

News
Rivian R1T’s Max Pack + Quad-Motor configuration will be unavailable starting 2023
Rivian sent out letters to Max Pack preorder holders, informing them of some changes to their configurators in 2023.
According to the letter, the Rivian R1T’s Max Pack battery will only be available with a Dual-Motor AWD configuration in 2023. The Max Pack + Quad-Motor configuration will not be “selectable” in Rivian’s configurator by next year.
“This update introduces a more energy dense Max pack design that pairs with our Dual-Motor drive system to deliver long range with outstanding performance at a lower price point. Making this change supports our continued focus on simplifying the production process as we scale,” wrote Rivian.
In Rivian’s visualizer, The R1T is available in Dual-Motor AWD and Quad-Motor AWD drive systems. The Quad-Motor R1T costs an additional $8,000 in the United States and $11,000 in Canada. The Rivian R1S also comes with Dual-Motor and Quad-Motor AWD drive systems. The Quad-Motor R1S also costs an additional $8,000 in the United States and $11,000 in Canada.
The EV startup offers three battery packs for the Dual-Motor AWD R1T. The Standard Pack has an estimated range of 260+ miles, while the Max Pack has a range of up to 400 miles for an additional $16,000 in the U.S. and $21,750 in Canada. In the middle is Rivian’s Large Pack, which has an EPA estimate of 328 miles and costs an additional $6,000 in the United States and $8,250 in Canada. Rivian Quad-Motor AWD R1T orders can only be paired with the Large battery pack.
Rivian offers only the Standard and Large battery packs for the R1S. The Quad-Motor R1S is only available with the Large pack, which costs an additional $6,000.
Standard vs Enhanced Dual-Motor AWD R1T
Rivian also offers an enhanced version of Max Pack + Dual-Motor AWD with the same range but better performance. The enhanced Dual-Motor R1T has 700 HP, quicker 0-60 mph at 3.5 seconds. In comparison, the standard Dual-Motor R1T has 600 HP and runs 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds. Both standard and enhanced Dual-Motor AWD R1T variants have 11,000 lbs of towing capacity.
“For price committed customers who preordered before 3/1/2022, choosing standard Dual-Motor AWD will lower your current price by $4,500 while the enhanced version will lower it by $2,000,” noted Rivian in its letter.
“Deliveries are planned to start at the end of summer in limited volumes and will ramp through the end of the year. We will prioritize Max pack preorder holders for our earliest Dual-Motor deliveries where it’s possible.”
Rivian’s price changes might differ between the United States and Canada.
Upgraded Quad-Motor R1T + Max Pack
The unavailability of Rivian’s Max pack + Quad-Motor R1T seems temporary. The EV automaker plans to launch a Quad-Motor variants with “additional capability” with the Max batter pack in the future.
For preorder holders who want to maintain their Quad-Motor configuration, Rivian advises them to change to the Large battery pack. The company notes that switching to a Large battery pack might accelerate their delivery date to early 2023.
Rivian has made a few changes to its customer options this year. In August, Rivian discontinued its Explore Package option and encouraged customers to upgrade. The Explore Package was the more affordable option offered to Rivian customers. The only package available on Rivian’s R1T and R1S order pages is the Adventure Package.
The Adventure Package for the R1T starts at $73,000 in the United States and $98,500 in Canada. For the R1S is costs it starts at $78,000 in the U.S. and $105,250 in Canada. Recently, Rivian removed customers’ Adventure Gear options with their R1T and R1S orders. Now customers must purchase the Adventure Gear options separately.
Read Rivian’s letter below.
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Elon Musk
Tesla plans to adjust heavily scrutinized car part with simple engineering
“We’ll have a really good solution for that. I’m not worried about it.”

Tesla is going to adjust one heavily scrutinized part of its vehicles after recent government agencies have launched probes into an issue stemming from complaints from owners.
Over the past few days, we have reported on the issues with Tesla’s door handle systems from both the Chinese and American governments.
In China, it dealt with the Model S, while the United States’ National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported nine complaints from owners experiencing issues with 2021 Model Ys, as some said they had trouble entering their car after the 12V battery was low on power.
Bloomberg, in an interview with Tesla Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen, asked whether the company planned to adjust the door handle design to alleviate any concerns that regulatory agencies might have.
Regarding the interior latch concerns in the United States:
- Von Holzhausen said that, while a mechanical door release resolves this problem, Tesla plans to “combine the two” to help reduce stress in what he called “panic situations.”
- He also added that “it’s in the cars now…The idea of combining the electronic and the manual one together in one button, I think, makes a lot of sense.” Franz said the muscle memory of reaching for the same button will be advantageous for children and anyone who is in an emergency.
Regarding the exterior door handle concerns in China:
- Von Holzhausen said Tesla is reviewing the details of the regulation and confirmed, “We’ll have a really good solution for that. I’m not worried about it.”
Franz von Holzhausen (from Tesla’s Robovan) on Tesla’s upcoming redesigned door handles: pic.twitter.com/lnaKve1SlJ
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) September 17, 2025
The new Model Y already has emergency mechanical door release latches in the back, but combining them in future vehicles seems to be an ideal solution for other vehicles in Tesla’s lineup.
It will likely help Tesla avoid complaints from owners about not having an out in the event of a power outage or accident. It is a small engineering change that could be extremely valuable for future instances.
News
Elon Musk calls out viral claim of 10,000 Tesla Optimus deal: “Fake”
For now at least, Tesla seems determined to focus on the development of Optimus V3.

