Rivian’s R1 vehicles are getting a gut overhaul — here’s what’s new

Jun 06, 2024 11:00 PM - 5 months ago 54152

On nan surface, nan 2nd procreation Rivian R1 vehicles look fundamentally nan aforesaid arsenic nan first: aforesaid rugged-yet-aerodynamic shape, aforesaid friends oval headlight shapes, aforesaid quirky features, for illustration flashlights successful nan doorway frame. 

But underneath nan surface, nan institution insists that everything has changed. 

Over nan past 2 and a half years, nan company’s engineering squad took connected an tremendous task, codenamed “Peregrine,” to fundamentally change nan DNA of Rivian’s R1T truck and R1S SUV. It’s not that nan EVs were getting dusty, having only launched successful 2021. But pinch request for plug-in cars wobbling and Rivian desperately searching for caller ways to entreaty to customers pinch only a two-model lineup, Project Peregrine took connected caller urgency. 

“We’re wholly reengineering nan courage of nan vehicle,” Wassym Bensaid, Rivian’s caput of software, told The Verge. “And that opens up tons of possibilities.”

Image: Rivian

First and foremost, Rivian is swapping its domain-based architecture pinch a caller “zonal” strategy that successful nan car manufacture is only different employed by Tesla. That intends less physics power units (ECUs), little wiring, and astir importantly, little accumulation cost. After all, a little costly manufacturing process is vital to Rivian’s survival. The institution is losing much money than ever — $1.4 cardinal successful nan first 4th alone — and its early perfectly depends connected slashing accumulation costs. 

“We’re wholly reengineering nan courage of nan vehicle”

The EVs are besides getting awesome package upgrades, including stunning caller visuals powered by Epic’s Unreal Engine that look much for illustration paintings than CGI. Newly redesigned motors alteration a capacity bump for dual- and quad-motor variants. And Rivian is adding a slew of useful caller hardware, including a thermal power pump for improved artillery maintenance, caller aerodynamic tires, and a smarter driver-assist system. 

In a bid of interviews past month, Rivian’s apical executives insisted that this isn’t your emblematic mid-cycle refresh that is each excessively communal successful nan car industry. Instead, this should beryllium thought of arsenic a blank-slate, top-to-bottom reimagining of nan company’s flagship EVs — pinch an oculus toward streamlining its processes for nan coming R2 and R3 vehicles. 

“Essentially, everything beneath nan aboveground has changed,” Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said successful a caller interview. 

In nan zone

Rivian’s caller zonal architecture

Image: Rivian

Some of nan updates, for illustration nan recently fierce quad-motor R1T, will nary uncertainty get astir of nan attraction — and for bully reason. (0–60mph successful 2.5 seconds!) But Rivian’s move from domain to zonal web architecture is arguably nan astir important change. 

Rivian’s first-gen R1 level relied connected a domain architecture, successful which complete a twelve ECUs — mini devices that power and show various systems, for illustration airbags to braking to parking assistance — were dispersed passim nan vehicle. Switching to a zonal architecture allowed Rivian to trim a monolithic magnitude of wiring, removing complete 1.6 miles (2.6km) of it, and switch distributed ECUs pinch embedded functionality, software, and hardware pinch axenic package functions.

A little costly manufacturing process is captious to Rivian’s survival

But Scaringe knew nan squad had to commencement pinch a domain web if they were ever going to get to a zonal one. After all, location were much pressing concerns astatine nan time, for illustration updating nan aged Mitsubishi mill successful Normal, Illinois, into an ultramodern installation exclusively for electrical vehicles. 

The ECU count, Gen 1 vs. Gen 2

Image: Rivian

Instead of negotiating caller package deals pinch a assortment of suppliers, Rivian made nan early determination to creation its ain ECUs in-house. It didn’t make nan task of consolidating their number immoderate easier, Scaringe said, but it surely made it little complex. With its caller zonal architecture, Rivian has reduced nan full number of ECUs to seven, from nan 17 that made up its first-gen R1’s domain-based system.

The consequence will beryllium smoother over-the-air package updates but besides “thousands” successful costs savings per vehicle, Scaringe said. And astir importantly, customers will announcement a immense quality successful package enhancement and capacity — which hopefully past results successful improved sales. 

“There’s thing really adjacent to it,” Scaringe said. “You know, I’d opportunity Tesla and america are nan only 2 companies that are doing genuinely zonal-based architecture.”

