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Although it isn’t obvious, Rivian is the midst of a big transformation right now. Until recently, almost all of its sales have been in its high end, 4-motor pickup trucks. However, the company announced in its latest earning’s call that it was switching its mix of output to favor its 7-seat R1S SUV which has much less competition currently and on the horizon. It is also spinning up 2-motor versions of its R1 vehicles which will cost significantly less with very little performance cost. Add to that a cheaper LFP battery pack due later this year and R2 models starting at $40,000 to be unveiled next year, and you’ve got an entirely different focus.

Coincidentally, ahead of getting my own R1S in 1-8 weeks, Rivian gave me a loaner to help my vacationing extended family get around town…

Rivian’s current high-end situation

Rivian has been turning out its 4-motor high end R1T pickups for two years and over the past year has been ramping up its R1S SUVs to folks who ordered early. These vehicles, I believe, are going to be an increasingly rare premium mix of Rivians going forward as the company pivots to cheaper enduro drivetrains that employ two motors to drive the 4WD systems at almost the same horsepower. Next year, Rivian will unveil its R2 platform which will cost anywhere from $40-60K according to CFO Claire McDonough.

Tricks like tank turns, which would have differentiated the 4-motor Rivians for the 2-motor landscape, have been scrapped because in Rivian’s words, they didn’t conform to Rivian’s mission of leaving the world a better place – by tearing up roads. I haven’t yet driven a 2-motor Rivian, but I don’t think there are a lot of tricks that a 4-motor vehicle can do that a 2-motor can’t. In fact, the 2-motor versions (R1S) seem to get significantly better range on what appears to be the same batteries:

The top end Enduro drivetrain will lose 100 horsepower and 208 ft lbs of torque, but it still be a monster. At 700 horsepower/lb ft torque, it still produces a blistering 3.5 second 0-60 time, putting it on top of the pickup world. As a bonus, those motors are more efficient, yielding a 20-70 mile range improvement. Rivian CFO Claire McDonough put the number at 352 miles for the enduro R1S:

I’ve been driving an R1S within Enduro the last handful of weeks and can say first-hand experience that it’s a phenomenal product, expanded range. We have now have 352 miles of range with our large pack and Enduro drive unit.

My point is that even if the Enduro system was at price parity with the 4-motor system, many people would opt for the improved range over the parlor tricks. I know I’m in that camp. I’m here for the space and the range together with winter driving and the occasional off-road camping trip. “Rally, Drift and Rock Crawl” aren’t part of my vernacular, just like 95% of potential Rivian customers. Oh – and I can probably handle a .5 second slower 3.5 second 0-60.

Luckily, according to Rivian, the Enduro motor vehicles will start shipping in the next week.

Rivian R1S

Demand for its premium R1T pickup trucks is waning

Rivian can now deliver a R1T pickup truck to a new customer within a fortnight. It even had a one-day show up at the factory and get a pickup truck event last week. While there’s no direct off road SUV competition for the R1S, R1T is going to see a lot of lower priced competition in the coming months. Ford’s F-150 Lightning is ramping up, and the soon-to-be-launched Silverado EV and Tesla Cybertruck will be here before we know it.

This quarter is the Rivian R1S quarter

McDonough said that the mix of orders for Rivian favored the R1S SUV over the R1T Pickup 75% to 25%, and the company was going to switch up its manufacturing accordingly. That makes a ton of sense since the R1T waiting period is days and the R1S waiting period pushes out into 2025 currently.

Anecdotally, my Oct-Dec 2023 R1S ordered in 2020 arrived in Brooklyn this weekend via Rivian Shop, and I will likely be picking it up Monday. Others that have late 2023 orders are being given access to the Rivian Shop where they can likely find vehicles similar to theirs awaiting adoption.

Rivian R1S Review

Honestly, I don’t have much to add since my original review about a year ago, in which I called it the best SUV ever made. I stand by that even as competitors loom on the horizon from Kia and VW’s Scout. Also since I bought in early, I’m eligible for the $7500 Fed Tax credit and lower price, so my before Tesla trade-in price, about $66K. The easy sell:

  • 0-60 time of 3.0 seconds. That’s supercar speed, and the fastest vehicle of any kind you can get for under $100K (Tesla Model 3 Performance is a close second at 3.1 sec). Update, my bad: $70K Corvette with Z51 package will do it in 2.9 secs.
  • One of the best off-road production vehicles, if not the best, out there at any price
  • 7 seats, all comfortable and not claustrophobic, cupholders and USB-C ports everywhere
  • Handles like a sports car, 4 motors and independent suspension
  • Tons of storage in frunk and back, yet will fit in most garages
  • Over 300 miles of range and fast ~250kW charging for trips
  • 1.5kW of 110V AC home backup power or power to a worksite or camp
  • Intangibles like built-in flashlight, Bluetooth speaker, air compressor, etc.
  • A pretty good-looking vehicle, even if those oval headlamps haven’t yet grown on you
  • Rivian is a great company that seems to care about the planet, or at least it doesn’t feel gross giving them my money.

