Roach
Member
- First Name
- Cody
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2020
- Threads
- 1
- Messages
- 15
- Reaction score
- 53
- Location
- California
- Vehicles
- 2015 Ford Escape, (Pre-Order: Rivian R1T)
- Occupation
- Engineer / Project Manager
- Thread starter
- #1
Preorder:
I was an early preorder holder (2018) and finally received my R1T on 13 June 2022.
I was keyed into the LA Auto show by a friend, and while I appreciate EVs for what they are, as an Engineer and Economist I am not dogmatic about things like EV vs ICE. I know these are tradeoff. But what I saw proposed at the LA Auto show in 2018 showed an incredible amount of promise, thought, capability, and was wrapped in a nifty looking package with luxury slathered on to boot!
Expectations:
I expected them to not meet schedule goals, and I expected them to miss some capability/specification promises. I work on big complex projects at the forefront of development and know that is reality. So while I lament that the electrochromic dimming roof was scrapped, the Fronk got smaller, the charge port on both sides disappeared, Level 5 Automated Driving was no longer promised (but still aspirational?) that the payload weight rating is smaller than expected, and the charging network has been behind in numbers and schedules. It is still doing a dang good job with what they have and continue to achieve! If they didn't dare to dream big, they wouldn't have made it this far. And we all see they are going further!
Delivery:
It took a bit over a month after my guide advised that my Truck was ready to receiving it. It arrived for Pre Delivery Inspection (PDI) aka the final inspection and they called to schedule delivery the following week. However the delivery date came and went and my guild called to tell me they had found several minor issues (primarily something with a gear tunnel door.) The delivery date pushed out one week at a time several times. At this point I had already started paying insurance and had transferred ~30k cash to Rivian, and had 50k in financing at a good rate with an expiration date. And interest rates were on the rise. So after years of patience I all of a sudden felt very impatient. But eventually delivery day came and the gal that delivered it did a great job and was very professional and knowledgeable.
I have just found out that my bank still appears to not have been contacted by Rivian regarding funding. This now has me concerned.
Driving:
So far driving has been great. I rarely smash the pedal but it does what we all expect and kicks electrons through the tires as it takes off!
I am on the 20ATs and you can feel it. While they and the vehicle is great in a straight line, the limits of AT tires on pavement with a very heavy vehicle are a reality that one should clearly not forget.
I have only taken one road trip so far, and I do drive on the freeway to get to work (the I 95 near D.C.) and for the most part the lane, distance, and speed keeping of Driver+ is great. I liken it to having your 16 year old drive for you in your lap, you may trust it and they may be great but you clearly have to always be supervising and occasionally correcting. Around areas of construction or when the sun is rising right into the FWD sensors Driver+ can freak out and will pass control back to you. So overall it is great! I often find myself driving in Conserve mode because it is still as fast or faster than my last car (2015 Ford Escape).
Work Truck?:
Here is the meat of why I am writing. My wife is one of those that always is doing something and always sees ways to take care, fix, and improve things. Right before we got the R1T she had bough a couple bags of mulch for the front garden, only to find out she would need about ten times as much. I persuaded her to wait till we received the truck so we could put it to work. Mulch is much cheaper by the yard than by the bag, right? so why not put it in the back of an 80k truck?
Well, I can confirm that the R1T can fit a single yard of mulch at a time, but the skidsteer that they dumped it in with has a bucket wider than the bed, so you must trust the skill of the operator. He had to shake the bucket at a diagonal to the bed to get it in.
So it works! Mulch to no one's surprise can go in an R1T bed! and the Truck handles like a dream despite all the added weight. Stayed level, and no air suspension issues. That being said, the mulch get's in more than just the bed. It get's between the bed extension, it get's in the tonneau track, it get's in nooks and crannies, and this truck bed has a LOT of them. The gooseneck/J hinges for the bed have a huge area that attracts stuff in the bed, especially lose loads like this, and you will find it hard to keep stuff from falling into the bumper via the big holes. To the point it wouldn't even let the gate open on one of the loads:
Cleaning it all out was a bit of a process. I found this the best order: gloved hands, broom, small broom and dustpan, leaf blower, shop-vac, and hose with spray nozzle. And make sure to brush away from holes, and get some vac nozzles that reach deep into the bumper to get it all(?) out. I probably pulled over a pound out from those hinge holes.
