New pure-electric Rivian R1T to battle Tesla ute

Tesla’s forthcoming pure-electric ute and the Workhorse W-15 will have fresh new competition from the Rivian R1T following its unveiling ahead of the LA motor show.

Set to be on sale by ‘late 2020’, the new Rivian R1T has been designed, developed and engineered by Michigan-based start-up Rivian to be a 5.5-metre long five seat dual-cab pick-up truck that will give US buyers a zero-emission alternative to the popular utes like the Ford F-150.

Initially, the Rivian R1T will be offered with three battery pack options — a 105kWh, 135kWh and a mighty 180kWh.

Weighing in at a hefty 2.6 tonnes, the most powerful Rivian R1Ts are claimed to be capable of hitting 100km/h in around 3.0 seconds with a range of between 370km and 650km.

The secret behind the R1T’s astonishing performance for such a heavy truck is it comes with four electric motors that individually produce 147kW a piece but, combined, churns out an incredible 14,000Nm of torque.

Rivian says it is currently working on powerful 160kW fast charging stations but each truck comes with an 11kW on-board charger.

As well as being close to supercar-quick away from the lights, the Rivian is said to be an accomplished off-roader with adjustable air suspension that allows it to raise its ground clearance to as much as 360mm to help it wade rivers up to a metre deep.

Based on a ‘skateboard’ style bespoke architecture that sandwiches the batteries low in the chassis the R1T has a large load bed and a front boot that can swallow up to 330 litres of luggage.

Unfortunately, because of its excessive weight, the payload is limited to just 800kg but the zero-emission truck can tow 5000kg.

When it goes on sale in late 2020, Rivian has also confirmed the R1T will come with camera, lidar, ultrasonic and high-precision GPS maps that are all necessary for Level 3 (hands-off, eyes off-road) autonomous driving aids for highway driving, but has not announced when the driverless aids will go live.

Back in 2017 Rivian purchased a former Mitsubishi Motors manufacturing plant, a sale that reportedly included a functioning paint shop, robotics, stamping machinery and production equipment necessary to resume production in a matter of months.

Following its unveiling, Rivian confirmed that it would launch its brand in Europe, including the UK, in 2021. It’s thought right-hand drive R1Ts could also head Down Under if there’s enough demand for a full-size pure-electric ute.

Pricing in the US, is said to begin at around $69,000 ($A95,500)