Here comes the electric pickup

[TheIglu]

Ah, so since the Rivian is the most efficient, gets the most range, and still gets more range towing compared to the other truck that has a reasonably close battery capacity, it's last.

Thanks Car and Driver!

[LuvDog]

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...ian-lightning/

yet it "faired the worst" in this test. By what measure????

Least amount of advertising dollars with C&D

[OreoGaborio]

Least amount of advertising dollars with C&D

exactly this.

I mean.... YOU'RE over the moon about it, right?

Who cares what a magazine (that's almost certainly being kept afloat by GM & Ford) thinks?

[tls25rs]

It takes the largest percentage hit when towing compared to the other two

Towing miles as a percentage of highway miles

Rivian 39.28%
GM 48.28%
Ford 43.47%

yes, if looked at more objectively the Rivian performs better than both the GM and the Ford in the big picture. Looking purely at one not so well decided upon statistic it is the worst performing of the three by a decent margin.

Statistics suck. They can be manipulated to make whatever the end user wants to see be seen.

[TheIglu]

Also known as, Rivian is the most efficient of the three when not towing, and performs the best of the three while towing per kWh. As well as being able to tow more then either of the other larger vehicles.

These major automotive manufacturers are really going to need to rethink how they "rate" things to reflect EV's.

The comments reflect how far most consumers need to shift how they think about EV's.

[burnham]

I know the cans are fused, but any new construction will have a 200A panel which is 48KW (power factor not considered) and more than one house can be fed by it. Do they really undersize their transformers that much? I expect they would have to size things accordingly if one customer is using all the power.

We will fuse a lot of out 25 and 37.5KVA transformers around 300-500%. If you run the transformer at constantly 300%, it cuts the life span to one third. In normal operation they are only run that hard for short periods. Often a secondary connection will fail, or insulation will melt, before the fuse blows on overload. Voltage drop will occur, but I seldom see it below 117V at the meter.

Our transformers (37.5KVA) used to cost around $1100, and take roughly 12 weeks to get. They're now in the $4000 range, and are 50-70 weeks out. The 2500 KVA pad mount transformers we need for an upcoming job are almost $100k, and over a year out. The only material we can get quickly is utility poles. Everything else takes forever, and the prices are insane. If we have a bad hurricane season things could get really interesting.

[Kurlon]

Just saw a Hummer EV Truck in Waterboro?!

[Garandman]

Deleted my post as it was a duplicate.

[TheIglu]

Had my first service visit a couple weeks ago.

They replaced the front axle shafts due to excessive play. Common issue. Also are replacing my entire front drive unit since there was a small amount of play internally that was just out of spec, but they want to get it back to Normal IL to disassemble and inspect. Units are made by Bosch and they are thinking Bosch built a batch of them with too much clearance. Will let me know when the new unit has arrived, expected time 6 weeks.

This is a fairly common issue as far as owners reporting it. And my truck is the first one having the front drive unit replaced because of it.

In the meantime, I'm good to continue driving it normally. The slick "tick" at slow speeds while transitioning from on/off power is not anything to worry about mechanically, but they want to have it be completely eliminated and I'm happy to let them fix it. And after the axles were replaced, the noise is 95% gone.

Door gap was too tight during the heatwave and expansion caused a slight rubbing between the passenger front and rear doors when the rear was opened. They fixed the gap and will give the area a respray to fix the paint when I take it back. They touched it up the first time, but it's obvious and will make it right after inspecting it with me on pickup.

[jeantarrou]

Is there a Rivian service center near you? Do they offer a loaner if your vehicle will be with them for multiple days?

[TheIglu]

Chelsea MA.

They dropped me off at Enterprise and paid for the whole thing (even gas). I used a Tacoma as a rental.

Most of the time they just come and pick the truck up, but I volunteered to drop it off since I work 15 minutes from there anyways.

[e30addict]

The slick "tick" at slow speeds while transitioning from on/off power is not anything to worry about mechanically, but they want to have it be completely eliminated and I'm happy to let them fix it. And after the axles were replaced, the noise is 95% gone.

.

Wonder if all those 3.5 second to 60 runs contributed to that.

[TheIglu]

Actually, it started the first time I used "Conserve" mode, which disconnects the rear wheels from the motors and just does front wheel drive. Same as everyone else who reported the issue.

[e30addict]

Actually, it started the first time I used "Conserve" mode, which disconnects the rear wheels from the motors and just does front wheel drive. Same as everyone else who reported the issue.