So, can the R1T be used as a work truck? Technically, yes. But is it? No, as I am sure some of you are already shouting "It is an Adventure and Lifestyle Truck!"
Correct! so those of you on the fence, I wanted to offer a more nuanced review from someone who uses it for both. It is a GREAT! Adventure and Lifestyle truck. It costs me over four times less per mile to drive than my previous car, has MUCH more storage space, can go faster, is more luxurious, handles the bulk of the stress of my hour+ commute into the City, and is safer (?). And in a pinch, I can haul what I need. Which on a weekly basis looks more like this:
The bed is still brownish from the mulch by the way, I need a power washer or a scrubber of some sort to properly get it out... but that will be a separate 'adventure'.
Charging and Parking/Garaging:
Works. I get a full 70% charge easy over night and did charge up to 100% before my road trip no problem. So even with the big battery, unless you get home after midnight and wake up at 0500 it will be as full as you want it the next day. IF you put it on the 60 amp circuit to get the full 48 continuous, which I highly recommend.
But this Truck is large for a car, though I know small for a truck. Unfortunately home builders in the 90's and before didn't plan to make garages as big as I want them! so I ended up with this compromise when I park to charge:
So it technically fits, and I can just about squeeze past the back to grab a tool if needed, but not ideal. Maybe I need to get a new house or build a new garage?
The
The green light pulsing at night looks sorta sci fi, not going to lie. It doesn't really look right in the rural area where we live (the green pulsing light.)
Fast charging at 150KW EA chargers on the road trip worked fine. plenty fast, it was more the state of the chargers that were broken, non op by software, or straight up vandalized that was annoying. Unfortunately you can't assume every set of chargers will work, so always have some to get to another station in an emergency, unless you know the station well.
Gear Guard:
In theory great! it works except for when it doesn't. If often catches people walking away, or doesn't even record people I see taking pictures, ogling, or even touching it. I can be two blocks away, watching and Gary apparently is asleep at the wheel. I still have not been able to download the videos either, not by USB C in the center console nor as I was also told by the delivery gal via phone. But I have had a number of inception moments of taking a picture of a truck that was taking a picture of a guy taking a picture of the truck:
Odds and Ends:
- I still don't have the latest software, it hasn't shown up to download even though other's clearly have. I am assuming it is a limited roll out to ensure stability before rolling it out wider, but it would be nice to know. (hint hint: communication)
- The built in nav is good, but not as good as Google or A Better Route Planner (ABRP). So I find myself using them often.
- Settings get forgotten. I often find Driver+ settings (lane keep/warning for example) are turned off after the truck goes to sleep. The Truck will recognize my profile, but often not move the seat and mirrors until I tell it to "Restore" and even then, occasionally it forgets where I save one mirror or aspect of the chair, and I have to reposition and save.
- Vents and Aircon need refinement. I am someone who appreciates innovation but also holds "if it ain't broke, don't radically redesign it". Not having a Volume nob or physical knobs/vents for the HVAC had me nervous going in. I have gotten used to the volume pretty quick no problem there. And setting the temperature is easy and having same spot on screen access to HVAC is great! but the speed of the fan on auto is simply not good for me. It ends up WAY TOO LOUD AND FAST, or not at all. but the worst is the vents. I thought, ok I can set them just right and only have to readjust them in the screen after every time my wife drives the truck (which is increasingly often). So I was expecting a fairly first world problem already, but it is worse, because the vents do not go to where the screen tells them unless I first drag them to their stowage position they go to when the truck goes to sleep (e.g. down left for the vent to the left of the steering wheel), then I have to re drag them to where I want them. If I just try to get it to blow where I want it, it blows into the corner as far from me and as closed off as possible. unsat.
I am sure I have more I could complain about, but as you can see I am already down in the weeds, and honestly most of this can be improved via OTA.
