Rivian EVSE.

It's hard to second guess why Rivian makes certain decisions. Perhaps they decided it was a capability already supported by their EVSE and at least some 3rd party EVSE so why spend the time/money/effort to build that into the car. Or perhaps since it's a capability they could add to the car over time they didn't feel it was a priority to have this from launch. Who knows.

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