The Second Generation Rivian R1T and R1S: A Revolutionary Overhaul

Rivian has undergone a significant overhaul of its electrical systems for the second generation R1T and R1S, adopting a zonal architecture that reduces the network of wire harnesses and modules needed to operate the various systems in the vehicle. This reorganization has eliminated over 1.6 miles of wire, which translates to approximately 44 pounds of copper alone. The result is a more efficient and streamlined electrical system, which should improve overall performance and reliability.

The software overhaul is another key aspect of the second generation R1T and R1S. Rivian has replaced the more realistic graphics used in visual representations of the vehicle with cell-shaded cartoony looks. However, these Graphics are not static – they are real-time 3D Graphics that offer a more immersive experience. As users switch between different Drive modes, they will see subtle animations that move the vehicle through its various environments and settings.

Rivian surprised enthusiasts by taking them to a drag racing strip for a unique test drive experience. The R1S quad motor was used for a short 0-60 MPH test, while the R1T quad motor took part in a full quarter-mile run. The results were impressive: the R1T quad motor reached a top speed of 130 MPH with a time of 11.14 seconds, while the R1S quad motor achieved a similar acceleration but with slightly slower top speed.

The differences in weight and wheelbase account for some variation in acceleration between the truck and SUV configurations, despite the identical powertrains. However, the pickup proved to be consistently quicker than the SUV, with a more visceral launch every time. The second generation R1S may look similar to its predecessor, but Rivian has touched every aspect of this vehicle, from the powertrain to the battery to interior Creature Comforts and tech in the dashboard.

Rivian estimates that between 258 and 420 miles of range can be expected depending on the chassis trim or S, the battery, powertrain, and selected wheel and tire package. The entry-point dual motor standard is expected to be slightly heavier than Rivian's competitors, but still offers impressive performance. The company also supports native CCS ports for DC fast charging and Tesla's pioneering naacs charging via an adapter at fast enough stations.

Rivian has also updated the front and rear light bars with new RGB LED segments that animate when charging and can even be used to indicate which direction to pass on when the hazard lights are activated. The R1's headlamps are also new, featuring digital Matrix projection that can partially dim certain zones to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic – this feature will require a software update later in the year.

Overall, Rivian's second generation R1T and R1S represent a significant improvement over their predecessors, with updated electrical systems, real-time Graphics, and impressive performance capabilities. As Rivian continues to push the boundaries of electric vehicle technology, these new models are sure to be in high demand from enthusiasts and everyday drivers alike.

