Rivian rolls out nation's first mass-produced electric pickup

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Updated Sep 30, 2021
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe is shown behind the wheel of the nation's first mass-produced electric pickup, the R1T.
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe is shown behind the wheel of the nation's first mass-produced electric pickup, the R1T.
RJ Scaringe@RJScaringe Twitter

This week Rivian became the first manufacturer in the U.S. to bring a mass-produced, all-electric pickup to market.

Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe announced the roll-out of his company’s R1T pickup on Twitter. Scaringe was photographed sitting inside the blue, all-wheel drive truck inside the company’s factory in Normal, Ill.

“After months of building pre-production vehicles, this morning our first customer vehicle drove off our production line in Normal!” Scaringe wrote. “Our team's collective efforts have made this moment possible. Can't wait to get these into the hands of our customers!”

[Related: Rivian gets real about towing in the R1T]

Originally targeted for production last year, Rivian pushed through delays brought on by COVID-19 and supply chain challenges impacting the rest of the auto industry.

Assigning vehicle classification to the R1T is a bit of a challenge. HWT originally dubbed it a half-ton since dimensionally it ranks among the smaller half-tons in width and length and has a max tow rating of 11,000 lbs. which is inline with other half-ton trucks and is well above any midsize truck. However...the R1T's gross vehicle weight rating of 8,532 lbs. designates it as a Class 2b heavy-duty truck according to the EPA. 

[Related: Before the Rivian R1T, there was the electric Ford Ranger]

The R1T starts at $67,500 with an EPA estimated range of 314 miles. A quad-motor powertrain design delivers up to 11,000 pounds towing and a zero to 60mph time “in as quick as 3 seconds depending on your tire selection,” Rivian states on their website.