R1T bed length

[WindyKnob]

Seems to me that if the r1t is going to make inroads into the Midwest farming/construction communities it's going to have to have a bed that can haul a 4x8 sheet of plywood! I'd order one in a heartbeat if it had a full size bed!

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[electruck]

But that's not really the market they are targeting. They're targeting the adventure / lifestyle market with the R1T/S.

 

[ElectricTrucking]

The 4X8 sheet of plywood is an urban legend.

 

[Pherdnut]

Giving it a lousy wheelbase for off road so it can be a more effective 4x8 trolley probably isn't in the cards for the first model year or two. Design focus is on outdoor activity and off-roading. Certainly seems like there's enough demand from the work truck crowd that they might eventually consider it though.

 

[Roach]

Having borrowed a friends F150 to haul 4x8 before, I see the value, but also acknowledge how for most people it is a rare convenience, not a regular fact of life.

To this end though, the ability to haul 4x8 in a convenient to strap down way is enough for me.gate up or down, as long as it can be done, I don't think the bed itself needs to be able to handle 11,000 lbs of laid flat 4x8 stacked high.

@electruck is right, the Contractor/Rancher/Construction markets are not the target for the R1T, but we all see so much potential for this design. RJ has stated that long beds are not at all ruled out for future trucks. I can't remember which of the many videos I've seen he said it in, but the implication is that they are already planning on a work truck version.

to use the old SAT English test phrase: The Tesla Model S is to the Rivian R1T, as the Tesla Model 3 is to the Rivian [work truck] (R2T?)

 

[Pherdnut]

The bed is actually over 6' with the gate down. That surprised me. That sounds strap-down-able with the modular rails they have in place to place a load above the wheel wells.

 

[Roach]

The bed is actually over 6' with the gate down. That surprised me. That sounds strap-down-able with the modular rails they have in place to place a load above the wheel wells.

@Pherdnut yeah! I think I am totally in the target market because of just that. It is as much bed as I could really justify, and I can still find a way to do most things that I may need to do once every few years.

 

[EyeOnRivian]

@electruck is right, the Contractor/Rancher/Construction markets are not the target for the R1T

Exactly. I've heard that long ago from Rivian and have mentioned that to others may times (e.g. those that appear to be anti-Rivian / pro-Tesla CT). That's a different market segment Rivian just isn't "officially" (publicly) targeting with the R1T.

RJ has stated that long beds are not at all ruled out for future trucks. I can't remember which of the many videos I've seen he said it in, but the implication is that they are already planning on a work truck version.

I also recall RJ saying something like that but chalked it up to "never say never." I believe any implication of working on a work truck version though may have been a reference to Rivian assisting Ford with their EV pickup? Regardless, what I have heard more often from him and others is that their plan is to produce 5 EVs by 2025. So besides the R1T and R1S, one of them might be a rally car. For the remaining two, well, when I asked a Rivian team lead last October about making a pickup with a longer bed he basically said the next set of vehicles will likely be slightly smaller versions of the R1T and R1S. Given that, perhaps a longer truck bed will come after the 5 vehicles Rivian has said they will produce by 2025? If so, that's a long time to wait ... but also a lot could happen in the mean time and maybe Rivian will change their mind based on market feedback and conditions ... like the financial markets tanking which unfortunately makes a lot this rather insignificant at the moment.

 

[thrill]

The bed is actually over 6' with the gate down. That surprised me. That sounds strap-down-able with the modular rails they have in place to place a load above the wheel wells.

This earlier message on the forum indicates you may not need the rails for most bed loads.

https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/bed-size-matters.115/post-5863

"Hi Dan,

Congrats on your R1T preorder and welcome to the Rivian family! Regarding specs, any vehicle specifications are subject to change prior to production. To answer your question, we can share that the wheelhouse width is 50 inches. This makes the internal dimensions of the truck bed between the wheel wells greater than 48 inches. Hope this helps!

Best,
Gabi"

 

[Pherdnut]

https://www.wired.com/story/rivian-race-design-all-electric-pickup-truck/

Maybe just a misprint of the gate-down stat (which is just 6') but...

"(The R1T’s bed expands from 4' 11" to 6' 11".) "

The article interview probably took place in January or February at the latest.

 

[jimrichard]

I am no longer in construction so I don't really care but a tail gate down carrying building materials is not fun. I was always worried about stuff falling out on the road. However at 4'-6" which is closer to what I have heard with the tail gate up you can easily carry a half dozen sheets of 4x 8 plywood as only about 3'-3" would stick out over the closed tailgate accounting for the angle of the sheets in the bed. I have done it many times with short bed pickups as long as you have a decent protection for the top of the tailgate which the rivian looks to have its not a problem.

Now longer lumber is a problem with even an 8' bed and a trailer or headache rack is recommended if you don't want to get in trouble with the police. I could see a color matched lumber rack for the R1T as the frunk and gear tunnel would be so great for tools.

 

[cskatx]

The 4X8 sheet of plywood is an urban legend.

But not a rural legend. I just cancelled my Rivian reservation because I just couldn't come to grips with the bed size. I'm clearly outside the target demographic though; I'm a rural farmer and wood worker, who hoped to be an EV early adopter... Looks like ICE for me, at least for the next few years, or until I figure out what in the world the Tesla CyberTruck really is...

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

But not a rural legend. I just cancelled my Rivian reservation because I just couldn't come to grips with the bed size. I'm clearly outside the target demographic though; I'm a rural farmer and wood worker, who hoped to be an EV early adopter... Looks like ICE for me, at least for the next few years, or until I figure out what in the world the Tesla CyberTruck really is...

I do woodworking as a hobby, and am an avid DIYer, as well. I think the Rivian will be perfectly adequate for most Home Depot trips -- including 4x8 sheet goods and 8' dimensional lumber. If I need a bunch of 10/12' dimensional lumber then I'll use my utility trailer, anyway.

It would be interesting to see if the roof crossbars can be positioned far enough back on the cab so that they can act as a headache rack and lumber can be angled from the back of the bed up onto the crossbars without damaging the cab. It'd also be interesting to see two sets of crossbars, where one is on the roof of the cab and the other -- with extensions -- is over the bed and provides a level plane as a temporary rack.

 

[skyote]

It'd also be interesting to see two sets of crossbars, where one is on the roof of the cab and the other -- with extensions -- is over the bed and provides a level plane as a temporary rack.

Rivian previously said that there would be bars for the bed available that would match height with the roof bars.

 

[skyote]

But not a rural legend. I just cancelled my Rivian reservation because I just couldn't come to grips with the bed size. I'm clearly outside the target demographic though; I'm a rural farmer and wood worker, who hoped to be an EV early adopter... Looks like ICE for me, at least for the next few years, or until I figure out what in the world the Tesla CyberTruck really is...

Dang, that's one less Rivian I might see around ATX. I have a diesel truck that I'll be keeping & switched from R1T to R1S, but if I didn't have a 5th wheel, I probably would've stuck with the R1T & just used a trailer when the bed wouldn't suffice.

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