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Concerned with reliability of this new startup?

HikerTom

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The R1T is a really cool vehicle, and I really like all the features. Is anyone concerned about the reliability, especially the long term reliability of this new vehicle? I want to support the adoption of this truck, and I want it to succeed, but some of the new technology makes me a little nervous. For instance, the truck will have a lot of microprocessors, a unique suspension system, and Iā€™m interested in the max battery pack that sounds like it hasnā€™t been developed yet. Motor trend, in a recent review, discussed the suspension that works like no other. According to Motortrend, it actually works a lot like the suspension of the McLaren 720S in that it includes hydraulic cross-linking of the adaptive dampers. The Rivian's setup also shares the concept of using ride-height-adjustable air springs. Can anyone comment on the reliability of this technology?

I am interested in an EV truck. The Ford Lightening is too big for me, but Ford has been around a lot longer and will certainly have more service centers. Do you think the Ford lightening would be more reliable? Iā€™m just not interested in the ev hummer or cbertruck. My current vehicles are old. The Saab is 32 and the VW is 17, and both have been incredibly reliable. Iā€™m just not accustomed to all this new technology, even though I support it. I just donā€™t want to spend a lot on something that isnā€™t reliable.

Iā€™m interested in your thoughts.
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Dark-Fx

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The R1T is a really cool vehicle, and I really like all the features. Is anyone concerned about the reliability, especially the long term reliability of this new vehicle? I want to support the adoption of this truck, and I want it to succeed, but some of the new technology makes me a little nervous. For instance, the truck will have a lot of microprocessors, a unique suspension system, and Iā€™m interested in the max battery pack that sounds like it hasnā€™t been developed yet. Motor trend, in a recent review, discussed the suspension that works like no other. According to Motortrend, it actually works a lot like the suspension of the McLaren 720S in that it includes hydraulic cross-linking of the adaptive dampers. The Rivian's setup also shares the concept of using ride-height-adjustable air springs. Can anyone comment on the reliability of this technology?

I am interested in an EV truck. The Ford Lightening is too big for me, but Ford has been around a lot longer and will certainly have more service centers. Do you think the Ford lightening would be more reliable? Iā€™m just not interested in the ev hummer or cbertruck. My current vehicles are old. The Saab is 32 and the VW is 17, and both have been incredibly reliable. Iā€™m just not accustomed to all this new technology, even though I support it. I just donā€™t want to spend a lot on something that isnā€™t reliable.

Iā€™m interested in your thoughts.
I think it will be reliable enough. Rivian has pulled a lot of talent away from Tesla and the Big Three. I've heard that they have prototypes of the Max Pack trucks but they obviously haven't shared information about them publicly. Blame the IPO quiet period if you like, I am.
 

bajadahl

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Iā€™m interested in the max battery pack that sounds like it hasnā€™t been developed yet.

This isn't true. The Max pack on both the R1T and R1S has been developed and in fact the R1T that came through Austin in April was a Max Pack version.

Now it is true that the Max pack R1T is not being produced at scale yet and it is also true that Rivian has chosen to re-develop a longer range R1S that may or may not be similar in size to the Max Pack. The general understanding for the R1S is Rivian's research lead them to believe a 3 row SUV was critical to the success of the platform. Originally the Max Pack R1S would require the 3rd row delete due to the fact that the extra batteries took up space in the foot wells. They have chosen to redevelop the R1S to have a larger battery and 3 rows of seats. The exact size of this larger battery for the R1S is not known at this time... however, due to the wording of the release last November when the delay was announced many of us feel like the Max Pack R1S will be smaller than originally planned. We are supposed to know those details shortly after launch... As someone who really wanted a Max Pack R1S... I'm not holding my breath for that announcement.... I fear I'll be disappointed.

As for general reliability... no one here can say definitively one way or the other, however, many of us who have touched the vehicle believe at least initial quality/reliability will be very good. I would hope the computer and electronics will be serviceable for many years.
 