So nothing broke this for me, it is better than good and I am loving having my R1T!
If you have any questions feel free to post them below and I will do my best to answer!
I was an early preorder holder (2018) and finally received my R1T on 13 June 2022.
I was keyed into the LA Auto show by a friend, and while I appreciate EVs for what they are, as an Engineer and Economist I am not dogmatic about things like EV vs ICE. I know these are tradeoff. But what I saw proposed at the LA Auto show in 2018 showed an incredible amount of promise, thought, capability, and was wrapped in a nifty looking package with luxury slathered on to boot!
Expectations:
I expected them to not meet schedule goals, and I expected them to miss some capability/specification promises. I work on big complex projects at the forefront of development and know that is reality. So while I lament that the electrochromic dimming roof was scrapped, the Fronk got smaller, the charge port on both sides disappeared, Level 5 Automated Driving was no longer promised (but still aspirational?) that the payload weight rating is smaller than expected, and the charging network has been behind in numbers and schedules. It is still doing a dang good job with what they have and continue to achieve! If they didn't dare to dream big, they wouldn't have made it this far. And we all see they are going further!
Delivery:
It took a bit over a month after my guide advised that my Truck was ready to receiving it. It arrived for Pre Delivery Inspection (PDI) aka the final inspection and they called to schedule delivery the following week. However the delivery date came and went and my guild called to tell me they had found several minor issues (primarily something with a gear tunnel door.) The delivery date pushed out one week at a time several times. At this point I had already started paying insurance and had transferred ~30k cash to Rivian, and had 50k in financing at a good rate with an expiration date. And interest rates were on the rise. So after years of patience I all of a sudden felt very impatient. But eventually delivery day came and the gal that delivered it did a great job and was very professional and knowledgeable.
I have just found out that my bank still appears to not have been contacted by Rivian regarding funding. This now has me concerned.
Driving:
So far driving has been great. I rarely smash the pedal but it does what we all expect and kicks electrons through the tires as it takes off!
I am on the 20ATs and you can feel it. While they and the vehicle is great in a straight line, the limits of AT tires on pavement with a very heavy vehicle are a reality that one should clearly not forget.
I have only taken one road trip so far, and I do drive on the freeway to get to work (the I 95 near D.C.) and for the most part the lane, distance, and speed keeping of Driver+ is great. I liken it to having your 16 year old drive for you in your lap, you may trust it and they may be great but you clearly have to always be supervising and occasionally correcting. Around areas of construction or when the sun is rising right into the FWD sensors Driver+ can freak out and will pass control back to you. So overall it is great! I often find myself driving in Conserve mode because it is still as fast or faster than my last car (2015 Ford Escape).
Work Truck?:
Here is the meat of why I am writing. My wife is one of those that always is doing something and always sees ways to take care, fix, and improve things. Right before we got the R1T she had bough a couple bags of mulch for the front garden, only to find out she would need about ten times as much. I persuaded her to wait till we received the truck so we could put it to work. Mulch is much cheaper by the yard than by the bag, right? so why not put it in the back of an 80k truck?
Well, I can confirm that the R1T can fit a single yard of mulch at a time, but the skidsteer that they dumped it in with has a bucket wider than the bed, so you must trust the skill of the operator. He had to shake the bucket at a diagonal to the bed to get it in.
So it works! Mulch to no one's surprise can go in an R1T bed! and the Truck handles like a dream despite all the added weight. Stayed level, and no air suspension issues. That being said, the mulch get's in more than just the bed. It get's between the bed extension, it get's in the tonneau track, it get's in nooks and crannies, and this truck bed has a LOT of them. The gooseneck/J hinges for the bed have a huge area that attracts stuff in the bed, especially lose loads like this, and you will find it hard to keep stuff from falling into the bumper via the big holes. To the point it wouldn't even let the gate open on one of the loads:
Cleaning it all out was a bit of a process. I found this the best order: gloved hands, broom, small broom and dustpan, leaf blower, shop-vac, and hose with spray nozzle. And make sure to brush away from holes, and get some vac nozzles that reach deep into the bumper to get it all(?) out. I probably pulled over a pound out from those hinge holes.
