Electric vehicle maker Rivian is busy testing a new dual-motor configuration for its popular R1T and R1S electric vehicles. The company recently confirmed these cheaper motors are being winter-tested in the harsh outdoor elements of New Zealand.
In March, Rivian announced affordable new dual-motor configurations for its EVs built in-house. Unfortunately, that news was overshadowed by a price hike for the existing quad motor option on the market today.
Rivian’s new “Enduro” dual-motor should have a lot to offer, bringing the price of its EVs down while still delivering tons of speed and power. The company said the cost would be $67,500 for the R1T and $72,500 for the R1S. And while that’s expensive, that’s better than the current $80k price tag of the R1T.
Winter testing our ‘Enduro’ dual motor in New Zealand! pic.twitter.com/4yHBTbd4Dx
— RJ Scaringe (@RJScaringe) August 8, 2022
While it’s great news to see Rivian already manufacturing and testing this upcoming dual-motor system, we still won’t be seeing it on the streets anytime soon. During the March announcement, Rivian said it expects to begin full production and release the Enduro motor to customers in 2024.
After seeing all the news of the dual-motors testing in New Zealand, many hoped the release date would get moved up into 2023. However, it sounds like things are still on track for some time in 2024.
This weekend a user on Reddit with a Rivian R1T pre-order inquired about the dual-motor option, and a Rivian rep once again confirmed the “early 2024” release date. For what it’s worth, that’s only the release date, but with a long pre-order and reservation list, we doubt new customers will be able to get one that early. If you’re considering the new Rivian R1T or R1S, you may want to pre-order sooner than later.
via Twitter
