Rivian anyone?

Amazon was not profitable for about 17 years. They seem to be doing OK now though!

 

50 50 if they survive and their products have a terrible reputation so I'd avoid.

 

There were definitely problems with the cars that Rivian has been addressing and so, the updated R1s that were announced a few months ago are a sign that they're learning. Personally, I'd trust Rivian far more than I would Tesla. Whether you should buy one depends on your ability to manage risk, and have access to a decent charging infrastructure.

Remember, Tesla hires, to this day, customer service people who are rewarded for denying warranty claims. Think about that the next time your Model Y suspension collapses on the highway and Tesla says, nope, not our fault.

 

I’m figuring since folks here likely own a 4Runner already, they have the “dependable vehicle” base covered and can experiment more.

I’m just glad we’re not talking about the Fisker Ocean in this thread! (But hey, it has a roll-down rear window too!)

r/CyberStuck’s “warranty’s now void” running joke has been very amusing to me since I can’t always tell if it’s a genuine Tesla position or just shitposting.

Not to mention “I still love the truck!” tacked onto every complaint to try to avoid the wrath of Elon or the “enthusiasts”.

 

How many miles/year do you drive? We looked at leasing the R1S, it's between $700 - $900/month depending on config, but the cost of the vehicle, including charger install, makes no sense vs the cost of gas for my paid-off 2021 4R driving only 8k miles/year. So, it really came down to what cost climate change? I don't have an answer for this, nor do I want to get into the politics of it, but, being a responsible human and taking care of the planet means hard choices.

 

Ha! I can't even imagine how people who actually bought/lease a Fisker feel.

 

It’s not all climate change, EV’s (and to a lesser extent hybrids, PHEVs) have a host of plusses on their own that you may appreciate from instant torque, a full-charge every morning, being able to power appliances, etc.

I’m all about electricity as a fuel and as much as I say “no raindrop believes it responsible for the flood” this is still one “raindrop” - I’m glad you’re thinking of climate change but don’t jump if it doesn’t make sense or fit into your life. We’re entering an uncertain regulatory period too.

The Drive had a great article a while back about the expected lifetime emissions from a variety of vehicles.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/electric-pickup-trucks-are-dirtier-than-you-think

Don’t let the headline sound like an “haha EV truck bad!” one, electric is still a lot more efficient and is a win pound-for-pound but it illustrates how hard to get around the impact of large vehicles, period both in assembly and keeping it rolling.


Here’s the graph they have in there. The x-axis is miles driven.

TL;DR - There’s a lot of environmental (and monetary) gains to be had just by downsizing.

 

We are both retired now and we drive somewhere around 12-15K miles/year total (on 2 vehicles combined). We will definitely try to put most of this mileage on the Rivian and it may inspire us to do more and longer road trips as well. For us the charger install was cheap - it went right next to our panel in the garage so a hardwire installation was less than $500 and the charger itself was just over $500 on sale. Plus we should get a $500 rebate from our power company. So about $500 net cost to buy+install the charger. This cost can vary widely though.

If we were not getting the 20% off MSRP on the Rivian it would not make sense financially to buy a new one (for us anyway). Even with that discount it will take quite a few years to get to the break-even point. So yes, reducing our contribution to the oil industry and climate change is a part of the calculation for us for sure.

Rivian was doing some cheaper lease deals before the new version was released, but I think those are pretty much gone now. You may be able to find a good deal on a used one (especially if you're willing to get the R1T vs the R1S). From a purely financial perspective there are lots of other EV's that cost less upfront, have better lease deals currently, and would pay for themselves much faster. We also considered an Ioniq5, Audi E-tron, Tesla Model Y etc - any of them would have made a good second car for us, but none of them would have been able to truly replace the 4Runner.

 

Good info. I'm fascinated by the 4 motor design off the Rivian, which is why it appeals to me, but also it's more than I want to spend.

I mainly use a diy electric bike for small trips to the store etc. The 4R is what I use to drive down Baja, where I noticed a lot more charging stations than my last trip 4 years ago.

 

Looked at one for the wife. Expensive and they don't do leases.

