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Rivian reveals price, release dates for the R1T and R1S production version

(Credit: Rivian)

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Rivian revealed the prices and release dates for its R1T electric pickup truck and the R1S SUV. The company also announced that its configurator would be available to preorder holders on November 16. Rivian will send preorder holders an email to unlock early access to its configurator, which will be accessible to the public by November 23. 

Launch Edition 

Rivian will kick off deliveries in the Unites States with its limited R1T and R1S Launch Edition on June 2021 and August 2021, respectively. It plans to start R1T and R1S Launch Edition deliveries in Canada by November 2021. The company encourages preorder holders who are interested in acquiring the Launch Edition vehicles to reserve one as early as possible because supplies will be limited.

The R1T and R1S Launch Edition will come with Rivian’s premium Adventure Package and special interior badging. Launch Edition vehicles will also feature a unique paint option called “Launch Green,” as well as 20” All-Terrain or 22” Sport Wheels at no additional cost. The debut vehicles will offer an estimated 300+ mile range, suggesting that the vehicles will feature Rivian’s 135 kWh battery pack. 

(Credit: Teslarati)

Rivian’s Equipment Packages 

Rivian will be offering two equipment packages in its configurator named “Adventure” and “Explore.” Both equipment packages feature the same drivetrain and quad-motor configuration, as well as independent air suspension, active damping, and electro-hydrualic roll control. 

They both also come with a panoramic all-glass roof, vegan leather seats, WiFi and 4G capabilities, and a 1000-lumen flashlight on the driver’s side door. Each package does have its own defining features. 

  • Adventure Package 

The Adventure Package is essentially the Launch Edition minus the the special Launch Green paint option, interior branding, and free wheel upgrade. It comes standard with Rivian’s Off-Road Upgrade, which features a reinforced underbody shield and an on-board air compressor. A powered tonneau cover is also included, as well as the company’s “Gear Guard” remote monitoring system. 

Inside the vehicle, the Adventure Package comes with heated and cooled perforated vegan seats, a cabin with natural-grained ash wood, and the electric truck maker’s Rivian Elevation 360° audio system featuring a removable Bluetooth speaker. Deliveries for the R1T and R1S Adventure Package that are not part of the Launch Edition will start January 2022. 

https://twitter.com/Rivian/status/1326663538329473026?s=20
  • Explore Package

Rivian’s Explore Package is the most affordable trim listed by the electric car maker. It features a “sport interior” with matte black finishes throughout the cabin and heated vegan leather seats. The Explore Package also comes with a standard surround sound audio system. 

Unlike the Adventure Package, the tonneau cover of the Explore Package is manual. Although, the tonneau cover’s panels are designed to lock together to double as a camp table. Rivian will start delivering its Explore Package trim will on January 2022.  

Rivian hasn’t revealed all the specs for the R1T EV pickup truck or the R1S SUV. However, the clean energy automaker did share some information about the R1T and R1S vehicles battery packs and driver-assist system, named Rivian Driver+. More details about the specs and features of the R1T and R1S might be released once the company’s configurator is live later this month.

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 to increase Full Self-Driving subscription price: here’s when

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla will increase its Full Self-Driving subscription price, meaning it will eventually be more than the current $99 per month price tag it has right now.

Already stating that the ability to purchase the suite outright will be removed, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said earlier this week that the Full Self-Driving subscription price would increase when its capabilities improve:

“I should also mention that the $99/month for supervised FSD will rise as FSD’s capabilities improve. The massive value jump is when you can be on your phone or sleeping for the entire ride (unsupervised FSD).”

This was an expected change, especially as Tesla has been hinting for some time that it is approaching a feature-complete version of Full Self-Driving that will no longer require driver supervision. However, with the increase, some are concerned that they may be priced out.

$99 per month is already a tough ask for some. While Full Self-Driving is definitely worth it just due to the capabilities, not every driver is ready to add potentially 50 percent to their car payment each month to have it.

While Tesla has not revealed any target price for FSD, it does seem that it will go up to at least $150.

