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Rivian announces R1T pickup truck: $69k starting price, 400+ mile range, and 11k-lb towing capacity
US-based EV startup Rivian has come out of the shadows to announce the specs of its first vehicle — the R1T all-electric pickup truck. The R1T, which seats five passengers, is designed from the ground up to be as comfortable off the beaten path as it is on paved roads. Armed to the teeth with clever features and cutting-edge technology, Rivian’s first entry into the electric vehicle market has the potential to be a game-changer.
Rivian spent the better part of the past decade developing its first vehicles — the R1T pickup truck and the R1S SUV, which is set to be unveiled tomorrow at the LA Auto Show. Only the specs of the R1T have been unveiled so far, though in terms of performance, range, and features, the pickup truck is notably impressive. The R1T, for one, is equipped with four electric motors, each one having a power capacity of 147 kW, as well as 3,500 Nm of grounded torque per wheel.
Three battery pack variants will be offered for the vehicle — a 180 kWh battery that is expected to give 400+ miles of range per charge, a 135 kWh option that gives 300+ miles of range per charge, and a 105 kWh variant, which will give about 230+ miles of range per charge. Rivian plans to start manufacturing the R1T’s higher-end options first, followed by the entry-level version, which starts at $69,000 within 12 months from the start of production. Production for the R1T is expected to begin in 2020.
The Rivian R1T all-electric pickup truck. [Credit: Rivian]
Being a vehicle designed for the outdoors, the Rivian R1T has the capability to wade through up to 1 meter of water. The pickup, while comparable in size to trucks like the Ford Ranger and the Toyota Tacoma, also outguns its competition in terms of towing capacity. Thanks to its four electric motors, the R1T has a towing capacity of 11,000 pounds, a figure that is more comparable to America’s best-selling vehicle, the larger Ford F-150.
There’s also a lot of storage in the R1T, with a frunk that offers 11.7 cubic feet (330 liters) and a “gear tunnel” — a storage area that spans the width of the vehicle, — that provides an additional 12.4 cubic feet (350 liters) of space. Rivian notes that the gear tunnel would be perfect for storing items like skis, fishing rods, and golf bags. The all-electric pickup’s bed is also fitted with three 110-volt outlets with more than 400 watts available at each, as well as a compressed air source for filling in bike tires.
While the Rivian R1T is evidently designed to be a vehicle that is at home in rough terrain, the pickup truck still features some of the trademark features of premium electric vehicles. Just like Tesla’s electric cars, the R1T features impressive acceleration, with the entry-level truck hitting 60 mph in 4.9 seconds and the 180 kWh top-tier variant going from 0-60 in 3.2 seconds. Interestingly, the mid-level 135 kWh variant of the R1T is the quickest, with a 0-60 mph time of 3 seconds flat. All three versions of the vehicle have a top speed of 125 mph, similar to the Mid Range Model 3 RWD.
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- (Photo: Rivian)
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- The Rivian RT1’s spec sheet. [Credit: Rivian]
The Rivian R1T all-electric pickup truck. [Credit: Rivian]
The R1T’s futuristic approach to adventure could be seen in the design flourishes on its interior. The vehicle is equipped with a 15.6″ landscape-oriented center touchscreen, as well as a 12.3-inch display that takes the place of an instrument cluster. A 6.8-inch touchscreen is placed at the back of the center console, giving rear passengers infotainment and climate control access. The R1T’s steering wheel also features two thumb dials, just like the Model 3. Finally, the R1T is fitted with hardware that allows it to be fully self-driving in the future, thanks to a suite of cameras, lidar, radar, ultrasonic, and high-precision GPS technologies.
In a statement to The Verge, Rivian CEO and founder RJ Scaringe stated that the company is laser-focused on the adventure niche. The founder further explained that Rivian stayed largely in the shadows over the past years to ensure that its first vehicles are refined and competitive once they enter the market.
“They may have different form factors, they may be different sizes, but every single one of [our products] has to have this Patagonia-like feel of enabling adventure. We want to keep that very sharp. We want to focus only on the adventure space, so customers understand what we stand for.”
“We were quiet in stealth mode to avoid getting caught in this sort of hype cycle, and we said let’s make sure we have all the pieces lined up — the vehicle, the technology, the team, the supply chain, the manufacturing plant — before we actually talk about it. Because of that, some people have been questioning [us]. People need to see that this is very, very real,” Scaringe said.
Interested buyers could place a refundable deposit of $1,000 for the Rivian R1T here.
Elon Musk said he is planning to give “every one of his SpaceX shares to every kid in America” in 2027, stating that “this will be the first of many.”
SpaceX went public earlier this year, and its stock price has been relatively stable since leveling off shortly after its IPO. Based on its current price, it’s a gift of just over $10 billion to children across the United States.
It appears to be closely related to President Donald Trump’s bank accounts for children, which were set up earlier this year as Trump Accounts.
Just hours earlier, Anthropic had announced the establishment of its Anthropic Public Benefit Fund, “a new wholly-owned entity dedicated entirely to public benefit.” Musk responded by stating he recommended “giving the shares directly to the public,” and that he would be doing it that way.
Just a little bit later, Musk said children across the U.S. would be getting a share from him:
Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America.
