The war between Tesla and Rivian is heating up, and the companies are thinking out of the box to make sure they stay ahead. Although Tesla took a giant leap by announcing that its truck will be priced "well under $50,000", it is Rivian's R1T that has made the news. Rivian recently revealed a specialized kitchen set for the R1T electric truck at the Overland Expo West in Flagstaff Arizona. The way it has created a storm amongst the netizens, I wouldn't be surprised if the next episode of Masterchef features the Rivian R1T kitchens in an outdoor location where the contestants cook for a bunch of enthusiasts. If Masterchef and Rivian execs are reading this, do note that TopSpeed writers are available to be a part of it!

Rivian Has Its Priorities Right

The Rivian R1T truck has been in the limelight ever since it announced that it can sprint to 60 mph in three seconds. I find this to be an excellent marketing strategy because the sprint speed and 400-mile range may please an automotive enthusiast, but not a family member who sees this just as a transporting vehicle. Whereas who wouldn't like a nice lunch while camping with family? This shows that Rivian has realized that its potential customer is the whole family, and not just the person who will be driving.

Seeing Is Believing, After all

Prior to launching this at the Expo in Arizona, Rivian sent a couple of team members to Sedona with the truck and the kitchen assembly on Memorial Day for a real-world experience. Pictures from the outing were shared on the company's social media, and truth be told, they look amazing with the picturesque mountains in the background. Props to the Brain behind this because these pictures have intrigued a lot of minds out there

It Should Come As A Standard Feature

If you are worried about the battery draining, don't be. You can cook for over a week using "just 20 kWh - or 11% "of the largest 180 kWh Rivian battery pack", according to the company. We have seen many campers and RVs with a similar setup, but for a startup like Rivian that is in its infant stages, this is a big boost. Rivian now has something new to boast about its flagship truck other than its mechanical prowess.

Who Is The Architect Of This Kitchen?

Before we get to the vehicle in question, let's talk about the company itself. As is assumed with any electric car manufacturer, Rivian also started off by entering the supercar segment. But it realized its stance and decided to branch out of it, and ten years later, the company is out there with a product that people are desperately waiting for. The Rivian R1T is the company's flagship pickup truck and it sure looks like a futuristic product. The Michigan-based automaker has installed horizontal LED bars in the front and back that adds to the 'cool quotient'.

The R1T Has So Much Potential

The best part about the truck is its versatility. It does not look like a work truck per se, so it's suitable for family outings and as a daily commuter as well. The truck bed is not as spacious as its combustion counterparts of the same size, but is a lot more utilitarian. The tailgate opens electronically. At 90-degrees, you can use it as a sitting bench, and at 180-degrees, well, its flat. It comes with a mind-blowing towing capacity of 11,000 pounds and a payload rating of 1,760 pounds. Oh, and did I forget to tell you that the R1T comes with Level 3 autonomy?

The R1T with the biggest pack can be driven for 400 miles on a single charge! The R1T is powered by four electric motors - one on each wheel - that produce 197 horsepower each. When working in tandem, the R1T has 788 ponies at its disposal that helps it hit the 60 mph mark from a standstill in 4.9 seconds with the smallest battery pack, 3.2 seconds with the largest battery, and three seconds flat with the 135 kWh pack. The mid-sized battery pack is the fastest because of its weight. Adding to this spec-list is the adjustable air suspension that can raise the R1T from 7.9 inches to 14.2 inches by pressing a button.

It is fairly loaded on the inside as well. Rivian has 'touched' all bases inside the cabin. Spawning the dash is a 15.6-inch touchscreen system that is the biggest we've ever seen till date. The instrument cluster is basically a 12.3-inch screen that displays all relevant data and much more. As for the storage, there is a horizontal hole in the truck which is disguised as a storage space, but is actually where the gear tunnel would go in a combustion engine. Even the front truck, or Frunk, is fairly large at 11.6-cubic feet.



Tesla Or Rivian? The Choice Is Yours

Despite its impressive CV, the Rivian R1T does not come cheap. The truck in its top-spec will go north of the six-digit figure, whereas the starting trims are expected to be priced around $70,000. Considering that Tesla announced its pickup truck will be priced below $50,000, it will be interesting to see how the R1T fares once launched.

Rivian R1T dimensions

Length:

215.5 inches

Width:

73.3 inches

Height:

71.4 inches

Wheelbase:

136 inches

Approach Angle:

34 degrees

Departure Angle:

30 degrees

Breakover Angle:

26 degrees


Will the kitchen setup help Rivian guard the price-bomb that Tesla dropped earlier this week? How about using #Let'sMakeRivianGreatAgain ? Only time will tell us which company will have an upper hand in this currently-non-existent electric pickup truck market. The Rivian R1T will enter production late 2020, so expect it to hit the showrooms in the first half of 2021.

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2020 Rivian R1T Pickup.