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Rivian R1T gross vehicle weight makes it a “heavy duty” truck at 8.5k lbs

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The Rivian R1T Owners Manual hints that the all-electric pickup could essentially be considered a heavy-duty truck. Several details in the Rivian R1T Owners Manual hint at this, but the main one would be the all-electric pickup’s Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of 8,532 lbs. 

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), trucks weighing between 8,501 to 10,000 lbs. are classified as EPA Class 2b. The Rivian R1T could then be considered a three-fourth ton heavy-duty pickup truck based on its GVWR classification. The classification puts the Rivian R1T in the same category as the Ford-250, Chevy 2500, and Ram 2500. For some perspective, Ford calls the Ford-250 its “Super Duty” truck, and it’s made to handle work and loads the F-150 can not. 

A comparison between the GVWR of popular pickup trucks and the Rivian R1T is listed below, courtesy of The Fast Lane Truck

  • Rivian R1T: GVWR = 8,532 lbs
  • Toyota Tacoma: GVWR = 5,600 lbs
  • Ford F-150 Hybrid: GVWR = 7,350 lbs
  • Nissan Frontier: GVWR = 6,012 lbs
  • Toyota Tundra Hybrid: GVWR = 7,660 lbs
  • Nissan Titan XD: GVWR = 8,800 lbs
  • Chevy Silverado 2500: GVWR = 10,850 lbs

A truck’s GVWR is the most accurate way of knowing how much a truck can carry. The Rivian Owners Manual does not provide a precise payload capacity for the R1T pickup truck. However, it does hypothetically calculate a capacity of 1,400 lbs. 

(Credit: Rivian)

The Rivian R1T’s GVWR hints at how all-electric pickup trucks could change the way people classify trucks and their capabilities. Despite its GVWR classification matching trucks like the Ford-250, the Rivian R1T will most likely be pitted against Ford’s F-150 Lightning and the Tesla Cybertruck.

The Lightning is marketed as a working truck with the commercial model priced at $39,974. Meanwhile, the Cybertruck has been said to make an excellent commercial pickup, and it starts at $39,900 for the Single Motor RWD variant.

Months before its expected September deliveries for its Launch Edition trucks, Rivian has shown the R1T in different situations with its Stories series. Most Rivian Stories show the R1T as a truck made for adventures in different landscapes and varying weather conditions. 

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Rarely has the Rivian R1T been depicted as a working truck in Stories. However, the Owners Manual hints that the R1T could be used for work and play. 

Rivian’s configuration page states that deliveries for its non-Launch Edition R1T vehicles will begin by January 2022. The Rivian R1T Explore Package starts at $67,500. While the Adventure Package with premium interior and added functionality starts at $73,000. 

As September nears an end, Rivian R1T Launch Edition deliveries seem to be within sight. The EV automaker has already released the first iteration of its official Rivian App, which contains a multitude of information and hints about the R1T, including the Owners Manual–which was shared by the Rivian Forums.

Read the Rivian R1T’s Owners Manual below!

Rivian R1T Owners Manual by Maria Merano on Scribd

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The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, reach out to me at maria@teslarati.com or via Twitter @Writer_01001101.

Maria--aka "M"-- is an experienced writer and book editor. She's written about several topics including health, tech, and politics. As a book editor, she's worked with authors who write Sci-Fi, Romance, and Dark Fantasy. M loves hearing from TESLARATI readers. If you have any tips or article ideas, contact her at maria@teslarati.com or via X, @Writer_01001101.

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Tesla Model Y and Model 3 named safest vehicles tested by ANCAP in 2025

According to ANCAP in a press release, the Tesla Model Y achieved the highest overall weighted score of any vehicle assessed in 2025.

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Credit: ANCAP

The Tesla Model Y recorded the highest overall safety score of any vehicle tested by ANCAP in 2025. The Tesla Model 3 also delivered strong results, reinforcing the automaker’s safety leadership in Australia and New Zealand.

According to ANCAP in a press release, the Tesla Model Y achieved the highest overall weighted score of any vehicle assessed in 2025. ANCAP’s 2025 tests evaluated vehicles across four key pillars: Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Vulnerable Road User Protection, and Safety Assist technologies.

The Model Y posted consistently strong results in all four categories, distinguishing itself through a system-based safety approach that combines structural crash protection with advanced driver-assistance features such as autonomous emergency braking, lane support, and driver monitoring. 

This marked the second time the Model Y has topped ANCAP’s annual safety rankings. The Model Y’s previous version was also ANCAP’s top performer in 2022.

The Tesla Model 3 also delivered a strong performance in ANCAP’s 2025 tests, contributing to Tesla’s broader safety presence across segments. Similar to the Model Y, the Model 3 also earned impressive scores across the ANCAP’s four pillars. This made the vehicle the top performer in the Medium Car category.  