Quad goals

Rivian’s caller electrical thrust motor

Image: Rivian

For its first-generation quad-motor vehicles, Rivian originated its drive-units from German car proviso elephantine Bosch. But past year, nan institution began making its ain Enduro drive-units for its dual-motor conveyance successful nan hopes that nan institution could rein successful its costs.

Now, those in-house designed parts — inverter and gearbox, arsenic good arsenic a rotor stator assembly from a supplier — are being utilized for an all-new quad-motor R1 platform. And nan capacity improvements are jaw-dropping. 

Launch Mode

Image: Rivian

The caller quad-motor R1T and R1S will make 1,025 horsepower and 1,198 lb-ft of torque, up from 835hp and 908lb-ft for nan first-gen quad-motor R1s. It will accelerate from 0–60mph successful conscionable 2.5 seconds and tin sprint a quarter-mile successful 10.5 seconds. That’s faster than nan apical supercars from nan UK, Germany, and Italy, Scaringe said. 

“There’s a pickup motortruck aliases 7 rider SUV that tin outrun successful nan 4th mile a Ferrari Enzo, a McLaren F1, aliases a Porsche 911 GT3 RS,” he boasted. 

Energized

The artillery pack, laying flat

Image: Rivian

That’s each good for nan velocity junkies. But for those concerned pinch much quotidian matters, Rivian has besides redesigned its Large and Max artillery packs for amended range. The institution estimates that its second-gen R1 vehicles will get up to 420 miles successful EPA-estimated range, a humble summation complete nan first-gen maximum scope of 410 miles. New 22-inch aero wheels will besides thief trim resistance and maximize range.  

Rivian is offering a lithium robust phosphate (LFP) artillery action for nan first time, pinch an estimated scope of 270 miles. LFP batteries are typically cheaper to manufacture than high-nickel batteries and person a longer life cycle, meaning they tin withstand much charges earlier they commencement to degrade. The LFP artillery will incorporate 92.5 kilowatt-hours of energy, arsenic compared to nan first-gen R1’s default non-LFP artillery pinch 105.9kWh. 

Rivian is offering an LFP artillery action for nan first time

Meanwhile, Rivian’s high-nickel artillery packs person undergone an overhaul to region “thousands of dollars of cost,” Scaringe said. The institution is utilizing a high-pressure dice casting strategy to amended nan pack’s structural integrity by consolidating a batch of nan parts. “It’s structurally much robust,” he said. 

That much robust artillery battalion is besides getting a brand-new thermal guidance strategy successful nan shape of a power pump. The first-gen R1T and R1S usage resistive heating, which passes electrical complaint done a ligament coil to make heat. In contrast, power pumps tie power from nan extracurricular and compress it, which has small effect connected nan vehicle’s range. 

Heat pumps tin besides much efficiently power up a artillery during acold upwind season, which helps premier nan artillery for charging while besides helping forestall annoyances for illustration “phantom drain,” successful which an EV artillery loses complaint during winter, moreover erstwhile it’s not successful use. These are awesome concerns for EV owners and could thief Rivian amended compete pinch automakers for illustration Tesla, Ford, and Hyundai who saw nan advantage of power pumps early on. 

Most importantly, nan revamped R1 artillery battalion is simply a motion of what’s to travel pinch Rivian’s R2 vehicle, which is smaller and much affordable than its predecessor. R2 will besides usage high-pressure dice castings, power pumps, and different innovations to thief trim costs and amended efficiency, Scaringe said. The format will alteration — R1 uses a double-stacked 2170 battery, while nan R2 features a caller 4695 cylindrical artillery cells — but nan methodologies and guidance are much aligned. 

Going hands-free

Image: Rivian

Rivian has ne'er been seen arsenic a leader successful nan title for autonomy. Its Driver Plus strategy has a batch of fans, sure, but nan institution is seldom mentioned successful nan aforesaid speech arsenic Tesla and others erstwhile it comes to self-driving. 

That could alteration pinch nan second-generation R1 compute system, which is getting a important power-up. Rivian is installing Nvidia’s AI chips successful its vehicles for nan first time, which should amended processing speeds. And Scaringe says that nan company’s Autonomy Platform will yet alteration hands-free driving, overmuch for illustration different automakers for illustration Ford and GM.

Rivian has ne'er been seen arsenic a leader successful nan title for autonomy

And while nan number of sensors utilized to powerfulness nan driver-assist strategy isn’t changing overmuch — 11 cameras, up from 10; aforesaid number of radar (five) and ultrasonic (12) — camera fidelity has vastly improved, and processing powerfulness of nan soul machine is “10 times” much powerful than nan erstwhile generation. 

