Rivian R1S Electric SUV Gets Max Pack Battery, Dual

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The Rivian R1S is, essentially, the SUV version of the 2022 MotorTrend Truck of the Year-winning R1T pickup truck. That means like the R1T, the R1S is soon getting a dual-motor variant—to slot into the family under the original quad-motor setup that both EVs debuted with. This setup will cost the same as the original quad-motor, which gets pricier as a result, but also should promise similar range and only slightly less athletic performance, especially the version with the 135-kWh Max Pack battery. Without that larger battery, the dual-motor R1S with the 105-kWh Standard battery has a range of around 260 miles; the mid-range Large pack ups that to an unspecified level. For comparison, a quad-motor R1S delivers between 289 and 321 miles of EPA-estimated driving range on the Large pack, and isn't offered with the Standard pack.

Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe recently tweeted that the Max Pack will give dual-motor R1S models 390 miles of driving range, just about in line with the dual-motor R1T with the Max Pack, which the automaker claims can go up to 400 miles before needing a recharge.

The main issue Rivian faced with the R1S, according to RJ Scaringe, was finding a way to fit the Max Pack and retain the three rows of seating. (Keep in mind, the related R1T has only a bed back there, and two rows of seats in its cabin.) That's good news, as one of the key features of the R1S is its passenger room at 59.7 cubic feet in front, 52.1 in the middle, and 36.1 in the third row. Even with the third row seats in use, there is about 18 cubic feet of cargo room available behind them—not far off from a mainstream Subaru Ascent while still seating up to seven people.

The Max Pack, dual-motor setup may be claimed by Scaringe to go 390 miles per charge, but this has yet to be verified for or by the EPA. As far as cost, a Standard pack (105-kWh) R1S with dual motors is priced at $73,550, while the Large pack adds another $6,000, for a total cost of $79,550. Pricing for the Max pack isn't yet listed on Rivian's website, but on dual-motor R1Ts, the Max pack adds a whopping $16,000 to the base price. Expect that figure to carry over to the R1S.

This larger battery pack with the dual motor AWD configuration should arrive in the fall of 2023, which is a bit earlier than the 2024 launch date we were told during our first drive of the R1S.