Electric trucks are a new entry into the EV or electric vehicle market, but are exciting climate activists and renewable energy purists that want to drive a truck that isn’t burning fossil fuel. Let’s look at two of them now, one from Rivian and the other from Atlis.
Rivian
Even Amazon and Ford have put their money into electric trucks investing over $1.2 billion in the startup, Rivian, based in Plymouth Township, Michigan. The investment also culminated with a technology sharing arrangement between Ford and Rivian.
“As with most of our major investments, and acquisitions, we’re always looking for mission-driven entrepreneurs — missionaries instead of mercenaries. And the guy who leads the company, a guy named R.J., is one of the most missionary entrepreneurs I’ve ever met,” Bezos said, referring to Rivian’s CEO R.J. Scaringe.
Rivian says from the start that they aren’t out to be a work truck. Their intent is to produce what they call a “luxury lifestyle vehicle.”
“Rivian vehicles will appeal to people who are looking for outstanding performance and zero emissions. The brand will appeal to people who enjoy getting out into nature,” Rivian communications chief Mike McHale said. “A unique combination of up to 400-mile range, all wheel drive, leading ground clearance and modern design means our vehicles can really support all your adventures.”
Rivian turned heads at the Overland Expo West event with their all new electric truck camper they have named the R1T. Off-road camping enthusiasts were impressed with the first electric vehicle ever shown at an overlanding event. The company hopes to exceed expectations in the camping community with its 400 mile range between charges.
Rivian showed off its Tepui roof-top tent over the truck’s bed at the Expo, but that was just the teaser. The big reveal was the custom-designed slide out kitchen that pops out in front of the rear tire.
Featuring a dual-burner induction cooktop connected to the 180kWh electric battery, Rivian states that you can cook on it for a week with only a little over 10% battery depletion. A decent sized sink connected to a 19 liter water tank, drawers for storage and a small countertop complete this pull-out masterpiece.
On top of the impressive mobile kitchen, this EV also has a built-in air compressor, additional storage in the trunk, and a tow rating of 11,000 lbs. Just note that if you utilize the full towing capacity it will but the range in half. You can also go through up to three feet of water in this truck, another selling point for off-roaders.
Deliveries of the new electric truck are scheduled to start towards the end of 2020 and pre-orders are being taken now with a $1,000 deposit. The 230 mile range base model will begin at $69,000 and the 400 mile range at just under $90,000. You can get the slide-out kitchen on any model.
The Atlis XT
The Atlis XT is designed to be a bit heavier duty than the Rivian. Atlis claims that the XT will be one of the best performing trucks ever released. If one chooses the largest battery pack option it will also have a range of up to 500 miles.
The towing capacity of the XT is over triple that of the Rivian at 35,000 lbs while also sporting a payload capacity of 5,000 lbs. Bear in mind that towing and/or carrying heavy loads will result in far lower range.
The XT is also in the full-size truck category and offers the option of either a 6.5 or 8 foot bed. The fact that the XT also has an 8-lug wheel design is an indicator of its heavier duty status vs the Rivian.
The actual towing and payload capacities will be determined by how you choose to equip the XT. The conventional towing capacity ranges from 5,000-20,000 lbs and with the optional 5th wheel option can go to 35,000. Payload capacities range from 1,000-5,000 lbs.
The standard crew cab model comes with a shorter bed with independent air suspension at all for corners and a foot of ground clearance. The “off-road” version comes with “long travel suspension” and 15” of ground clearance.
As with the Rivian, the Atlis XT offers multiple options for battery packs with the lowest allowing for a 300 mile range. The other battery options offer a 400 mile range and a 500 mile range. According to Atlis, the batteries can be completely recharged in 15 minutes.
Performance wise, the XT can go from 0-60 MPH in only 5 seconds! Atlis says that even fully loaded the XT will do 0-60 in under 18 seconds. Like most EVs the XT employs 4 independent electric motors, one on each wheel.
The interior is large and luxurious looking and can set up to 6 individuals in total compared to 5 with the Rivian.
Standard features on all Atlis electric trucks include:
- ASSEMBLED IN THE USA
- 4-WHEEL DRIVE WITH INDEPENDENT TRACTION MOTORS AT EACH WHEEL
- 4-WHEEL INDEPENDENT SUSPENSION
- ALL VEHICLES COME WITH A SINGLE SPEED GEAR BOX PER AXLE
- MASSIVE FRONT-TRUNK STORAGE
- ADVANCED REGENERATIVE BRAKING WITH DYNAMIC LOAD CONTROL
- SPRAY-IN BEDLINER
See more on the Atlis XT
As proponents of renewable energy and clean energy products, ClearWorld is also excited about the introduction of these new electric trucks to the EV market.
ClearWorld is a leading provider of solar LED lighting solutions with solar lighting installations in over 85 cities across the United States.