It was incredibly easy to haul seven people and luggage around Westchester, New York. We were able to go an hour north to a water slide park in the morning, then come back and drive a few hours to the south to Newark Airport (with luggage) in the afternoon, then back home without a charging stop. Every seat including the two in the back were comfortable and not claustrophobic.

The only slight downside is that Rivian’s maps don’t deal/measure congestion quite as well as Google Maps yet. Things have definitely improved over the past year including its autopilot called Driver+. Rivian recently announced they were removing the internal cameras, so it will likely rely on hands torque-ing the steering wheel which I’m not a fan of. I would like to get a clearer *road map* of Driver+.

The only other complaint I can muster up is the venting being an on-screen menu item rather than just manual vent pointing things.

There’s just an amazing feeling driving around in one of the quickest cars on the road that is also one of the best off roading vehicles that also seats 7 comfortably and also handles well and looks great. It feels like being a man among boys on the road.

Rivian with ABRP and open charging stations can be the anti-Tesla EV

Now just isn’t a time where Rivian can ramp its production, it is also reaching to become a leader in the overall EV space. Its Adventure Charging Network will add important off the beaten path locations to the Tesla NACS network and EA/EVgo/etc options.

With ABRP, Rivian will offer all EV customers a great route planning guide and an easy onramp to adopting a Rivian EV.

Rivian Spaces are awesome and will spur demand

I recently got to attend the opening of the Rivian Space in Manhattan. And although Manhattan is about the least car-friendly place you could imagine in the US, lots of people from around the US and around the world visit every day. Rivian describes the spaces as a place to:

  • Get hands on experience with Rivian vehicles
  • Chat with experts about all things Rivian
  • See our our colors, materials and finishes in person
  • Learn about Rivian’s charging network and products
  • Shop a curated selection from the Gear Shop
  • Come to events and workshops
  • Take a demo drive (sign up ahead of time)

While I biked to the High Line and 14th st. location, Rivian was giving test drives toward the West Side Highway, but as you can imagine, any off roading locations are too far away for a test drive.

The store reminded me of a Burton or Patagonia store with lots of lifestyle pieces. I could see a number of like-minded adventure brands being featured here. Tents, adventure gear, and anything else that would add to the Rivian experience would be welcome.

Along with its original Venice Space, Rivian plans to put these in a number of big cities including flagships in Austin and another in Brooklyn, in addition to the first Canada Space in Vancouver.

Electrek’s Take

Rivian is in transformation. Almost all of the Rivians you see on the road today are 4-motor pickups. That’s about to change. Q3 is going to be about delivering R1Ses and starting the lower priced, higher range 2-motor vehicles.

In a year, the 4-motor variants will be a small piece of Rivian’s sales with the the biggest seller being the 2-motor R1S.

At the same time, with the open Adventure charger network, ownership and stewardship of ABRP, new Rivian Spaces and hopefully doubling sales, Rivian will be an answer to the current Tesla-dominated all EV space.

Midway through writing this story, Rivian contacted me to let me know my R1S is going to be ready in Brooklyn on Monday. I can’t wait.

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July Prime Day 2025 Green Deals: EVs, power stations, tools, appliances, more

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July Prime Day 2025 Green Deals: EVs, power stations, tools, appliances, more

It’s that time of the year once again, with Amazon’s Prime Day officially kicking off with plenty of amazing Green Deals and beyond – with several even continuing from earlier July 4th events. The savings train has officially rolled into the station, and this year we’re getting four days of deals that are dropping prices to some of the lowest of the year, alongside many of our favorite eco-friendly tech brands also offering direct parallel sales too. You’ll find price cuts on EVs, power stations, electric tools, ENERGY STAR-certified appliances, and much more below, curated together in this one-stop shopping hub. Don’t miss your chance to electrify your life at the best prices while they last during this event. We will be regularly updating this hub over the course of the event, so check back later if nothing catches your eye yet.

July Prime Day 2025 Green Deals

EcoFlow power stations

Prime Day Power Station Green Deals

Segway Xyber e-bike

Prime Day EV Green Deals

ECOVACS robot lawn mower

Prime Day Garden and Lawncare Green Deals

aiper smart device

Prime Day Appliance and Device Green Deals

***All prices subject to change at any time…cash in while you can!

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Rivian R1 Quad kick turns into the new EV Halo car brand

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Rivian R1 Quad kick turns into the new EV Halo car brand

Rivian flew us out to Lake Tahoe to show off the crazy capabilities of its new quad-motor powertrain on both its R1T pickup truck and R1S SUV. Rivian’s original R1S and R1T were quad-motor vehicles, but as of the second generation of the R1 platform, only dual and tri-motor variants existed. So why quad? Why now?