ANCAP Chief Executive Officer Carla Hoorweg stated that the results highlight a growing industry shift toward integrated safety design, with improvements in technologies such as autonomous emergency braking and lane support translating into meaningful real-world protection.

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“ANCAP’s testing continues to reinforce a clear message: the safest vehicles are those designed with safety as a system, not a checklist. The top performers this year delivered consistent results across physical crash protection, crash avoidance and vulnerable road user safety, rather than relying on strength in a single area.

“We are also seeing increasing alignment between ANCAP’s test requirements and the safety technologies that genuinely matter on Australian and New Zealand roads. Improvements in autonomous emergency braking, lane support, and driver monitoring systems are translating into more robust protection,” Hoorweg said.

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Tesla Sweden uses Megapack battery to bypass unions’ Supercharger blockade

Just before Christmas, Tesla went live with a new charging station in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm, by powering it with a Tesla Megapack battery.

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Credit: Tesla Charging/X

Tesla Sweden has successfully launched a new Supercharger station despite an ongoing blockade by Swedish unions, using on-site Megapack batteries instead of traditional grid connections. The workaround has allowed the Supercharger to operate without direct access to Sweden’s electricity network, which has been effectively frozen by labor action.

Tesla has experienced notable challenges connecting its new charging stations to Sweden’s power grid due to industrial action led by Seko, a major Swedish trade union, which has blocked all new electrical connections for new Superchargers. On paper, this made the opening of new Supercharger sites almost impossible.

Despite the blockade, Tesla has continued to bring stations online. In Malmö and Södertälje, new Supercharger locations opened after grid operators E.ON and Telge Nät activated the sites. The operators later stated that the connections had been made in error. 

More recently, however, Tesla adopted a different strategy altogether. Just before Christmas, Tesla went live with a new charging station in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm, by powering it with a Tesla Megapack battery, as noted in a Dagens Arbete (DA) report. 

Because the Supercharger station does not rely on a permanent grid connection, Tesla was able to bypass the blocked application process, as noted by Swedish car journalist and YouTuber Peter Esse. He noted that the Arlandastad Supercharger is likely dependent on nearby companies to recharge the batteries, likely through private arrangements.

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Eight new charging stalls have been launched in the Arlandastad site so far, which is a fraction of the originally planned 40 chargers for the location. Still, the fact that Tesla Sweden was able to work around the unions’ efforts once more is impressive, especially since Superchargers are used even by non-Tesla EVs.

Esse noted that Tesla’s Megapack workaround is not as easily replicated in other locations. Arlandastad is unique because neighboring operators already have access to grid power, making it possible for Tesla to source electricity indirectly. Still, Esse noted that the unions’ blockades have not affected sales as much.

“Many want Tesla to lose sales due to the union blockades. But you have to remember that sales are falling from 2024, when Tesla sold a record number of cars in Sweden. That year, the unions also had blockades against Tesla. So for Tesla as a charging operator, it is devastating. But for Tesla as a car company, it does not matter in terms of sales volumes. People charge their cars where there is an opportunity, usually at home,” Esse noted. 

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Elon Musk’s X goes down as users report major outage Friday morning

Error messages and stalled loading screens quickly spread across the service, while outage trackers recorded a sharp spike in user reports.

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Credit: Linda Yaccarino/X

Elon Musk’s X experienced an outage Friday morning, leaving large numbers of users unable to access the social media platform.

Error messages and stalled loading screens quickly spread across the service, while outage trackers recorded a sharp spike in user reports.

Downdetector reports

Users attempting to open X were met with messages such as “Something went wrong. Try reloading,” often followed by an endless spinning icon that prevented access, according to a report from Variety. Downdetector data showed that reports of problems surged rapidly throughout the morning.

As of 10:52 a.m. ET, more than 100,000 users had reported issues with X. The data indicated that 56% of complaints were tied to the mobile app, while 33% were related to the website and roughly 10% cited server connection problems. The disruption appeared to begin around 10:10 a.m. ET, briefly eased around 10:35 a.m., and then returned minutes later.

Credit: Downdetector

Previous disruptions

Friday’s outage was not an isolated incident. X has experienced multiple high-profile service interruptions over the past two years. In November, tens of thousands of users reported widespread errors, including “Internal server error / Error code 500” messages. Cloudflare-related error messages were also reported.

In March 2025, the platform endured several brief outages spanning roughly 45 minutes, with more than 21,000 reports in the U.S. and 10,800 in the U.K., according to Downdetector. Earlier disruptions included an outage in August 2024 and impairments to key platform features in July 2023.

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