Reworked for Speed
When it comes to pure acceleration and performance, Electric Vehicles (EVs) have always been at the top of the food chain. We’ve all seen those videos of Tesla models seemingly obliterating the most powerful ICE supercars and hypercars at drag races, only to be beaten by another EV in a separate race. The competition’s just that tough.
When it comes to utilitarian pickup EVs, though, the conversation changes; speed isn’t necessarily the most important feature. In the case of the Rivian R1T Quad Motor, the highlight was the “Tank Turn” when it was first announced. Rivian has already gone back to the drawing board and reworked the Quad Motor R1T for its production guise – and this time, the EV startup gave it the acceleration of a true performance EV, as seen in a recent independent test.
Rivian
Four Motors and 1,025 Electric Ponies
In a recent test by Car and Driver, the publication put the Rivian R1T Quad Motor up against the Tesla Cybertruck to see if there is indeed a significant improvement over the previous Quad Motor. The Rivian hit a blistering 0-60 mph sprint of just 2.6 seconds. Of note, the Tesla kept up despite being on less sticky tires than the Rivian.
As the speeds increased, things changed. According to the publication, at 70 mph, the Rivian noses ahead of the Tesla. At 100 mph, the R1T is almost a full second ahead, at 6.0 seconds, compared to the Cybertruck’s 6.9 seconds. Even more, the Rivian blasts past the quarter mile at 128 mph in 10.6 seconds, while the Tesla only manages an 11.0-second run at 119 mph.
It seems insane to think an EV pickup could have Bugatti power, but it’s become the norm nowadays. We see the likes of the GMC Hummer EV with around 1,000 hp, and then the Tesla Cybertruck in Cyberbeast configuration at 834 hp. Rivian has responded with the recalibrated Quad Motor R1T, featuring 1,025 hp and 1,198 lb-ft of earth-moving torque.
Rivian
Quicker Than Most
The numbers posted by Rivian during the test are nothing to scoff at, mind you. They aren’t just quick for a truck – they’re quick. Period.
Just to put things into context, the Rivian R1T Quad Motor is quicker to 60 than purpose-built, carbon-shod performance supercars like the Chevy Corvette E-Ray, Mercedes-AMG GT63, and, get this, the Porsche 911 GT3 RS. All of this makes the Rivian R1T Quad Motor a true sleeper in EV form that can haul stuff you won’t dare in your Porsche.
About the author
Pablo Salapantan
News Editor