Max

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The R1T is a really cool vehicle, and I really like all the features. Is anyone concerned about the reliability, especially the long term reliability of this new vehicle? I want to support the adoption of this truck, and I want it to succeed, but some of the new technology makes me a little nervous. For instance, the truck will have a lot of microprocessors, a unique suspension system, and Iā€™m interested in the max battery pack that sounds like it hasnā€™t been developed yet. Motor trend, in a recent review, discussed the suspension that works like no other. According to Motortrend, it actually works a lot like the suspension of the McLaren 720S in that it includes hydraulic cross-linking of the adaptive dampers. The Rivian's setup also shares the concept of using ride-height-adjustable air springs. Can anyone comment on the reliability of this technology?

I am interested in an EV truck. The Ford Lightening is too big for me, but Ford has been around a lot longer and will certainly have more service centers. Do you think the Ford lightening would be more reliable? Iā€™m just not interested in the ev hummer or cbertruck. My current vehicles are old. The Saab is 32 and the VW is 17, and both have been incredibly reliable. Iā€™m just not accustomed to all this new technology, even though I support it. I just donā€™t want to spend a lot on something that isnā€™t reliable.

Iā€™m interested in your thoughts.
Early adopter has to be comfortable with a certain amount of risk. There is a reason Toyota does not change things frequently. I think R1T is going to be as good as a new car from a new company can get. That said, I would be very surprised if there are no hiccups along the way. During the warrantee period you should be fine. After that, you may have to depend on Rivian for some proprietary software or parts. If you plan to keep it long after warranty, I would look at some Tesla owner reviews. I expect the cost and experience to be similar or slightly better.

Overall, I look at this as a very expensive smartphone on wheels. Software updates is like personality disorder. Your car keeps changing and you have no control what it is changing to. It is likely that it will change for the better with most updates but it is possible you loose some ability or behavior you liked when you got your R1T and at times, they may break something that was working before. My old ICE truck behaves mostly the same way it did 18 years ago with some additional character. An R1T after 10 years may have a perfectly functioning motor and you may have just replaced itā€™s battery for $20K but if it has an aneurism and itā€™s proprietary software and hardware is no longer supported, you may be out of luck. That is if Rivian is still in business. Frankly there is no guarantee Ford will be in business in 10 years either but Lightning suspension is less complicated and F150 customers have more of an expectation to find parts for their truck and repair their trucks to some extent. But if it is too big and you want an EV truck, based on what you said, you donā€™t have a whole lot of options. I have reservation for both and have the same reservations as you do. Despite itā€™s short comings, I have been happy with my battery operated lawnmower much more than the old gas one so I am willing to take the plunge knowing that there is more risk and dependency involved than buying an ICE Tacoma or Frontier.

in short, it is a crap shoot but it may be worth the risk.
 
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astonius

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I'd be lying if I said I wasn't somewhat concerned with the lack of reliability track record, but Rivian's warranty period is more generous than most luxury brands which I hope is a testament to confidence in their product.
 

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Cars currently have 25 to 50 or more microprocessors in them today. The chips used by Rivian are mostly or all "off the shelf" chips used by everyone else. Rivian is not going to design their own silicon when it's already been done. Here's an example of a door/mirror controller chip. Rivian or a supplier such as Foxconn will design the supporting circuitry and build the circuit baords . Not concerned about this at all.

Early adopters take risks with new product, yes.
 

the long way downunder

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In terms of reliability, I'm not concerned about long term, just the next 12-24 months till Rivian and others build service locations and charging sites. If anything goes wrong with a Rivian in 2022, it will be a challenge for Rivian to have support near the vehicle, to have parts and field service logistics operating efficiently to have the vehicle back on the road with the least possible trouble for the owner. I think if you're getting an "early adopter" Rivian, you have to go into the deal with your eyes open. I don't think Rivian should be selling to new customers who intend to rely upon the vehicle as their only means of transport or essential to their employment or their commute, etc.
 

