{"id":33783,"date":"2024-12-05T13:33:17","date_gmt":"2024-12-05T17:33:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=33783"},"modified":"2024-12-05T13:33:17","modified_gmt":"2024-12-05T17:33:17","slug":"payne-to-the-moon-in-the-rivian-r1s-ev-family-rocket-ship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/payne-to-the-moon-in-the-rivian-r1s-ev-family-rocket-ship","title":{"rendered":"Payne: To the moon in the Rivian R1S EV family rocket ship"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ypsilanti<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 The Rivian R1S at first appears another trendy, boxy luxury SUV in the mold of the Land Rover Range Rover with smoked windows and black wheels.<\/p>\n

Then you bury the throttle pedal. Good lord.<\/p>\n

My Adventure Dual Max Performance model exploded onto I-275, its dual electric motors screaming like lit firecrackers.\u00a0SCREEEEEEEEE!<\/em>\u00a0The monstrous 829 pound-feet of torque \u2014 more than a Ferrari F80 hypercar, for goodness’ sake \u2014 buried my spine in the seatback. I was strapped to a 3\u00bd-ton rocket ship headed to the moon.<\/p>\n

Ain\u2019t startup automakers great?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The 2025 Rivian R1S EV comes with standard, dual-motor all-wheel-drive with optional tri-motor and quad-motor setups.<\/em><\/div>\n
Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n

The electric era has opened the door for the first generation of auto rookies in, well, awhile. Tesla\u2019s prolific success inspired others, and RJ Scaringe\u2019s Rivian has followed the Tesla model. Hire lots of Silicon Valley software engineers, design it like a smartphone on wheels, then give it cartoonish acceleration right out of a Warner Brothers Wile E. Coyote vs. Road Runner episode.<\/p>\n

ZOT! I was at 80 mph before I could exhale.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s addictive and will drink battery just as you would if you put your foot to the floor (guilty) of the 702-horsepower, V8-powered Dodge Durango Hellcat. Thankfully, both have over 400 miles of range, so you have a lot of energy to play with \u2014 and which will help with the inevitable range anxiety that creeps in with electric vehicles.<\/p>\n

With 410 miles of range, my R1S tester had some 20% longer legs than competitor Tesla Model X (or my Tesla Model 3 Performance), and I easily covered Metro Motown in a late October week of driving, including a round tripper to Ypsi. And, like the X and 3, R1S has access to Tesla\u2019s Supercharger network (Rivian and Ford were the first to gain access this year) so I could hit the road confident that I had a reliable charger network close at hand.<\/p>\n

Unlike, say, Electrify America, the largest non-Tesla fast charger network in the country.<\/p>\n

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The 2025 Rivian R1S EV can charge at a variety of fast chargers including Tesla, EVgo, and Electrify America. This EA charger in Novi was down for maintenance.<\/em><\/div>\n
Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

To test the Rivian\u2019s fast charge capabilities, I navigated to EA\u2019s Novi Town Center shopping mall \u2014 the closest charger to my Oakland County house \u2014 where I could pick up delicious Crumbl cookies while waiting for a fast charge.<\/p>\n

Upon arrival, I plugged into one of the station\u2019s seven chargers and … nothing. No charge. No screen alert to add my credit card.<\/p>\n