 

Good info. We've looked at EVs, I think a plug-in hybrid would make the most sense right now, but I mentioned in another post that I ride a diy electric bike that I built 5 years ago. It's great to have the e-assist up hills!

I have no plans to retire, but I also don't want to take on any more debt than necessary at this point in my life. Right now, I get to decide what I want to do, and for whom, which is a great place to be and having zero debt helps make that possible.

 

The advantages of one motor for every wheel are huge. The video linked previously suggests Rivian seems to have designed decent traction software to control those motors. But 7000lbs??? Yikes. We can talk about the environmental positives all we want, but there is no magical way to move that much mass without lots of energy, regardless of its source.

I’d love to see more gasoline-electric options in the future (electrically driven, small battery, and small gasoline electric generator). That would allow for taking full advantage of 1 motor per wheel design, brake regen, mechanical simplicity, fuel/energy source options, and some amount of pure electric range. I wonder if it would also make them lighter.

 

I placed a $100 reservation on the R2 a day or two after that window opened. I have a $100 reservation on a Tesla CT, day #2. Probably going to pass and use my $100 towards a Powerwall to
add to my Tesla Solar Panels.

 

These are coming - Ram is working on a plug-in extended range pickup truck that works like that - gas motor to generate electricity to charge the battery which drives the electric motors. Not sure how big the battery will be but supposedly 690 miles range with a full battery + full tank of gas. I'd be surprised if other companies don't do this as well. It probably will be lighter too as a lot of the weight comes from the battery.

Electric motors convert over 85 percent of electrical energy into mechanical energy, or motion, compared to less than 40 percent for a gas combustion engine. So the energy actually used to move a 7000 lb Rivian is about the same as moving a 3500 lb ICE vehicle - ie significantly less than moving a 5000 lb Runner.

 

Ineos is planning a generator style hybrid drivetrain in the upcoming smaller Fusilier. We'll see how that works out.

 

I don’t know why people don’t lease these vehicles more. I would never buy one, but I’d happily lease one. Considering leasing a Tesla in the next year or two.

 

They do actually - leasing is very common for EV's in general, including Rivians. It also gives access to the entire $7500 tax credit whereas purchasing may not, depending on where the battery is produced etc.

 

everyone I know owns theirs, but they’re also idiots

 

Just like a diesel submarine.

 

This was my th

I think along the same lines. Projected out this costs as much per year after 10-15 years of use as any Tacoma or high end 4Runner. But I get my time back and a nicer vehicle. I am interested in what others think too. Want to make an informed decision.

 

To each is own. I can't get over the frontend design. So ugly.

 

And locomotives, right?

 

Agree 100% plus the reliability is shit and they are expensive. Plus the company may not make it. Makes zero sense to own one imo

 

Spend some time browsing rivianforums.com and you'll get much better info than you will here...

 

Rivian is by far the most palatable EV SUV. Name a better looking EV SUV or truck, maybe the F150 if you like how F150 look, but I'd wager most here don't like the styling of a cyber truck. All EV trucks/SUV are either as smooth as a river stone, or so polarizing that you either loath it or love it.

There is suppose to be a new smaller Rivian with a roll down back window, and if they can pull it off for a good price I think it'll sell well.

To be clear, I wouldn't trade my 4runner for any of these. They are rich people play toys.

 

I saw my first Cybertruck in the wild last weekend, coming right at me in the parking lot at Lowe's. I thought Martians were going to come out of it.

 

Thanks brother! Will take a look there.

 

Honda just invested something like a Billion Dollars in Rivian.

 

I'm not a fan of the front end either, but at least it's unique. I like it from every other angle, so really how often do you look directly at the front?

At least it doesn't have an overly aggressive bro-dozer look, if I was in the market I wouldn't let the styling turn the off.

 

Awesome! Congrats on that purchase. I'm really looking forward to your driving impressions of it, please don't be a stranger here. I can't speak for others, but I do enjoy hearing people's impressions of other vehicles as compared to the 4Runner.

Vivian is the only EV that interests me, the R1s are out of budget, but the upcoming R2 looks very interesting to me.