First of all, let’s get the specs out of the way. The new Rivian Quad is a beast, all the way from its $120,000 price tag to its over 1,000 horsepower and 1200 lb-ft torque.

  • Prices for R1T start at $115,990 USD / $190,990 CAD and the R1S starts at $121,990 USD / $201,990 CAD – Deliveries begin summer 2025
  • Launch Edition R1T starts at $119,990 USD / $196,990 CAD and Launch Edition R1S starts at $125,990 USD / $207,990 CAD. Rivian is reintroducing Launch Edition for the Gen 2 Quad, celebrating the configuration that first defined our commitment to all-electric performance and adventure.
  • Destination and freight charge is $1,895 USD / $2 ,695 CAD
  • Powertrain: Horsepower: 1,025 hp Torque: 1,198 lb.-ft.
  • Performance 0 – 60 MPH 2 .5 sec R1T, 2 .6 sec R1S, ¼ Mile Time 10.5 sec, VMax 130mph
  • Range: EPA-estimated up to 3 74 miles of range (Up to 400 miles in Conserve mode)
  • Charge Port: NACS (North American Charging Standard)

How does one characterize this massive spec monster in the larger vehicle landscape? Before we try to get our head around that, there is more.

The Rivian R1 Quad brings back tank turn as a new feature: Kick Turn – And it is actually useful.

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From our history books, we know that one of the features that the original R1 Quads touted was the ability to turn in a circle/spin on its axis by having its right side wheels spin one way and its left side wheels spin the other. While the ‘tank turn’ disappointingly never made it to the original production vehicles, Rivian hadn’t let go of the idea.

Kick Turn.

The New R1 Quads bring back the ability to turn/spin on a dime when offroading. However, this isn’t just a parlor trick. It is actually useful when negotiating tight switchbacks.

Here’s what it is like to invoke the “Kick Turn” from inside the vehicle. Unintuitively, you don’t want to turn the steering wheel. Instead, you simultaneously push both steering wheel buttons in the direction you want to turn.

The same maneuver from behind:

I was able to use and master the kick turn pretty quickly after trying it for the first time and it is sooooo fun….and useful. Rivian says that the kick turn should only be done on gravel and loose dirt. But I could see ejecting out of a parallel parking spot with this feature…or doing a U-Turn on a country road.

I imagine the wear on the tires that are already taking a beating from this super heavy vehicle doing 2.5 second 0-60s is massive. Rivian says that the standard tires are guaranteed for 30,000 miles but imagine that loses a few miles every time a kick turn is invoked.

Perhaps most devestating, the original Rivian Quads won’t get the Kick Turn functionality. As an owner who was excited about the tank turn functionality when making my buying decision, I’m not pleased. Rivian says that the controllers for the original Quad Motors aren’t tuned and accurate enough to master the move. I’m ready to sign a petition that Rivian try anyway.

Quad offers four different wheel and tire options:

  • 22” Super Sport
  • 22” Sport Burnished Bronze
  • 20” All-Terrain Dark
  • 20” Dune Satin Graphite All-Terrain

Also, there will be Launch Editions:

Rivian is reintroducing Launch Edition for the Gen 2 Quad, celebrating the configuration that first defined our commitment to all-electric performance and adventure. The new Launch Edition Quad will feature an exclusive “Launch Edition” IP badge and a suite of special features, including:
Two standard colorways:

  • Launch Edition exclusive: the return of Launch Green paint with Black Mountain + Brown
    Ash Wood interior
  • Storm Blue paint with Slate Sky + Walnut Wood interior
    Additional included features:
  • Lifetime Rivian Autonomy Platform+
  • Lifetime Connect+
  • Camp Speaker
  • Gen 2 Key fob

NACS native

One more nice thing about the Rivian R1 Quad is that it is the first Rivians, and one of the first non-Teslas overall, to have the NACS port standard. This allows the vehicle to charge at most Tesla chargers without adapter. The flip side however is that it will need the included CCS adapter to charge at most other network charging stations including Rivian’s own RAN charging network, at least until the networks and Rivian switch their chargers over to NACS. We had success on a V4 Supercharger near Lake Tahoe but obviously weren’t able to test the charging speed or charging curve since the vehicles we were given started at 80%.

One other nice trick is that the Quad has a control panel that allows the driver to make their own drive modes.

RAD Tuner (exclusively on Quad, coming in September): Developed by the Rivian Adventure Department, a team of engineers, software developers and designers who create and test features that push the boundaries of our vehicles.