Additionally, the ability to purchase the suite outright is also being eliminated on February 14, which gives owners another reason to be slightly concerned about whether they will be able to afford to continue paying for Full Self-Driving in any capacity.

Some owners have requested a tiered program, which would allow people to pay for the capabilities they want at a discounted price.

Unsupervised FSD would be the most expensive, and although the company started removing Autopilot from some vehicles, it seems a Supervised FSD suite would still attract people to pay between $49 and $99 per month, as it is very useful.

Tesla will likely release pricing for the Unsupervised suite when it is available, but price increases could still come to the Supervised version as things improve.

This is not the first time Musk has hinted that the price would change with capability improvements, either. He’s been saying it for some time. In 2020, he even said the value of FSD would “probably be somewhere in excess of $100,000.”

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Tesla starts removing outright Full Self-Driving purchase option at time of order

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(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla has chosen to axe the ability to purchase Full Self-Driving outright from a select group of cars just days after CEO Elon Musk announced the company had plans to eliminate that option in February.

The company is making a clear-cut stand that it will fully transition away from the ability to purchase the Full Self-Driving suite outright, a move that has brought differing opinions throughout the Tesla community.

Earlier this week, the company also announced that it will no longer allow buyers to purchase Full Self-Driving outright when ordering a pre-owned vehicle from inventory. Instead, that will be available for $99 per month, the same price that it costs for everyone else.

The ability to buy the suite for $8,000 for a one-time fee at the time of order has been removed:

This is a major move because it is the first time Tesla is eliminating the ability to purchase FSD outright for one flat fee to any of its vehicles, at least at the time of purchase.

It is trying to phase out the outright purchase option as much as it can, preparing people for the subscription-based service it will exclusively offer starting on February 14.

In less than a month, it won’t be available on any vehicle, which has truly driven some serious conversation from Tesla owners throughout the community.

There’s a conflict, because many believe that they will now lose the ability to buy FSD and not pay for it monthly, which is an attractive offer. However, others believe, despite paying $8,000 for FSD, that they will have to pay more money on top of that cost to get the unsupervised suite.

Additionally, CEO Elon Musk said that the FSD suite’s subscription price would increase over time as capabilities increase, which is understandable, but is also quite a conflict for those who spent thousands to have what was once promised to them, and now they may have to pay even more money.

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Tesla Robotaxi has a highly-requested hardware feature not available on typical Model Ys

These camera washers are crucial for keeping the operation going, as they are the sole way Teslas operate autonomously. The cameras act as eyes for the car to drive, recognize speed limit and traffic signs, and travel safely.

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Credit: David Moss | X

Tesla Robotaxi has a highly-requested hardware feature that is not available on typical Model Ys that people like you and me bring home after we buy them. The feature is something that many have been wanting for years, especially after the company adopted a vision-only approach to self-driving.

After Tesla launched driverless Robotaxi rides to the public earlier this week in Austin, people have been traveling to the Lone Star State in an effort to hopefully snag a ride from one of the few vehicles in the fleet that are now no longer required to have Safety Monitors present.

BREAKING: Tesla launches public Robotaxi rides in Austin with no Safety Monitor

Although only a few of those completely driverless rides are available, there have been some new things seen on these cars that are additions from regular Model Ys, including the presence of one new feature: camera washers.

With the Model Y, there has been a front camera washer, but the other exterior “eyes” have been void of any solution for this. For now, owners are required to clean them manually.

In Austin, Tesla is doing things differently. It is now utilizing camera washers on the side repeater and rear bumper cameras, which will keep the cameras clean and keep operation as smooth and as uninterrupted as possible:

These camera washers are crucial for keeping the operation going, as they are the sole way Teslas operate autonomously. The cameras act as eyes for the car to drive, recognize speed limit and traffic signs, and travel safely.

This is the first time we are seeing them, so it seems as if Safety Monitors might have been responsible for keeping the lenses clean and unobstructed previously.

However, as Tesla transitions to a fully autonomous self-driving suite and Robotaxi expands to more vehicles in the Robotaxi fleet, it needed to find a way to clean the cameras without any manual intervention, at least for a short period, until they can return for interior and exterior washing.

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