So, can the R1T be used as a work truck? Technically, yes. But is it? No, as I am sure some of you are already shouting "It is an Adventure and Lifestyle Truck!"
Correct! so those of you on the fence, I wanted to offer a more nuanced review from someone who uses it for both. It is a GREAT! Adventure and Lifestyle truck. It costs me over four times less per mile to drive than my previous car, has MUCH more storage space, can go faster, is more luxurious, handles the bulk of the stress of my hour+ commute into the City, and is safer (?). And in a pinch, I can haul what I need. Which on a weekly basis looks more like this:
The bed is still brownish from the mulch by the way, I need a power washer or a scrubber of some sort to properly get it out... but that will be a separate 'adventure'.
Charging and Parking/Garaging:
Works. I get a full 70% charge easy over night and did charge up to 100% before my road trip no problem. So even with the big battery, unless you get home after midnight and wake up at 0500 it will be as full as you want it the next day. IF you put it on the 60 amp circuit to get the full 48 continuous, which I highly recommend.
But this Truck is large for a car, though I know small for a truck. Unfortunately home builders in the 90's and before didn't plan to make garages as big as I want them! so I ended up with this compromise when I park to charge:
So it technically fits, and I can just about squeeze past the back to grab a tool if needed, but not ideal. Maybe I need to get a new house or build a new garage?
The
The green light pulsing at night looks sorta sci fi, not going to lie. It doesn't really look right in the rural area where we live (the green pulsing light.)
Fast charging at 150KW EA chargers on the road trip worked fine. plenty fast, it was more the state of the chargers that were broken, non op by software, or straight up vandalized that was annoying. Unfortunately you can't assume every set of chargers will work, so always have some to get to another station in an emergency, unless you know the station well.
Gear Guard:
In theory great! it works except for when it doesn't. If often catches people walking away, or doesn't even record people I see taking pictures, ogling, or even touching it. I can be two blocks away, watching and Gary apparently is asleep at the wheel. I still have not been able to download the videos either, not by USB C in the center console nor as I was also told by the delivery gal via phone. But I have had a number of inception moments of taking a picture of a truck that was taking a picture of a guy taking a picture of the truck:
Odds and Ends:
- I still don't have the latest software, it hasn't shown up to download even though other's clearly have. I am assuming it is a limited roll out to ensure stability before rolling it out wider, but it would be nice to know. (hint hint: communication)
- The built in nav is good, but not as good as Google or A Better Route Planner (ABRP). So I find myself using them often.
- Settings get forgotten. I often find Driver+ settings (lane keep/warning for example) are turned off after the truck goes to sleep. The Truck will recognize my profile, but often not move the seat and mirrors until I tell it to "Restore" and even then, occasionally it forgets where I save one mirror or aspect of the chair, and I have to reposition and save.
- Vents and Aircon need refinement. I am someone who appreciates innovation but also holds "if it ain't broke, don't radically redesign it". Not having a Volume nob or physical knobs/vents for the HVAC had me nervous going in. I have gotten used to the volume pretty quick no problem there. And setting the temperature is easy and having same spot on screen access to HVAC is great! but the speed of the fan on auto is simply not good for me. It ends up WAY TOO LOUD AND FAST, or not at all. but the worst is the vents. I thought, ok I can set them just right and only have to readjust them in the screen after every time my wife drives the truck (which is increasingly often). So I was expecting a fairly first world problem already, but it is worse, because the vents do not go to where the screen tells them unless I first drag them to their stowage position they go to when the truck goes to sleep (e.g. down left for the vent to the left of the steering wheel), then I have to re drag them to where I want them. If I just try to get it to blow where I want it, it blows into the corner as far from me and as closed off as possible. unsat.
I am sure I have more I could complain about, but as you can see I am already down in the weeds, and honestly most of this can be improved via OTA.
So nothing broke this for me, it is better than good and I am loving having my R1T!
If you have any questions feel free to post them below and I will do my best to answer!
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