Elon Musk has provided some clarification to recent reports suggesting that PharmAGRI, a US pharmaceutical and agricultural infrastructure company, is looking to deploy 10,000 Optimus robots for its operations.
Musk posted his clarification on social media platform X.
Alleged Optimus purchase
Recently, reports emerged stating that PharmAGRI Capital Partners will be tapping into Tesla’s humanoid robots for its operations. The firm claimed that it had executed a Letter of Intent with Tesla to deploy up to 10,000 Optimus Gen 3+ humanoid robots across its SuperPharm and CEA facilities. This should allow the company to automate its labor and ensure diversion control.
A comment from Lynn Stockwell, Chairwoman & CEO, suggested that the company really was partnering with Tesla. “With Tesla robotics powering our facilities and DEA-licensed infrastructure in place, we can scale with precision, meet federal sourcing mandates, and deliver therapies that are compliant, secure, and American-made,” she said.
Elon Musk clariies
News of PharmAGRI’s Optimus claims quickly spread on social media, though some Tesla watchers argued that it seemed unlikely that the EV maker will commit two legions of Optimus robots to a rather unknown company this early. Some pointed out that Tesla typically commits to high-profile customers to test its early products, such as PepsiCo with the Tesla Semi.
Photos from PharmAGRI’s website depicting Tesla Optimus bots, as well as the rather basic look of the website itself, also brought more reservations to the company’s claims. Ultimately, Elon Musk weighed in on the matter, responding to a post about PharmAGRI’s Optimus-filled webpage. Musk was quick and direct, simply stating, “Fake.”
Elon Musk’s comments were quite unsurprising considering that Optimus is still very much in active development, and thus, it is quite unlikely that the company is already taking orders or even Letters of Intent from potential customers at this time. For now at least, Tesla seems determined to focus on the development of Optimus V3, which Musk has noted will be “sublime.”
Elon Musk
Elon Musk: Self-sustaining city on Mars is plausible in 25-30 years
Musk noted that true self-sufficiency requires Mars to develop “all the ingredients of civilization.”

Elon Musk has stated that a self-sustaining human settlement on Mars could be established in 25-30 years, provided launch capacity increases dramatically in the coming decades.
Speaking at the All-In Summit, the SpaceX CEO said building a self-sufficient colony depends on exponential growth in “tonnage to Mars” with each launch window, highlighting Starship’s role as the company’s pathway to interplanetary initiatives.
Mars settlement goals
Musk noted that true self-sufficiency requires Mars to develop “all the ingredients of civilization,” from food production to microchip manufacturing. Starship Version 3 is expected to support the first uncrewed Mars test flights, while future iterations could reach 466 feet in height and deliver larger payloads critical for settlement. Ultimately, Musk stated that an aggressive timeline for a city on Mars could be as short as 30 years, as noted in a Space.com report.
“I think it can be done in 30 years, provided there’s an exponential increase in the tonnage to Mars with each successive Mars transfer window, which is every two years. Every two years, the planets align and you can transfer to Mars.
“I think in roughly 15, but maybe as few as 10, but 10-15-ish Mars transfer windows. If you’re seeing exponential increases in the tonnage to Mars with each Mars transfer window, then it should be possible to make Mars self-sustaining in about call it roughly 25 years,” Musk said.
Starship’s role
Starship has flown in a fully stacked configuration ten times, most recently in August when it completed its first payload deployment in orbit. The next flight will close out the Version 2 program before transitioning to Starship Version 3, featuring Raptor 3 engines and a redesigned structure capable of lifting over 100 tons to orbit.
While SpaceX has demonstrated Super Heavy booster reuse, Ship reusability remains in development. Musk noted that the heat shield is still the biggest technical hurdle, as no orbital vehicle has yet achieved rapid, full reuse.
“For full reusability of the Ship, there’s still a lot of work that remains on the heat shield. No one’s ever made a fully reusable orbital heat shield. The shuttle heat shield had to go through nine months of repair after every flight,” he said.
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