Electric start-up Rivian has priced its upcoming R1T pickup and R1S SUV models.
Both will be available as highly-specified Launch Edition models with more than 482km of range, with US deliveries beginning in August 2021.
Base Explore and up-spec Adventure models will follow in January 2022, at which point an R1T with 643km of range will be available.
Launch timings for the 643km R1S and 402km R1S and R1T models have yet to be announced.
Also yet to be announced are plans for Australia, although Rivian has previously said it wants to expand into our market eventually.
Explore 
R1S Explore 
R1T Explore
The R1T Explore is priced from US$67,500 (A$93,301) while the R1S Explore costs US$70,000 (A$96,757).
Standard equipment on both includes vegan leather upholstery, heated seats, and matte-black interior finishes.
The interior on both the R1S and R1T is essentially identical in terms of appearance and materials.
The Adventure (A$103,668 in the R1T, A$107,124 in the R1S) adds ventilated seats, ash wood interior finishes, a panoramic sunroof, and an off-road upgrade package that includes a reinforced underbody shield, front tow hooks and an air compressor.
The R1T Adventure also adds a powered tonneau cover.
The Launch Edition, priced the same as the Adventure, is painted in Launch Green and adds either 20-inch All-Terrain wheels or 22-inch Sport wheels.
All prices are before government incentives. US Government tax credits, for which Rivian buyers are eligible, shave just over A$10,000 from the price of an electric vehicle.
Rivian has previously announced its two-model range will offer a choice of three different battery packs, with capacities of 105kWh, 135kWh and 180kWh.
Early technical specifications revealed Rivians with the 105kWh battery are claimed to reach 60mph (96km/h) in 4.9 seconds. Total power and torque are 300kW and 560Nm, respectively.
These figures aren’t viewable on the Rivian website, while range estimates appear to have increased since the initial announcement.
The quickest Rivians will be the R1T and R1S equipped with the 135kWh battery. These will reach 60mph in 3.0 seconds and produce 562kW and 1120Nm.
The 180kWh battery-equipped models are said to have an electric range of over 659km, but produce slightly less power (522kW) albeit the same amount of torque.
All models are all-wheel drive.
Both models can ford water up to 1m deep, while the R1T has a payload of 800kg and the R1S has an 820kg payload.
The R1T is the towing champion with a claimed 5000kg trailer weight rating. The R1S can haul only 3500kg.
In contrast, the upcoming GMC Hummer EV will be priced from A$159,358 when US deliveries will begin later next year, though it, too, is launching in a highly-specified launch edition. More affordable models will follow in 2022, 2023 and 2024, with the base price finally lowering to A$113,219.
Tesla plans to undercut both GM and Rivian with its Cybertruck, which it claims will be available globally.
US pricing starts at A$55,151 for the single-motor model with 402km of range.
The dual-motor version adds A$13,813 to the price plus 80km of range, while the tri-motor costs A$96,553 and has a claimed 800km of range.
In addition to GM and Tesla, Rivian will also face competition from Ford and Ram, who have both confirmed they’ll introduce electric versions of their pickup trucks. Ram has yet to announce a launch date, while the Ford F-150 EV will reach US showrooms in mid-2022.
The rapidly-growing EV pickup market will also include two additional start-up companies: Lordstown Motors and Bollinger Motors.
