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The first customer dual-motor R1T, with Rivian’s in-house designed Enduro drive unit, rolled off the production line at the company’s factory in Normal, IL, today.

Rivian has been working on its new “Enduro” drive unit for some time now. Currently, Rivian buys motors for its quad-motor powertrains from an external supplier, but the in-house designed Enduro drivetrains should help the company significantly reduce costs.

The drive units started production in February, but most have made their way into Rivian’s EDVs, the electric delivery vans that the company currently makes for Amazon.

Now, the first R1T truck with Enduro drive units destined for customer delivery rolled off the line today.

Rivian shared the news on its Rivian Stories page and posted some photos and videos on Twitter:

Tim Fallon, Rivian’s VP of manufacturing, said of the news:

“I’m unbelievably proud of what all our teams have accomplished. Introducing our Dual-Motor variants is a major milestone in ramping our facility to its full capacity, and they have done a great job working across so many functions to make this happen.”

Now that the first customer-destined R1T has rolled off the line, we can expect deliveries to customers to begin imminently. Rivian says deliveries of dual-motor R1 vehicles will start next month in June, though it hasn’t yet specified which configurations will be delivered first.

The reduced costs of the Enduro drivetrain are reflected in the price of Rivian’s vehicles. The new dual-motor variant costs $8,000 less than the current quad-motor powertrain, bringing the base price of an R1T down to $73k with the “standard” battery pack. Importantly, this puts the base model of the dual-motor R1T under the $80k MSRP cap for the US EV tax credit, which means qualifying vehicles/buyers can get an additional $3,750 back from the government.

So Rivians are still pricey, but the dual-motor variant is significantly more affordable.

This is important because Rivian’s main challenge at the moment is bringing volumes up and costs down. Being able to build its own motors and using fewer of them per vehicle will help simplify supply chains and boost output. And, of course, a cheaper vehicle means access to more customers who can more easily justify the lower price in their budgets.

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Tesla Model 3 Performance is 3 days old and already got a $1k price hike

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Tesla Model 3 Performance is 3 days old and already got a k price hike

Tesla just released the Model 3 Performance on Tuesday, and already Tesla has hiked the price by $1,000.

The Model 3 Performance came out the morning of Tesla’s quarterly earnings report earlier this week, with lots of updates.

Tesla updated the car’s bodywork, seats, steering, brakes, damping, track mode software, and of course the rear drive unit, giving the car 510hp and a 0-60 time of 2.9 seconds.

And, given the fact that it qualifies for the US Federal EV Tax credit, it’s actually cheaper than the lower-spec Long Range Model 3 (which starts at $47,740) after taking the credit into account.

The Model 3 Performance has also garnered rave reviews both from online observers who note its impressive specs and value proposition compared to competing vehicles, and from the few car reviewers who Tesla deigned to allow to review the vehicle ahead of its release.

Perhaps due to the confluence of these factors, Tesla has now decided that its raved-about vehicle might be worth more than it originally decided to sell it for, and has thus raised the price by $1,000.

Now, the Model 3 Performance starts at $53,990, rather than $52,990.

This still makes the performance model ~$1k cheaper to purchase than the Long Range version, assuming you qualify for the tax credit. However, since the tax credit is attainable even on non-qualifying cars via a lease, the lease rates for the RWD ($299/mo) and Long Range AWD ($439/mo) are still significantly cheaper than the Performance AWD model ($566/mo).

Perhaps to balance this price increase, Tesla also reduced the price of some paint and interior options. Now, the solid black exterior paint color is $1,000, down from $1,500, and the black and white interior now costs $1k, rather than $1,500. Other paint options remain the same price as before.

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Hyundai’s new Kona Electric is even cheaper to lease than the gas-powered model at $169/mo

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Hyundai's new Kona Electric is even cheaper to lease than the gas-powered model at 9/mo

The newly designed Hyundai Kona Electric is better in every way, with more range, faster charging, and a bold new style. Hyundai’s new 2024 Kona Electric is even cheaper to lease than the gas-powered model, starting at $169 per month.

Hyundai Kona Electric cheaper to lease than gas model

Hyundai revealed the 2024 Kona Electric at the NY Auto Show last April with a sleek new “EV-derived” design.

You can instantly see the upgrades with a modern style closer to its IONIQ 5 and 6 dedicated EVs. The inside is nearly 6″ longer, with an additional 3″ legroom in the second row. A flat floor design creates more head and shoulder space than the previous model.

Hyundai included its next-gen dual 12.3″ infotainment system with a faster, more intelligent user face. It also comes with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as standard.

The 2024 Kona EV features a slightly bigger battery with faster charging and up to 261 miles range. Starting under $33,000, the 2024 Kona Electric is already one of the most affordable EVs in the US.

Hyundai-Kona-electric-cheaper
2024 Hyundai Kona electric (Source: Hyundai)

2024 Kona EV prices

It’s available in three trims: SE, SEL, and Limited. The base SE model includes a 48.6 kWh battery for up to 200 miles range. The SEL and Limited feature a 64.8 kWh battery, good for up to 261 miles range.


2024 Hyundai Kona electric trim
Starting Price
(not including a $1,335 delivery fee)
SE $32,675
SEL $36,675
Limited $41,045
2024 Hyundai Kona electric starting price by trim

With an up to $7,500 featured cash offer, you can lease the 2024 Hyundai Kona Electric SE for as low as $169 per month.

The deal is for 24 months, with $1,999 due at signing. It also includes the $7,500 EV Lease Bonus for a net capitalized cost of $25,370.

If you’re looking for the higher-range SEL trim, it can be leased for as little as $199 per month. That’s also for 24 months, with $1,579 due at signing. With the EV credit, the net capitalized cost is $29,419.

However, you may have to act fast. Hyundai’s website shows the deal ends in five days on April 30, 2024.

Are you ready to drive off in your new Hyundai Kona Electric at some of the lowest prices yet? We can help you get started. You can use our link to find deals on the 2024 Hyundai Kona Electric near you today.

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Podcast: Tesla earnings, Model 3 Performance, Mercedes-Benz electric G-Class, and more

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Podcast: Tesla earnings, Model 3 Performance, Mercedes-Benz electric G-Class, and more

On the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss all the news coming out of Tesla’s earnings, Model 3 Performance, Mercedes-Benz electric G-Class, and more.

Sponsored by SplitVolt: The Splitvolt Splitter Switch automatically shares power from your existing 240V dryer socket with your Level 2 EV charger. Learn more here.

The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.

As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.

After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:

We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.

Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:

Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET):

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