Does that mode have any measurable effect on range?

[TheIglu]

About 25 miles worth over the entire battery. So 326 miles of range vs 301.

[OreoGaborio]

Doesn't seem like much... but that's still about 8 percent, right?

I mean, in ICE terms, it's kinda like getting 30.1 mpg vs 32.6 mpg.

[e30addict]

Doesn't seem like much... but that's still about 8 percent, right?

I mean, in ICE terms, it's kinda like getting 30.1 mpg vs 32.6 mpg.

Not earth shattering, but more then a gimmick feature, which is why I was curious. Probably infinitely more fun if it disconnected the fronts and only powered the rears. Lot of totalled trucks in short order with that route given how clueless the average driver is I would imagine though.

[TheIglu]

Yeah, it's not crazy improvement, but it's halving the power available and only driving the front wheels. They suggest to use it only if you really need it. Otherwise "All Purpose" mode works great for 98% of the time, and also auto-lowers at highway speeds to improve efficiency the same as Conserve mode.

[gixxer72]

I had a chance to abuse a rented Model Y for a bit today. It’s ugly, like a marshmallow with wheels, and the interior is super cheesy.

But, the instant thrust had me grinning like a madman. It was amazing how instant and awesome the acceleration was at 5, 45, or 65 mph. I’m a believer in the power delivery.

One of my managers has an appointment to test drive a Lightning tomorrow and I suspect his current Tundra may be history. I’ll wait patiently for the tech and range to evolve before I ever consider owning an EV, but I’m pleasantly surprised by the Tesla’s performance and fun factor today.

[TheIglu]

Range just isn't a real factor.

I was worried until I had one in my driveway. The fact that you leave with a full tank every morning eliminates the "issue" of ONLY having 326 miles of range.

If I can spend 4 hours commuting, and still only use less than half a "tank", then it's really not a concern.


The instant response of the accelerator ruins you to ICE vehicles. It's just brilliant.

[Kurlon]

Yeah, unless you want to use it as a truck, then that 326mi of range suddenly get's cut in half or more. Now it becomes a legitimate concern depending on where you are. I'd love a full electric SUV but at this moment in time, with my use patterns and poor charging infrastructure in those regions, range concerns aren't just 'anxiety' they're legit show stoppers. I could get by with an electric car for a lot of my driving, using the PHEV for times I need the range or towing but I don't want a third vehicle in the driveway.

[TheIglu]

Yeah, unless you want to use it as a truck

I use it as a truck. I'm loading the trailer for another weekend at the track right now. I've towed out to buttfuck upstate NY with it. Perhaps I didn't mention that? Could of sworn I've shared my firsthand experience....

I see more than half the range towing my 7x14 trailer. And even more than that if I'm not trying to do 75mph.

You live in a sparsely populated state with nothing for infrastructure unless you are near the coast. Most of us don't.

And even in your area, with a reasonable amount of planning, most trips should be doable without issue.


It's not the vehicle to use if you are hauling 10k lbs every day. But 12 times a year? Fuckin cake.

[Point37]

U.S. Now Requiring New-Vehicle Fleet to Average 49 MPG by 2026
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a3...s-49-mpg-2026/


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[gixxer72]

Range just isn't a real factor.

I was worried until I had one in my driveway. The fact that you leave with a full tank every morning eliminates the "issue" of ONLY having 326 miles of range.

If I can spend 4 hours commuting, and still only use less than half a "tank", then it's really not a concern.


The instant response of the accelerator ruins you to ICE vehicles. It's just brilliant.

I regularly do PHX to LA or San Diego, so range is a factor for me. If I was just ripping around the valley here range wouldn’t even cross my mind. I’m still grinning from the silly acceleration!!

[Garandman]

Yeah, unless you want to use it as a truck, then that 326mi of range suddenly get's cut in half or more. Now it becomes a legitimate concern depending on where you are. I'd love a full electric SUV but at this moment in time, with my use patterns and poor charging infrastructure in those regions, range concerns aren't just 'anxiety' they're legit show stoppers. I could get by with an electric car for a lot of my driving, using the PHEV for times I need the range or towing but I don't want a third vehicle in the driveway.

There is an EV Transit van and Rivian van available, and many more on the way.

But plug-in hybrids seem to make a lot more sense for work trucks when you might be driving the vehicle 40-70,000 miles per year. Our old Transit van now runs between Virginia and New England for tours and deliveries.

https://www.ford.com/commercial-trucks/e-transit/