KeithPleas

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I think it will be reliable enough. Rivian has pulled a lot of talent away from Tesla and the Big Three.
Honestly, that's not encouraging per the latest Consumer Reports reliability survey:

"Lexus was rated the most reliable automaker in Consumer Reportsā€™ 2021 Auto Reliability Report, followed by Mazda and Toyota, while Jeep, Tesla and Lincoln were at the bottom of the list."​
 

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I think anyone should be concerned about reliability for a new brand. It's an unknown. I know it has a nice warranty, but a warranty doesn't matter if the company goes out of business. Or if you can't get replacement parts that may be hard to get for awhile. I still plan on going forward with my purchase, but I am also far down the list. If I start to hear about issues, I may reevaluate, especially since they would only be out 1-2 years, so relatively light use (figure the oldest would be 2-3 years, so most less than 40k miles when I buy.

For reference, my 2019 Jeep Wrangler, with about 25k miles, and "forever" warranty, has had a broken radio for almost 90 days. So, great, I have a warranty, and earbuds for a radio now.
 

TessP100D

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The R1T is a really cool vehicle, and I really like all the features. Is anyone concerned about the reliability, especially the long term reliability of this new vehicle? I want to support the adoption of this truck, and I want it to succeed, but some of the new technology makes me a little nervous. For instance, the truck will have a lot of microprocessors, a unique suspension system, and Iā€™m interested in the max battery pack that sounds like it hasnā€™t been developed yet. Motor trend, in a recent review, discussed the suspension that works like no other. According to Motortrend, it actually works a lot like the suspension of the McLaren 720S in that it includes hydraulic cross-linking of the adaptive dampers. The Rivian's setup also shares the concept of using ride-height-adjustable air springs. Can anyone comment on the reliability of this technology?

I am interested in an EV truck. The Ford Lightening is too big for me, but Ford has been around a lot longer and will certainly have more service centers. Do you think the Ford lightening would be more reliable? Iā€™m just not interested in the ev hummer or cbertruck. My current vehicles are old. The Saab is 32 and the VW is 17, and both have been incredibly reliable. Iā€™m just not accustomed to all this new technology, even though I support it. I just donā€™t want to spend a lot on something that isnā€™t reliable.

Iā€™m interested in your thoughts.
You should concerned. Absolutely
 

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BradSomrak

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I think anyone should be concerned about reliability for a new brand. It's an unknown. I know it has a nice warranty, but a warranty doesn't matter if the company goes out of business. Or if you can't get replacement parts that may be hard to get for awhile. I still plan on going forward with my purchase, but I am also far down the list. If I start to hear about issues, I may reevaluate
Completely agree with this. In fact, I intentionally cancelled my preorder and then re-ordered to move way down the list. I would like to see a year of preorders on the road with feedback from owners before I go forward and pull the trigger.
 

DaveA

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Completely agree with this. In fact, I intentionally cancelled my preorder and then re-ordered to move way down the list. I would like to see a year of preorders on the road with feedback from owners before I go forward and pull the trigger.
Thank you for your sacrifice. ?. Iā€™ll let you know how testing goesā€¦hopefully sooooon.
 

BradSomrak

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Thank you for your sacrifice. ?. Iā€™ll let you know how testing goesā€¦hopefully sooooon.
ā€œYouā€™re all welcomeā€ was the unwritten but nevertheless understood part of my prior post. ?
 

the long way downunder

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Completely agree with this. In fact, I intentionally cancelled my preorder and then re-ordered to move way down the list. I would like to see a year of preorders on the road with feedback from owners before I go forward and pull the trigger.
I'd suggest just waiting till a guide contacts you then working with them to arrive at a suitable delivery window. An order today might be two years away from being built.
 

Sdvictor

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This is an early adopter car. If you're concerned, it's prudent to wait a few years. On the flip side, I have 2 on preorder....because YOLO?
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