Rivian won’t limit its longer-range battery pack to the R1T pickup. Founder RJ Scaringe has Announced that a configuration with the Max Pack battery and dual-motor four-wheel drive will be available sometime this fall. The company projects a range of 390 miles. Crucially, you won’t lose seats for seven in the process. You can take the whole family on a road trip without as many charging stops as before.
The EV maker hasn’t mentioned pricing for the Max Pack version. As autoblog grades, the option adds $16,000 to the price of the R1T but extends the range to 400 miles. Currently, R1S buyers have to be content with a $6,000 upgrade to the yet-to-be-EPA-rated big package. You can expect a claim of 260 miles on the original battery.
The wait for the Max option doesn’t come at a great time for Rivian. The automaker has carried out two rounds of layoffs as part of a broader cost-cutting strategy aimed at helping the brand survive in difficult economic conditions. While Rivian is one of the few EV startups to achieve significant production levels, it built just 24,337 cars in 2022, or less than half the number originally planned, and about half of those (12,700) were only remembered due to an airbag deployment problem. The R1S Max model may boost demand, but its late-year arrival may limit its potential to improve Rivian’s fortunes in 2023.
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