Rivian Details Its New Dual-Motor AWD Systems, Shows How They’re Made

Rivian is once again changing the configuration options for its R1T electric pickup truck and R1S electric SUV.

After notifying reservation holders that the R1T truck won’t be available with the combination of the Quad-Motor All-Wheel Drive system and the Max Pack battery, now the American EV maker is preparing new changes for 2023.

In a Twitter post (embedded below), Rivian says that beginning next year, new customers will be able to configure their R1S and R1T with a standard Dual-Motor AWD system or an enhanced Dual-Motor AWD setup.

The standard version offers 600 horsepower and a 0-60 mph sprint time of 4.5 seconds, while the enhanced variant increases power to 700 hp and cuts the 0-60 mph time to 3.5 seconds. The Quad-Motor AWD system will remain on offer but only paired with the Large Pack battery which boasts an estimated range of 328 miles.

In total, the R1S and R1T will be available with three motor options, with power ranging from 600 hp for the standard Dual-Motor setup to “more than 800 hp” for the Quad-Motor variant.

There’s no pricing available yet for the enhanced Dual-Motor AWD system, but according to an official blog post, Rivian will add this option to its online vehicle configurator (Rivian calls it Vehicle Studio) in early 2023.

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Now, in December 2022, a base R1T with the standard Dual-Motor AWD system and the standard battery pack has a price of $73,000, while an R1S in the same configuration goes for $78,000. In other words, expect the enhanced Dual-Motor variant to cost a bit more.

An interesting thing mentioned in the Twitter video is that Rivian has developed both versions of the Dual-Motor all-wheel drive system in-house, as opposed to the Bosch-supplied Quad-Motor drive units. All three major components – motor, inverter, and gearbox – are assembled into a common casting, which has a lower cost of manufacturing.

In case you don’t follow Rivian, here’s a quick explainer of their powertrains: the Dual-Motor setup has a pair of single-motor drive units – one for each axle, while the Quad-Motor variant uses a pair of dual-motor drive units.