Has Rivian lost the edge?

"Matchthebox" (teejay12)
12/27/2019 at 18:20 • Filed to: Rivian, RT1, EV truck, Tesla, cybertruck

It was back in November 28, 2018 when Rivian first revealed their R1t and R1S at the LA auto show. There the press, car reviewers and the audiences were amazed at the first EV pickup and SUV truck to ever be built or at least shown. Of course there are other companies including pre-cybertruck Tesla that were at work with building an EV truck but here it is in metal and gas... I mean charged. What’s even amazing was the announcement that the R1T pickup has a towing capacity of up to 11000 lbs. Driving range is stated as up to 400 plus miles depending on the battery pack that you choose.

* Please note all images are borrowed from the web.

Plus they even got investors like Amazon, Ford partnership and a company called Cox automotive that invested an additional $350 million with a condition that one of their representative be added to the Rivian board.

There were several YouTube car reviewers who also attended the car show and got the chance to talk to a Rivian rep who gave them a tour of the features of the truck and one of the feature that got my attention isn’t the torque or power but rather the storage compartment tuck between the bed and cab where you can put your fishing gear, your golf club or even as an extra space for that additional passenger. Ok just kidding. So far a lot of the reviewers had given their thumbs up on the truck and one even stated that Tesla should be afraid of this company as this truck has great potential. Funny thing is he said this even before the Cybertruck was unveiled so that got me wondering what he was basing his opinion on.

Forward to the present year and on November 2019 it was now Tesla’s turn and CEO Elon Musk did something radical which have gotten people’s attention. He showed us an unconventional concept looking pickup truck that got people talking on how this design was probably based on some kids drawing or something straight out of an 80's sci-if movie.

Then he did the unthinkable. He had someone actually hit the side of the truck with a sledgehammer and there was hardly any dent at all.

There was even a tug of war between an F-150 and the Cybertruck that was shown on the big screen where the Ford was being pulled by the Cybertruck while going uphill!

Even the so called botched demo on the supposedly unbreakable steel glass was rumored to be a stunt to get people talking. And the biggest surprise of all was the starting price of $39,900 with only a $100 deposit for a pre-order while the Rivian would start at $69,000 with a $1000 deposit. To be fair the base price of the Rivian would include 4 electric motors while the Cybertruck will start at one.

So now you’re starting to see more youtubers stating that they will give up their trucks and switched over to Cybertruck based on spec that was provided even if they have not test drove it yet. Whether these people are serious or not remains to be seen.

With the way things are going, what do you think?

HAS RIVIAN LOST THE EDGE EVEN THOUGH THEY CAME OUT FIRST?

Share your thoughts below.

DISCUSSION (10)

AestheticsInMotion > Matchthebox
12/27/2019 at 18:37

My thoughts are that Rivian is vaporware until they prove otherwise, and should be treated as such. The more electrics the better, but let’s be real. Tesla still has zero real competition from the industry titans, let alone the new faces trying to join the scene.

Spanfeller is a twat > Matchthebox
12/27/2019 at 18:39

What edge? Rivian has never made a customer vehicle; they never had an edge... they’re the underdogs.

Maxima Speed > Matchthebox
12/27/2019 at 18:59

Cant lose what you never had imho. Rivian doesn't have a proven customer base and ability to has produce vehicles. Tesla does.

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > Matchthebox
12/27/2019 at 22:40

Rivian had the jump and it probably did exactly what the people behind Rivian needed their products to do... attract money to the brand. That’s really all that was required at this stage.

Tesla hasn't taken that from them with the launch of the Cybertruck...

phenotyp > Matchthebox
12/27/2019 at 23:15

Rivian has an amazing set of resources, and is still building. Personally, I like what they’ve been doing, and I trust the team more than I trust Elon. I also love what Tesla has done. It’s not really a comparison, unless you’re talking about Tesla ca 2010. In which case, Rivian has way more credibility and investment.

So.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Maxima Speed
12/27/2019 at 23:16

Given Tesla needs a new plant I’d put the cyber truck in vapor ware too

Spanfeller is a twat > phenotyp
12/28/2019 at 02:23

But arguably, Tesla paved the way for that kind of early credibility

phenotyp > Spanfeller is a twat
12/28/2019 at 08:04

With the Roadster? All Tesla had for the first few years was a rebodied Elise with some batteries... not exactly confidence-inspiring.

Spanfeller is a twat > phenotyp
12/28/2019 at 08:18

More like with supercharging and the Model S.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Spanfeller is a twat
12/29/2019 at 09:52

except the superchargers were started till 2012, and though model S production started 2012 on a car shown in 2009 , Production was 2600 when they were hand assembled the first year, and 20k in 2013. To put them in the same boat would be comparing rivien to tesla in 2009 or 10.