Rivian, the electric vehicle manufacturer, has announced that deliveries of its R1T Max Pack, a highly anticipated electric pickup truck, will be delayed until the second quarter of 2023. The announcement came in an email sent to R1T Max Pack reservation holders, in which Rivian explained that the delay was due to changes to the configurator, allowing customers to choose between the Max pack with standard Dual-Motor or the Max pack with enhanced Dual-Motor.
In the email, Rivian expressed its commitment to getting the R1T to its customers as soon as possible, but noted that the new delivery window estimate for R1T Preorder Holders with Max pack configurations would be in April, instead of late February as previously expected. Rivian’s email sparked comments from preorder holders who had ordered R1Ts with the Max battery pack. Some wondered if the Max Pack or the Cybertruck would reach customers first, while others speculated that the R1T Max Pack delivery delay was due to production issues.
See also: Rivian testing dual-motor versions of R1T pickup and R1S SUV in the wild
Rivian’s December email to Max Pack + Quad Motor preorder holders announced that R1 orders with Max Pack + Quad Motor configurations would not be available on Rivian’s configurator beginning in 2023. As of this writing, the R1T Quad Motor AWD variant is only available with Rivian’s Large Battery Pack, and the R1S Quad-Motor AWD is also only available with the Large Pack. Customers who want the Quad-Motor AWD R1T or R1S will need to pay an additional $8,000 and $6,000 for the Large Pack.
The email also mentioned that Rivian planned to offer two versions of the R1T Dual-Motor AWD variant: Standard and Enhanced. The Enhanced Dual-Motor R1T has 700 HP and can do 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds, while the Standard Dual-Motor R1T has 600 HP and can do 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds.
Despite the delay, Rivian plans to reach out to R1T Max Pack preorder holders in April to discuss estimated delivery windows. The company remains committed to delivering the R1T to its customers as soon as possible and hopes that the changes to the configurator will provide them with even more options for their electric pickup truck.
