Direct Current Engineering (DCE) Introduction: builders of the OPTIMA Rivian and OPTIMA Power Station vehicles

[the long way downunder]

Hi everyone,

Sorry for jumping in a little late here. We are Direct Current Engineering (DCE) the builders of the OPTIMA Rivian and OPTIMA Power Station vehicles. We were a little apprehensive about jumping into the conversations as we did not want to violate any forum rules - We are now an official sponsor of the forum.

DCE is a division of Weistec Engineering - an established high-end automotive performance solution provider with a proven track record. From world record-setting Mercedes vehicles to Unimogs and high-performance UTVs, we specialize in taking great vehicles to the next level.

DCE is dedicated to providing EV solutions that enhance the looks and functionality of your vehicle no matter how you use it. DCE products are built to tackle the extreme without compromising daily use. Our products don’t just look great - they work. We daily drive vehicles with our products. Our wives drive them on trips with kids, then we thrash them on and off-road. Direct Current Engineering is enthusiast proven without compromise!

Our first product is a set of genuine rock sliders that double as a sidestep for the R1T and R1S. They are built to protect your Rivian rockers and endure the rigorous demands of rock crawling.

Here is a link to our Instagram with a quick video of our rock sliders:
Instagram Video

We have thousands of miles of testing both on road and off. These rock sliders/steps work without compromising range or ground clearance as if they came fitted from the factory.

Please feel free to email us at [email protected] or give us a call (877) 934-7832

Winch?

Sponsored

 

[shrink]

There was some discussion RE: a group buy in another thread for these. Is that still on the table? If so, how many orders would you need and what would be the group buy price?

 

[DCE]

Apologies for the nay-saying ahead of time, but as a self-proclaimed company with lots of experience working with folks in the overlanding community, I'm utterly shocked at how little detail you've added to your product page at launch.

You must know without doubt that us overlanders need way more information than that to make a decision. You don't even mention how much they weigh, and every overlander's first stop is 'how does this affect my payload?'.

You don't provide the construction material. You can claim you've tested these all you want, but I want to know what the material is so I can assess the characteristics of your material choice (steel is a hell of a lot stronger than aluminum).

How do they mount? Do they require alteration to the stock configuration (do we need to leave underbody panels off?). What type of range impact do they have (should be easy to ascertain with thousands of hours/miles of testing)? Etc, etc.

If you've got thousands of hours of testing, why isn't there 5 minutes of video of you showing them actually taking impacts from the truck dropping on rocks and going through the thrashing you claim to have done?

There's just no way you're going to sell any of these to anyone who comes into an R1 from an overlanding background with the state of data you're currently providing, especially at that price point. You may snag some people that just want running boards, and you may snag some of the new-to-overlanding crowd, but you're doing yourself a disservice with this product launch, imo.

I'd at least consider them if you provided the above detail, but thus far I'm leaning towards another available product that comes in at half the price and has given me at least *some* of this detail.

Hope you guys can sort all this out and are successful. I definitely want to see competition in the market, so please don't take the above as an attack but instead take it as feedback, please.

Cheers!

Thanks for the constructive feedback. If our launch style is a little unorthodox or not to your liking, it’s indicative of a very diverse offering of products and brands in a very passionate market. We are an engineering and manufacturing firm that makes great products. We are building our marketing team and hope to meet everyone’s expectations as we grow - even yours.

 

[windblowlc]

There was some discussion RE: a group buy in another thread for these. Is that still on the table? If so, how many orders would you need and what would be the group buy price?

As OP said in that thread, group buy was for 50++ orders at 20% off. Most definitely not going to happen.

 

[DCE]

Winch?

It is extremely difficult to mount a winch on a Rivian. We are carrying portable winches until we have a solution.

 

[DCE]

As OP said in that thread, group buy was for 50++ orders at 20% off. Most definitely not going to happen.

Not sure where that information originated from. Something may have been taken out of context. We will have a group buy and there will be a minimum. We are evaluating capacity and timing for an estimated orders and will have an official deal to offer soon.

 

[windblowlc]

Not sure where that information originated from. Something may have been taken out of context. We will have a group buy and there will be a minimum. We are evaluating capacity and timing for an estimated orders and will have an official deal to offer soon.

I quote from the original group buy thread -

With enough interested I was told 20% off $2450 using a discount code. Making it $1960.



https://www.weistec.com/rivian-rock-sliders.html

Interested?

1. Put Name Here
2. Put Name Here

50+

 

[Inkedsphynx]

Thanks for the constructive feedback. If our launch style is a little unorthodox or not to your liking, it’s indicative of a very diverse offering of products and brands in a very passionate market. We are an engineering and manufacturing firm that makes great products. We are building our marketing team and hope to meet everyone’s expectations as we grow - even yours.

I'd disagree with your first sentence. As someone who has worked in hardware and software for a few decades, I've got a pretty good sense for what type of data should be presented when marketing a new product and a pretty good idea of what type of market research should be happening and indicating that said data needs to be of a certain caliber and breadth.

Doesn't really matter tho. I'll be watching to see how you all progress. Good luck!

 

[zefram47]

Per my response above, I hope to have more info soon. At SEMA the truck had production 295/65R20 BFGoodrich K02’s on prototype forged Black Rhino wheels. We are trying various offsets and widths. After we land on the best combination we can share the sizing for the production wheels.

Interesting. Will be looking for details...honestly didn't think a 35" tire would be possible.

 

[DCE]

I quote from the original group buy thread -

Looks like you quoted a member who made some assumptions. No one from our team has made an official statement regarding a group buy yet. We look forward to doing that soon!

 

[windblowlc]

Looks like you quoted a member who made some assumptions. No one from our team has made an official statement regarding a group buy yet. We look forward to doing that soon!

yes, I did. No reason to assume he posted on his own thread based on an assumption. He must have gotten it from some sources. Any way, we'll be looking forward to an official group buy from you.

 

[DCE]

I'd disagree with your first sentence. As someone who has worked in hardware and software for a few decades, I've got a pretty good sense for what type of data should be presented when marketing a new product and a pretty good idea of what type of market research should be happening and indicating that said data needs to be of a certain caliber and breadth.

Doesn't really matter tho. I'll be watching to see how you all progress. Good luck!

Thanks again for the feedback. I will PM you and see if you’re willing to share a little more detail on how we could provide a better experience.

 

[sac602]

Best thread on RF.

 

[jjswan33]

@DCE - Have you guys advertised an official weight for these rock sliders?

 

[mini2nut]

Optima batteries appear to be a sponsor but they don’t even carry 12v replacement batteries for the R1T;

“OPTIMA does not currently offer a battery in your size.”

Sponsored