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Trekkie

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Highly controlled test by Rivian, so not a full review
It says right in the video and description it is not a full review.
 

Dbeglor

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There are still several worthwhile nuggets in this that are a first:

- Battery is 133kw useable out of 135kw gross. First I've heard this stat (unverified of course, but still noteworthy). He also repeated the claim that he thought it might be capable of 80a level 2, but this time he did waffle on it. Pretty sure it's limited to 48a (60a circuit)
- first in depth testing and commentary on regen performance, showing how it comes to full stop and transitions to auto hold without needing to apply brake pedal
- first person to review/comment on general driving dynamics of acceleration and braking, including finer points of how it reacts at low speeds

More broadly, Kyle C. is well respected in the EV world, so his thoughts and observations carry a lot of weight.
 

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SeaGeo

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There are still several worthwhile nuggets in this that are a first:

- Battery is 133kw useable out of 135kw gross. First I've heard this stat (unverified of course, but still noteworthy). He also repeated the claim that he thought it might be capable of 80a level 2, but this time he did waffle on it. Pretty sure it's limited to 48a (60a circuit)
- first in depth testing and commentary on regen performance, showing how it comes to full stop and transitions to auto hold without needing to apply brake pedal
- first person to review/comment on general driving dynamics of acceleration and braking, including finer points of how it reacts at low speeds

More broadly, Kyle C. is well respected in the EV world, so his thoughts and observations carry a lot of weight.
5 minutes of Kyle driving the R1T gave me more information that I'm curious about than pretty much anything. He also picked out two things that I've been wondering about since the Colorado press event, which is max Regen (Tom M mentioned only 150 kw I believe) and thermal management since two trucks throttled regen there. Rivian said it was because the software they were set to, but that was surprising at the time.

Otherwise, really great to pick up on that. Good to see he though basically everything else was great, and commented on the turning radius.
 

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Highly controlled test by Rivian, so not a full review
Certainly a view from a Tesla Owner (I'm a Tesla owner, but also an auto enthusiast / mechanic / race driver). He is stunned at the amenities in the R1T - this means he's used to Teslas, not normal 2021 luxury vehicles. That level of detail is normal for today's pickups. And the pricing is cannot be compared to a Tacoma until they make a SupraX Tacoma. For now, a trim that is similar but missing some major features is $46k with 1/3 the power. The Rivian R1T 135 is just under $70k after Fed, but not state.

The suspension design is equal to that of the Tesla, Jaguar, Porsche, and Audi EVs, that is not the McLaren. It is the high trim suspension found in cars dating back a decade or more, mag dampening, airspring. I can say in practice that the Jag, Porsche, Audi are a couple notches up the food chain from the 2020 Tesla MX application.

From more detailed reviews, the R1T is reported as the most well-sorted dynamic suspension available in a truck. It is the first true sport truck that has sigificant off-road abilities and heavy towing. By "heavy" I use the barometer of being able to haul a loaded racecar trailer (8000lb).

It needs to be compared to the Jaguar, not a Model 3.
 

Dbeglor

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5 minutes of Kyle driving the R1T gave me more information that I'm curious about than pretty much anything. He also picked out two things that I've been wondering about since the Colorado press event, which is max Regen (Tom M mentioned only 150 kw I believe) and thermal management since two trucks throttled regen there. Rivian said it was because the software they were set to, but that was surprising at the time.

Otherwise, really great to pick up on that. Good to see he though basically everything else was great, and commented on the turning radius.
Yeah, I've heard and now seen that their regen is probably the strongest of any EV available. 150kw is far more than any Tesla from what I understand (60kw). It makes sense, because a) the vehicle is heavy and b) they wanted it to be a de facto hill descent control for said heavy vehicle.

I look forward to his full review more than any other.
 

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Yeah, I've heard and now seen that their regen is probably the strongest of any EV available. 150kw is far more than any Tesla from what I understand (60kw). It makes sense, because a) the vehicle is heavy and b) they wanted it to be a de facto hill descent control for said heavy vehicle.

I look forward to his full review more than any other.
There are also 4 motors providing regen, not 2 or 3 as in most other EVs right now. Regen on tap makes sense to be quite large
 

McRat

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Yeah, I've heard and now seen that their regen is probably the strongest of any EV available. 150kw is far more than any Tesla from what I understand (60kw). It makes sense, because a) the vehicle is heavy and b) they wanted it to be a de facto hill descent control for said heavy vehicle.

I look forward to his full review more than any other.
At 120mph lift on the Jaguar and it feels like you dropped the chute. Over 200 kW, maybe 240kW according to interpolation.

Even the lightweight GM Bolt puts down >70kW on high which is higher than my MX.
 

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Yeah, I've heard and now seen that their regen is probably the strongest of any EV available. 150kw is far more than any Tesla from what I understand (60kw). It makes sense, because a) the vehicle is heavy and b) they wanted it to be a de facto hill descent control for said heavy vehicle.

I look forward to his full review more than any other.
the Taycan is limited to 265 kw regen. I suspect the answer is really 200 kW based on the 400v charging max. Which is probably fine for most situations, but it's a much larger vehicle than what we're all used to.
 

Dbeglor

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There are also 4 motors providing regen, not 2 or 3 as in most other EVs right now. Regen on tap makes sense to be quite large
I was also pleasantly surprised to hear that the regen power appears as though it may be speed dependent. You want it to be strongest at slow speeds so that it brings you to a stop, but don't want it to be jarring in highway driving. Really, I'd want it to be close to zero at high speeds because I don't want it to scrub speed that I then have to regain. It's a more comfortable driving experience to not have to modulate the accelerator to prevent regen from slowing you down, which would be dangerous on the highway.

That's why I like the paddle shifter application of changing regen strength rather than screen menus, so that I can click it into zero/coasting when on highway, then ramp it up in city driving.
 

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I appreciate How this review addressed EV specifics like regen, throttle mapping.
Interesting tidbit about "launch"-ing and upcoming launch mode.
Looking forward to Out Of Spec. full review.
 

Friscorays

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Bummer about March 1, 2022.
 
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