According to Bensaid, Rivian’s package chief, nan institution is now utilizing surround-view cameras pinch 3 times nan resolution, moving astatine 60 frames per second, and pinch overmuch amended low-light capacity and colour quality. They’re besides swapping nan previous-generation radars for imaging radars pinch amended accuracy and an wide much broad position of nan surrounding environment. 

In position of improved capabilities, Rivian’s Driver Plus strategy will now alteration enhanced unsighted spot discovery and automatic lane changing, and nan institution hopes to connection hands-free driving by nan extremity of nan year. 

“It gives america awesome headroom,” Bensaid said, “so that we really now person nan level that will alteration overmuch amended autonomy capabilities and nan future.” 

Screen grab

Image: Rivian

Rivian’s infotainment is powered by Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, and nan graphics are predictably beautiful sick. But now Rivian is taking nan crippled motor to a caller level by employing a caller illustration-based redesign that gives its personification interface a playfully creator feel. While Tesla gets a batch of in installments for bringing gaming style machine graphics wrong nan car, Rivian whitethorn beryllium nan first institution to make nan acquisition really beautiful. 

“With nan other compute that we have, pinch nan other representation that we have, we tin now really put nan Unreal Engine to its champion successful nan vehicle,” Bensaid said. 

Digital keys, pinch which Rivian owners tin lock, unlock, and commencement their vehicles utilizing their phones aliases smartwatches, are now disposable pinch this second-generation platform. The strategy is compatible pinch iPhones, Apple Watches, and prime Google Pixel devices.

Rivian famously does not let telephone projection, which intends celebrated features for illustration Apple CarPlay and Android Auto do not activity successful its vehicles. The aforesaid goes for nan second-generation R1 vehicles, but nan institution is adding a fewer caller features to thief dress up for nan restriction. The institution already announced partnerships that will let conveyance owners to watch YouTube aliases task video connected their cardinal show utilizing Google Cast. And now it’s besides moving pinch Apple to “deeply integrate” Apple Music into nan R1’s software. Listening to your favourite tracks is apt to get much immersive, too, acknowledgment to nan inclusion of Dolby Atmos.

Price check

Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe

Image: Getty

The prices for some R1 vehicles will stay fundamentally unchanged. The second-generation R1S will commencement astatine $75,900, while nan R1T starts astatine $69,900. Deliveries statesman immediately. Any costs savings Rivian is getting from improved manufacturing techniques aliases less parts won’t beryllium passed down to nan customer — astatine slightest not yet. 

“Our semipermanent occurrence arsenic a business requires america to beryllium profitable,” Scaringe said. “And truthful we’ve been very focused connected our way to patient affirmative gross margins.”

In that light, nan institution expects toearn much gross disconnected each individual conveyance sale. And it has said that it expects “modest gross profits” by nan extremity of 2024. But that doesn’t mean Rivian will beryllium profitable successful nan accepted sense. 

“Our semipermanent occurrence arsenic a business requires america to beryllium profitable”

The caller Rivians besides get astatine a clip erstwhile customers are getting pickier and much value delicate astir electrical vehicles. The company’s income are up, but its losses are increasing. Meanwhile, different automakers are laying disconnected employees, canceling mill plans, aliases delaying plug-in models. There’s a batch of uncertainty — but besides a batch of opportunity. 

If Rivian wants to beryllium much stable, nan R1 will request help. That’s wherever nan R2 comes in, nan smaller, much affordable Rivian that starts astatine $45,000. And this update to nan R1 level is helping group nan shape for nan R2’s accumulation kickoff successful 2026. 

“We want to make this nan champion type of nan conveyance it tin be,” Scaringe said. “It’s our flagship, nan R1T and R1S. And truthful they request to proceed to beryllium leaders successful position of their attributes and features.”

Scaringe bemoans nan deficiency of foresight by others successful nan car industry. But while immoderate comprehend Rivian’s laser attraction connected battery-electric vehicles to beryllium a drawback — aft all, hybrids are trading astatine overmuch higher rates than EVs — nan CEO sees it arsenic a concealed advantage. 

“While I deliberation it’s bad for nan world that there’s going to beryllium little prime and you person a batch of OEMs that person dramatically pulled backmost connected nan electrification efforts,” Scaringe said, “I do deliberation it creates much of a request for pure-play mission-oriented electrical conveyance manufacturers to exist.”

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