Getting to know the R1T & Rivian’s RJ Scaringe

Quimby Mug Bayou Florida Headshot
Updated Dec 1, 2018
IMG_0148

Rivian’s R1T electric pickup got plenty of attention this week at the LA Auto Show.

Even today, Rivian’s booth inside the Los Angeles Convention Center was still bustling with curious onlookers and admirers of the all-wheel-drive truck and its sibling, the R1S, a seven-seat SUV.

After its founding in 2009, Rivian kept truck development shrouded in secrecy, save for this past year when occasional news and an obscure teaser photo or two would make its way to the media.

Rivian has seemingly pulled ahead of other EV pickup developers, such as Tesla, Workhorse, Bollinger, Green4u and Bison by not only unveiling both an electric pickup and SUV, but also by acquiring a factory (the former Mitsubishi plant in Normal, Ill.) where they plan on producing the R1T and the R1S.

We caught up with Scaringe inside the Technical Pavilion shortly after he debuted Rivian’s truck and SUV inside a room jammed full of journalists, curious onlookers and probably an OEM rep or two. In the video below, Scaringe talks more about the truck’s impressive capabilities, including its thermal battery management system.