Rivian began Enduro drive unit manufacturing for R1T and R1S twin motor powertrain

Rivian publicizes Enduro drive unit manufacturing begin, which is able to equip R1T and R1S automobiles. These automobiles are ones with dual-motor powertrains developed in-house. This would be the firm’s next-gen drive unit manufacturing line. It took 5 months to start out the manufacturing line, together with the beginning of building.

This can be a essential milestone for Rivian, as this implies the corporate will quickly be capable of begin manufacturing of Twin-Motor AWD variants of the R1T pickup and R1S SUV. The automaker beforehand stated Twin-Motor automobiles would enter manufacturing someday this yr. The Twin-Motor AWD powertrain makes over 600 horsepower and over 600 pound-feet (812 Newton-meters) of torque in commonplace guise, or over 700 hp and over 700 lb-ft (948 Nm) of torque within the optionally obtainable Enhanced Twin-Motor AWD. That’s nonetheless lower than the prevailing Quad-Motor powertrain’s 835 hp and 908 lb-ft (1,230 Nm) of torque.

We went from 4 partitions to start out of manufacturing on our new drive unit line in 5 months. Designing and manufacturing these motors totally in-house permits us to hurry manufacturing and introduce Twin-Motor AWD, whereas concurrently persevering with to ramp Quad-Motor AWD manufacturing. pic.twitter.com/wWRqXSWANa

— Rivian (@Rivian) February 22, 2023

Nevertheless, Rivian beforehand stated the Twin-Motor powertrain will probably be extra energy-efficient than the present Quad-Motor setup equipped by Bosch. Usually, this could lead to elevated vary in comparison with present fashions that characteristic 4 electrical motors. However the greater benefit would be the reality Rivian will now not depend on an exterior provider for its electrical motors, with vertical integration giving it elevated management of manufacturing and decrease prices. All three main elements of the EDU, motor, inverter, and gearbox, are assembled into a standard casting, which has a decrease price of producing.

Newer fashions

Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe additionally posted a photograph of the new electrical drive unit manufacturing line on his private Twitter account, with a caption that reads, “Ramping manufacturing of our new Enduro drive unit for our Twin-Motor R1 automobiles!” In response to Rivian, the Twin-Motor AWD system permits the R1T to speed up to 60 mph (96 km/h) in simply 4.5 seconds, or 3.5 seconds for Enhanced Twin-Motor AWD. Moreover, due to the next gear ratio on the rear motor, the powertrain distributes torque constantly between the entrance and rear drive models, “biasing torque rearward for enhanced efficiency, acceleration, and sturdy towing.”

The Twin Motor AWD powertrain is ready to tow 11,000 kilos (4,989 kilograms) within the R1T and seven,700 lbs (3,492 kg) within the R1S. Extra importantly, the R1T and R1S will probably be cheaper to purchase with the Twin-Motor powertrain and the Customary battery pack, beginning at $73,000 and $78,000, respectively (based on Rivian’s on-line configurator). Rivian additionally affords an optionally available improve to the dual-motor system referred to as “Enhanced Twin-Motor AWD.” This offers geared up automobiles an extra 100 horsepower and torque to play with however stays roughly 200 horsepower and torque away from the highest-performance quad-motor variant.