EPA Report Reveals Dual-Motor Rivian R1S Range

by Matt Posky

Published: June 6th, 2023

epa report reveals dual motor rivian r1s range

Range and power figures certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have come out for the Rivian R1S Dual Motor and have been shared by the relevant forums. Things are looking pretty good, too. Depending on how it’s optioned, owners could be seeing 348 miles of range between charges — which is actually better than the automaker had previously speculated.

One of the biggest issues holding back all-electric vehicles has been range anxiety. With everything but at-home charging taking longer and being generally less convenient than traditional fueling, EVs are often seen as less practical when it comes to longer journeys.

While your author is of the opinion that anything below 300 miles is totally unacceptable for any primary vehicle, Rivian’s base R1S only yields 260 miles between charges. Fortunately, the company is willing to sell you a larger battery pack that brings the Quad-Motor model up to an EPA-estimated 320 miles.

Considering the base model costs roughly $78,000, there’s no such thing as an affordable R1S. But the Quad-Motor variant offering a useful amount of range is brutally expensive, requiring you to splurge on the $6,000 battery pack in addition to the $8,000 setup that installs an electric motor in every wheel hub. You’ll be spending $92,000 to get the screaming 835-horsepower monster.

Fans of the brand have been eagerly awaiting the Dual-Motor R1S with the larger battery pack, as it was assumed to offer improved range and more than enough power estimated to peak somewhere around 700 horsepower.

Based on EPA testing documents shared by the Rivian Forums, we now know that the model is supposed to boast 708 horsepower. However, that likely pertains to the Performance update brand offers for an additional $5,000. Standard units that have not been issued the relevant over-the-air updates should come in somewhere around 600 horsepower.

That means the powertrain is capable of more and has been electronically neutered by the manufacturer so it can upsell you on the Performance package. It also means that people will eventually figure out how to jailbreak the R1S to squeeze more juice from the electric motors. But Rivian will assuredly complain about this, undoubtedly preferring servile customers willing to spend more money.

The above may likewise indicate that EPA testing only pertained to the Performance version. If so, that means the standard Dual-Motor R1S would likely offer improved range when paired with a larger battery pack. However, all we have are the figures outlined in the report and they would seem to suggest numbers associated with the R1S.

Depending on how customers configure their wheels and tires, the combination of the Dual-Motor and Large Battery can yield a maximum range of 348 miles with 21-inch wheels and street tires. However, selecting larger wheels or all-terrain tires brings that number down. The worst combo seems to be the 20-inch wheels wrapped in rubber designed to be taken off-road. This tracks with what we’ve seen with other vehicles, regardless of powertrain. But it’s nice to know you can still get an off-road-focused EV capable of exceeding 300 miles between charges.

[Image: Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock]

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Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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8 of 16 comments

Haze3 on Jun 06, 2023

Interesting vehicle but, really, it's not hard to be great at anything if cost is not a serious constraint. This is A LOT of cost.

Second, it's no great trick to use a large battery to get large range. If the internet is to be believed, the long-range R1S runs a 135KWh pack vs. the I6 at 77KWh. That's going to add up to a big difference in running mass and charging times.

1 Reply
- See 1 previous
- SCE to AUX on Jun 06, 2023
  
  The R1S is a brick SUV; the Ioniq 6 is a sleek sedan. Why should anyone expect them to be similar?
  
  Like
- Haze3 on Jun 07, 2023
  
  SCE: Sure, not the same vehicles.
  Just appears to be a tendency to talk EV range without noting the battery capacities required to get said range. To that end, a "nice" 320mi range is less as valuable if you need a huge battery to get there (i.e. long charge times, high mass, larger offset between EPA and interstate range).
  
  1
Gemcitytm on Jun 06, 2023

Why does it seem every EV seems to have ridiculous amounts of power? Yes, I know they're heavier than ICE models but who on earth needs 708 HP? How about a nice, compact EV with, say, 250 HP and 350-400 mile range? Is that impossible with today's tech? (I currently drive a 148 HP Mazda 3 ICE and it has all the get-up-and-go I need.)

1 Reply
- See 3 previous
- Ajla on Jun 06, 2023
  
  "Is that impossible with today's tech?"
  Almost. Right now battery size, range, output , and price are generally all positively correlated.
  A 200hp EV will have a relatively small battery and smaller range. I guess you could gain some range by limiting output of a big battery to 200hp but it would still be $90k from the battery cost.
  
  1
- SPPPP on Jun 07, 2023
  
  Well, Mazda dipped a toe into the waters of a minimalist EV with the MX-30. It has about the same power as your Mazda 3, but unfortunately, the range is less than 100 miles. That's out of a 35.5-kWh battery, which is less than a Nissan Leaf has, and about half of what a Chevy Bolt has. I think this is a decent idea, but only works for a limited set of consumers. If Mazda brought it back with a battery around 50-60 kWh, that would improve the range and also facilitate more power, which would make it much more marketable. But it would also add a lot of weight - maybe 500 pounds or more. So it's a tricky balancing act. The limiting factor for EVs is still battery weight, much as it has been for the last ... 120 years?
  
  1
- VoGhost on Jun 07, 2023
  
  Commenters on a blog for auto enthusiasts never did clutch their pearls over ICE vehicles with big horsepower. In fact, we like that.
  But an EV that blows the door off any ICE vehicle you can afford? How DARE they!?!?
  
  Like
- SCE to AUX on Jun 07, 2023
  
  It's just so easy to add more power to an EV with the same battery.
  
  Tesla rebirthed EVs by showing that they don't need to be slow, awkward golf carts like the 1970s Citicar, and Nissan showed that they could be affordable.
  
  The upward power trend is also cultural, as we see across the board with ICE cars. You can buy 800-HP cars and trucks from a variety of mfrs, and people are willing to pay for it.
  Personally, I'd prefer more range and less power, but the battery weight required for that range means you still need some power to move it along. The physics isn't totally favorable for EVs yet, in terms of energy density and recharge times.
  
  Like
- MaintenanceCosts on Jun 07, 2023
  
  I own an EV that's used almost exclusively in the city, and I don't think ranges below about 150 miles work well even for city runabout use. 150 miles is the practical minimum and the MX-30 (1) didn't get there and (2) was too expensive for what the buyer got.
  
  1

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