Rivian drivers will have better control over their vehicle’s dynamic behavior. Through intuitive sliders, you can fine-tune ride handling while creating personalized and savable drive modes.

Start from scratch or build upon presets like “Rally” or “Sport.” There are even preset modes that were born from real-world triumphs:

Desert Rally mode was meticulously engineered during the 2023 Rebelle Rally, a grueling competition where the R1T made history as the first fully-electric vehicle to ever win

Hill Climb mode was honed at the legendary Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, where
in 2024, our R1T conquered the race as the fastest production truck to ever make the
ascent.

Oh and Rivian now lets you record Launch Mode with Launch Cam so those 2.5 second 0-60s where you beat the Ferrari off the line can now be downloaded and shared with friends on social media. The videos include real-time stats like speed and distance overlays. Unfortunately Rivian no longer includes an interior camera to capture passengers’ reactions.

Electrek’s take

At a starting price near $120K and realistically over that with some bells and whistles, the Rivian R1 Quad vehicles aren’t going to have mass appeal. In fact, I don’t think these will even be Rivian’s top sells since the $80,000 Rivian vehicles with dual motors are almost as good (and better on efficiency).

However, Rivian is really trying to build its brand ahead of the R2 launch and this vehicle is as adventurous as it gets, electric or otherwise. Think about it: This is a 7-seat, off roading monster that will beat almost any supercar off the line…and can now spin on a dime.

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Kia reveals the sleek new EV5 for Europe with up to 329 miles range

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Kia reveals the sleek new EV5 for Europe with up to 329 miles range

Kia is entering Europe’s most competitive EV segment with the upgraded EV5. It’s slightly smaller than the Tesla Model Y, but Kia says the EV5 is “a cornerstone” to its growth strategy in Europe.

Kia EV5 lands in Europe

After launching the EV5 in China in November 2023, Kia’s electric SUV quickly became a hit. It’s already leading Kia’s comeback in the world’s largest EV market.

Although Kia has introduced the EV5 in other markets, including Australia and New Zealand, this is the first time it has revealed specs for the upgraded version specifically designed for Europe.

The upgraded EV5 is powered by an 81.4 kWh battery offering up to 329 miles of WLTP range. Unlike the Chinese version, which uses a BYD LFP Blade battery, the European version features a nickel-manganese-cobalt battery pack.

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It will be available in baseline and GT-line models. All EV5 variants can recharge from 10% to 80% in as little as 30 minutes.

Both variants are offered in FWD with up to 215 hp (160 kW) and 218 lb-ft (295 Nm) of torque. Kia’s electric SUV also includes bi-directional charging, including vehicle-to-load (V2L) with up to 3.6 kW of power.

Kia-EV5-Europe
Kia EV5 GT-Line for Europe (Source: Kia)

The exterior remains essentially unchanged from the version sold in China, featuring an upright stance similar to that of the larger EV9.

The European-spec EV5 measures 4,610 mm in length, 1,875 mm in width, and 1,675 mm in height, which is slightly smaller than the Tesla Model Y. It’s closer in size to the Hyundai IONIQ 5.

Kia-EV5-Europe
Kia EV5 baseline trim for Europe (Source: Kia)

Inside, the EV5 “creates a lounge-like environment” with comfort-focused seats that include massage functions, heating, and ventilation.

The interior is centered around Kia’s new ccNC (connect car Navigation Cockpit) infotainment system. The setup includes dual 12.3″ driver clusters and infotainment screens in a panoramic display, plus a 5.3″ climate control display.

Kia-EV5-Europe-interior
Kia EV5 GT-Line interior (EU) (Source: Kia)

Kia will build the upgraded EV5 for Europe in Korea, unlike the Chinese version, which is produced by its joint venture Kia Yueda.

Although prices have yet to be confirmed, the EV5 will sit between the EV3 and EV6 in Kia’s lineup. Given the EV4 starts at £34,695 ($47,700) and the EV6 is priced from £39,235 ($53,200), the EV5 is expected to start at below £40,000 ($55,000) in the UK.

Kia-EV5-Europe-interior
Kia EV5 GT-Line interior (EU) (Source: Kia)

Sjoerd Knipping, Kia Europe’s COO, said that “The EV5 is a cornerstone of Kia’s European growth strategy.” He added that the electric SUV is “tailored to the way Europeans live, work, and drive.”

Kia has already confirmed the EV5 will be sold in other global markets, including Canada. However, it will not arrive in the US.

The company said it will launch the EV5 “exclusively for the Canadian market” in North America. It will be available with FWD and AWD powertrains, as well as two battery sizes: 60.3 kWh and 81.4 kWh, offering a range of up to 310 miles (500 km).

What do you think of Kia’s new electric SUV? Would you buy one over the Tesla Model Y or the Hyundai IONIQ 5? Let us know in the comments.

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