This will be the first of many.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 19, 2026
There are roughly 70 million children, meaning someone under the age of 18, in the United States, according to the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. Musk’s ownership of SpaceX stock shows he has around 849 million Class A shares of SpaceX stock, according to filings with the SEC.
Elon Musk revealed in a post on X that “Permits were impossible to get,” explaining the fate of The Boring Company’s most ambitious East Coast proposal.
The comment responded to a query about what became of his July 20, 2017 announcement that he had “just received verbal govt approval” for an underground Hyperloop connecting New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., capable of carrying passengers from the Big Apple to the Nation’s Capital in just 29 minutes.
The Boring Company receives verbal ‘approval’ to build NY to DC Hyperloop tunnel
The 2017 post, which envisioned city-center stations and multiple elevators in each city, sparked immediate scrutiny. Local and state officials in New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and D.C. said they had no knowledge of any approval. A White House spokesperson confirmed only “promising conversations” about the transformative infrastructure.
Musk clarified shortly after that there was “still a lot of work” to do for formal approvals.
@cybrtrkguy Permits were impossible to get
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 19, 2026
Limited progress followed, as Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s administration issued a conditional utility permit and supported work near Fort Meade. In 2018, Washington, D.C., granted a preliminary permit for site preparation and excavation on a vacant lot at 53 New York Ave. NE in the NoMa neighborhood, which The Boring Company said could become a station.
A draft environmental assessment for a D.C.-Baltimore segment was released in 2019. Yet, by April 2021, the company had removed the project from its website, and the Federal Highway Administration reported receiving no indication of further interest. Communication with Maryland officials had ceased.
The full corridor would have required coordination among the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, the Federal Highway Administration, the Army Corps of Engineers, the National Park Service, and other agencies.
Environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act, utility clearances, and approvals for novel infrastructure added to the overall complexity of the project and its approval.
Speculation on the permitting barriers centers around a few factors, but a multi-state, multi-level route involving unproven high-speed vacuum-tube technology inherently triggers exhaustive safety, environmental, and engineering reviews that can stretch for years, even for conventional projects.
There are also other elements, of course, like officials who may face political exposure if a privately funded, untested system encountered anything such as cost overruns, delays, or safety issues. On the outset of this project, there were limited things such as engineering plans or demonstrated technology maturity, which also added to the potential skepticism.
The East Coast vision for Boring Co., once framed as a privately funded revolution that could reshape Northeast travel, quietly ended without construction of the promised network. Musk’s recent statement frames the outcome as a regulatory impasse, unfortunate but not unexpected.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to his social media platform X on Sunday to remind everyone that the Roadster’s true meaning is not about company growth or adding dollars to shareholders’ pockets. Sometimes, you just do things because you can.
Following the Roadster’s epic unveiling event last Thursday, skeptics and critics of the company or the project itself came out to say that the vehicle is a pointless project because it is not geared toward growing the company, delivering supreme margins for profitability, nor does it contribute to the big picture of Artificial/Super Intelligence.
But that’s just the thing: Roadster is not meant to be some shareholder dream; it’s meant to be a vehicle that people buy just because it is something awesome, unique, and the first of its kind.
Tesla Roadster: Three configs, one can fly, 0-60 in 0.8 seconds
Musk had to remind those who are skeptical about the Roadster’s importance to the company mission that while it is not a major contributor to Tesla’s long-term goals, it is something that is being built just because it can be:
“Optimus and Cybercab will be the vast majority of Tesla’s value. The only things that will scale to incredible size (K2 and beyond) economically are super intelligence, robots, solar power, and mass to space. And, of course, if you have the first two, the rest will follow. But Roadster is super cool, so we’re doing it anyway.”
Musk has said on many occasions that Optimus would be the project that would make up the vast majority of Tesla’s value in the coming years.
Robotics will be a major focus of Tesla over the coming years, especially as Musk believes Optimus will enable work to be optional for humans and will enable what he calls “High Universal Income.”
Optimus and Cybercab will be the vast majority of Tesla’s value.
The only things that will scale to incredible size (K2 and beyond) economically are super intelligence, robots, solar power and mass to space.
And, of course, if you have the first two, the rest will follow.
But Roadster is super cool, so we’re doing it anyway.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 18, 2026
Cybercab will be a passive income opportunity for owners, Musk and Tesla have said for a very long time, as a fleet of self-driving vehicles will operate within a ride-hailing Robotaxi service that won’t require a human driver to be present.
Tesla investors are more than enthusiastic about the company’s future projects, at least from a general consensus perspective. However, it is important to note that the Roadster is a fun and cool project that pushes the boundaries of what people thought was possible for an automobile.
What we saw last week was the first true example of a flying car, and despite the backlash about how it might not contribute to Tesla’s grand ambitions, it’s okay to have fun sometimes, too.
Elon Musk will give ‘every kid in America’ a SpaceX share in 2027
Elon Musk reveals why Boring Co’s biggest East Coast project never happened
Tesla CEO Elon Musk reminds everyone about Roadster’s true meaning
SpaceX reveals how its 1 Million AI satellite network will work and prevent space collisions
Tesla Roadster: Three configs, one can fly, 0-60 in 0.8 seconds
