- Rivian reworked battery and propulsion hardware, boosting range and efficiency
- R1S and R1T get retuned ride and handling, quieter cabins
- A simplified electrical architecture, revamped interface, recent modes
Yes, the 2025 Rivian R1S electric SUV looks almost the exact same because it did last 12 months. And yet it’s a Green Automobile Reports’ Best Automobile To Buy 2025 finalist.
So with that elephant out of the room, what’s the R1S doing back on the list, three years after its R1T counterpart?
Two reasons: Rivian began delivering the R1S nearly a 12 months after it began delivering the R1T, so the R1S simply wasn’t yet out in a final production form on the time we named the Rivian R1T a Best Automobile To Buy 2022 finalist.
That’s the easy, first one. The second reason is more complicated, and it reflects the story of this brand because it looks to the long run: While the R1S looks the identical because it did two years ago, almost every thing you can’t see on the surface of those 2025 Rivian R1S and R1T electric trucks is recent.
Rivian motor systems
Considered one of the most important changes here is that Rivian has fitted its own oil-cooled, in-house-designed motor systems and inverter tech to all the R1 model line. It brings a brand new Tri-motor model, with a combined 850 hp and a 0-60 mph time of two.9 seconds, and an upcoming Quad-motor model that provides a combined 1,025 hp and a 0-60 mph time of just 2.5 seconds. Recent to Tri and Quad versions are Rally and Drift modes, which we are able to attest are a hoot within the mud, a specialized Rock Crawl mode, and a welcome Conserve mode that swaps out all-wheel drive for front-wheel drive to maximise range.
The battery packs are technically recent, based on what’s inside, with capacities at 92.5, 109.4, and 141.5 kwh usable for the Standard, Large, and Max sizes, respectively. That corresponds to a formidable 270 miles with the Standard battery, ranging as much as 329 miles and 410 miles, respectively, with the Large and Max batteries and the Dual-motor setup. Standard versions get lithium iron phosphate (LFP) prismatic cells while the remainder of the lineup has nickel cobalt aluminum (NCA) cylindrical cells.
2025 Rivian R1S
The brand new packs save weight, ease manufacturability, and cut costs, nevertheless it hasn’t modified their 400-watt basis, and so they still charge at a 220-kw maximum (or 200 kw for the Standard) which means a 10-80% charge will take 30-41 minutes at best, depending on the pack.
Further, Rivian has made some major tuning changes to the suspension this 12 months, dialing back a few of the bouncier body motion within the softer on-road modes while also making the tuning more quietly damped and livable. Even the body structure under the sheet metal has modified for easier assembly and weight savings, and what results is just a much-improved, higher driving, higher riding electric SUV.
Rivian R1S within the mud, at DirtFish
We’ve truly put these trucks through the paces this 12 months. From on-road driving with the Dual- and Tri-motor, to an off-road dynamics course, to a dragstrip with the Quad-motor, to trace time at Atlanta Motorsports Park with the Tri-motor, we’ve found that these trucks are immensely capable, robustly engineered, forgiving, and fun.
The rework goes beyond traditional chassis and propulsion engineering. It’s also updated and simplified the electrical architecture inside these vehicles, shifting to a less complicated layout with 7 ECUs versus 17, removing 1.6 miles of wiring in the method and adding a separate DC-DC converter for lower-power accessories. A very recent sensing platform adds 11 cameras, five radar units, and AI algorithms.
2025 Rivian R1S
2025 Rivian R1 lineup
2025 Rivian R1 lineup
The packaging of this big SUV is thoughtful and lifestyle-oriented every step of the way in which, with a low, flat cargo floor, an enormous 9.9-cubic-foot frunk, a great deal of small storage spaces, sturdy materials, and details like flashlights integrated in the driving force’s door.
Altogether it’s a nuanced message—and possibly a tough sell in the standard automotive sense. However the components that could be scaled up, the cost-cutting, the smarter architecture, it’s all a part of what the corporate must do, and appears to be doing well, ahead of the launch of its Rivian R2 lineup in a pair years. The survival of the corporate relies on it, and we are able to’t wait to see those products take form.
2025 Rivian R1S
2025 Rivian R1S
2025 Rivian R1S
Within the meantime, the online takeaway of all this great things is that it not only makes the R1 trucks higher and closer to profitable. It should enable perhaps thousands and thousands of efficient, reasonably priced, profitable, and hopefully impressive American-designed-and-engineered electric trucks in the long run—something we absolutely root for.
This Article First Appeared At www.greencarreports.com
