Rivian is testing dual-motor versions of the R1T pickup and R1S SUV in the wild. In a Tweet, CEO RJ Scaringe said Rivian is currently putting dual-motor versions of the R1T pickup and R1S SUV for testing through the New Zealand winter.
In March, the company announced it would offer dual-motor versions of the R1T pickup and R1S SUV.
The dual-motor version of the R1T pickup and the R1S SUV will be cheaper than the four-motor version, starting at $67,500 for the R1T and $72,500 for the R1S. The four-motor R1T retails at $79,500 and the R1S at $84,500.
Winter testing our ‘Enduro’ dual motor in New Zealand! pic.twitter.com/4yHBTbd4Dx
— RJ Scaringe (@RJScaringe) August 8, 2022
The company hopes the dual-motor Enduro powertrain will help reduce costs and push the prices of the R1S, R1T and R2 models down to be more competitive in one of the most competitive car segments in the US.
Pricing considerations are important, given that the Senate’s recently passed Inflation Reduction Act seeks to bring in new federal EV tax credit rules. Under the regulation, electric vehicles priced at $80,000 or more would not qualify for the $7,500 subsidy.
At the time of announcing the dual-motor R1T and R1S, the company raised the price of the four-motor EV by $12,000.
Rivian itself targets to build around 25,000 vehicles this year, despite having a stockpile of 71,000 in early July. Late last month, the company cut the number of workers to six percent of its workforce to dedicate more resources to production.
Everything You should know about the difference between Rivian R1T and R1S