To learn more about the second generation Rivian R1T and R1S, head over to CNET.com for even more detailed information and reviews.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwe're in the second generation rivan r1t and r1s today and we're getting a little dirty to see just how new it feels oh boy you've heard the phrase death 5000 Cuts well this rivan R1 second generation is the opposite of that a rebirth by over 600 new parts now both the r1t and the r1s see significant changes to their suspension their Wheel and Tire pack packages aimed at increasing performance range and comfort but the r1s that we're in right now sees the biggest changes with even larger changes to its spring rates its damper rates even the bushings all aimed at giving you a more quiet and more comfortable ride even when you're axle Deep in water and bouncing off of rocks here at the dirt fish rally school now in the allterrain mode as I'm going around these really tight switchbacks on the uh off-road handling course it's interesting that I can really feel the way that the all-wheel drive system does a good job of noticing that I'm trying to turn right and then giving me that sort of good squirt of power to the rear end to rotate the vehicle around it is a very uh intuitive and very natural feeling way to get around a corner and it's actually giving me a lot of confidence getting around some very tight turns in this large SUV out here on the off-road course so we're taking a course spin on the rally course trying out the drift mode which actually lets the all-wheel drive Motors uh get a little bit more aggressive at the rear end so that you can kind of hang the tail out just a little bit easier now one of the things that I find interesting about this mode is that moment where the car and your steering inputs sink up perfectly it figures out that you're trying to make a turn you're getting a little bit of under steer and it just scoots the rear end out it's very natural and very easy to predict after you've spit a couple minutes driving this car in loose terrain situations rivan has totally overhauled the r1's electrical systems evolving to what it's calling a zonal architecture a reorganization and reduction of the network of wire harnesses and modules needed to operate the various systems in the vehicle in total this removes over 1.6 M of wire from the EV around 44 lbs of copper alone the second generation r1t and r1s will also receive a software overhaul that replace is the more realistic looking Graphics that we saw for visual representations of the vehicle with this cell shaded cartoony look and these aren't static Graphics these are realtime 3D Graphics that are just still shaded and as you go between the different Drive modes you'll see that you get a little bit of an animation that moves the vehicle through these different environments and setting rivan surprised me the next day with a trip to a sunny and blessedly dry drag racing strip where I was able to test the r1s and r1t quad motor on a prepared surface with the Super Sport summer Tires which had been all warmed up for optimal straight line grip my first run was in the r1t quad motor for a short 0 to 60 MPH test 3 two 1 woo that's 80 and then gently on the right going to do a u-turn at the end just before these orange so you can feel it in the pit of your stomach the it's the similar sensation to Falling you know like uh when you go down a roller coaster and you get that sort of uh like weightlessness feel except for it's in a lateral Direction uh serious acceleration there next I switched to the r1s quad for a full quartermile run we go nice keep going keep going keep going flat out keep going keep going there you go keep going straight all right so what do we got here we got top speed 130 so that's Vmax qu mile 11.14 seconds not bad for something that can haul your family and all of their Gear with you when you go camping 0 to 60 this time 3.22 second 0 to 100 6.76 it's a proper sport sports car numbers there differences in weight and wheel base account for the variation and acceleration between the truck and the SUV despite the identical powertrains but the pickup proved to be consistently the quicker of the two with the more visceral launch every time now the second generation r1s may look a lot like the previous generation you may actually pass one on the road and not even notice if something's new but rivan tells us that they've touched every single aspect of this vehicle from the powertrain to the battery to the interior Creature Comforts to the tech in the dashboard like I said there are over 600 new parts in this vehicle admittedly most of those new parts are hidden beneath the totally unchanged body and Sheet Metal but Gen 2 owners can expect updated electric motors which are mixed and matched for the r1's Dual Tri and quad motor electric configurations ranging from 533 horsepower up to a Bonkers 1,25 horsepower and 1,198 lb feet of torque for the tops speec quad motor setup which claims 0 to 60 in under 2.5 seconds now speaking of range R1 G2 gets new battery Tech with more energy dense cylindrical cells for the large and Max batteries and a new Prismatic Cell lithium iron phosphate pack for the standard setup aimed at keeping cost down for the entry point dual motor standard even though it is a touch heavier rivan estimates between 258 and 420 M of range depending on the chassis t or S the battery the powertrain and the selected wheel and tire package with the best numbers coming when equipped with these new 22-in Arrow Wheels with Eco tire specifically designed for R1 R1 models will continue to feature native CCS ports for DC fast charging B rivan also currently supports the Tesla pioneered naacs charging via an adapter at a fast enough station expect to get from 10 to 80% state of charge in around 30 to 40 minutes depending on the battery you've chosen rivan's also updated the front and rear light bars with new RGB LED segments that animate when charging and can even be used to indicate which direction to pass on when the hazard lights are activated r1's headlamps are also new with digital Matrix projection that can partially dim certain zones to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic though that feature will have to be activated via software update later this year so there you have it The Rebirth of rivian's r1t and r1s for their second generation as you can tell they've improved in pretty much every way that I can measure out here in the dirt in the rain at dirtfish be sure to head over to cnet.com we've got even more detail about both of these electric utility vehicles I'll meet you therewe're in the second generation rivan r1t and r1s today and we're getting a little dirty to see just how new it feels oh boy you've heard the phrase death 5000 Cuts well this rivan R1 second generation is the opposite of that a rebirth by over 600 new parts now both the r1t and the r1s see significant changes to their suspension their Wheel and Tire pack packages aimed at increasing performance range and comfort but the r1s that we're in right now sees the biggest changes with even larger changes to its spring rates its damper rates even the bushings all aimed at giving you a more quiet and more comfortable ride even when you're axle Deep in water and bouncing off of rocks here at the dirt fish rally school now in the allterrain mode as I'm going around these really tight switchbacks on the uh off-road handling course it's interesting that I can really feel the way that the all-wheel drive system does a good job of noticing that I'm trying to turn right and then giving me that sort of good squirt of power to the rear end to rotate the vehicle around it is a very uh intuitive and very natural feeling way to get around a corner and it's actually giving me a lot of confidence getting around some very tight turns in this large SUV out here on the off-road course so we're taking a course spin on the rally course trying out the drift mode which actually lets the all-wheel drive Motors uh get a little bit more aggressive at the rear end so that you can kind of hang the tail out just a little bit easier now one of the things that I find interesting about this mode is that moment where the car and your steering inputs sink up perfectly it figures out that you're trying to make a turn you're getting a little bit of under steer and it just scoots the rear end out it's very natural and very easy to predict after you've spit a couple minutes driving this car in loose terrain situations rivan has totally overhauled the r1's electrical systems evolving to what it's calling a zonal architecture a reorganization and reduction of the network of wire harnesses and modules needed to operate the various systems in the vehicle in total this removes over 1.6 M of wire from the EV around 44 lbs of copper alone the second generation r1t and r1s will also receive a software overhaul that replace is the more realistic looking Graphics that we saw for visual representations of the vehicle with this cell shaded cartoony look and these aren't static Graphics these are realtime 3D Graphics that are just still shaded and as you go between the different Drive modes you'll see that you get a little bit of an animation that moves the vehicle through these different environments and setting rivan surprised me the next day with a trip to a sunny and blessedly dry drag racing strip where I was able to test the r1s and r1t quad motor on a prepared surface with the Super Sport summer Tires which had been all warmed up for optimal straight line grip my first run was in the r1t quad motor for a short 0 to 60 MPH test 3 two 1 woo that's 80 and then gently on the right going to do a u-turn at the end just before these orange so you can feel it in the pit of your stomach the it's the similar sensation to Falling you know like uh when you go down a roller coaster and you get that sort of uh like weightlessness feel except for it's in a lateral Direction uh serious acceleration there next I switched to the r1s quad for a full quartermile run we go nice keep going keep going keep going flat out keep going keep going there you go keep going straight all right so what do we got here we got top speed 130 so that's Vmax qu mile 11.14 seconds not bad for something that can haul your family and all of their Gear with you when you go camping 0 to 60 this time 3.22 second 0 to 100 6.76 it's a proper sport sports car numbers there differences in weight and wheel base account for the variation and acceleration between the truck and the SUV despite the identical powertrains but the pickup proved to be consistently the quicker of the two with the more visceral launch every time now the second generation r1s may look a lot like the previous generation you may actually pass one on the road and not even notice if something's new but rivan tells us that they've touched every single aspect of this vehicle from the powertrain to the battery to the interior Creature Comforts to the tech in the dashboard like I said there are over 600 new parts in this vehicle admittedly most of those new parts are hidden beneath the totally unchanged body and Sheet Metal but Gen 2 owners can expect updated electric motors which are mixed and matched for the r1's Dual Tri and quad motor electric configurations ranging from 533 horsepower up to a Bonkers 1,25 horsepower and 1,198 lb feet of torque for the tops speec quad motor setup which claims 0 to 60 in under 2.5 seconds now speaking of range R1 G2 gets new battery Tech with more energy dense cylindrical cells for the large and Max batteries and a new Prismatic Cell lithium iron phosphate pack for the standard setup aimed at keeping cost down for the entry point dual motor standard even though it is a touch heavier rivan estimates between 258 and 420 M of range depending on the chassis t or S the battery the powertrain and the selected wheel and tire package with the best numbers coming when equipped with these new 22-in Arrow Wheels with Eco tire specifically designed for R1 R1 models will continue to feature native CCS ports for DC fast charging B rivan also currently supports the Tesla pioneered naacs charging via an adapter at a fast enough station expect to get from 10 to 80% state of charge in around 30 to 40 minutes depending on the battery you've chosen rivan's also updated the front and rear light bars with new RGB LED segments that animate when charging and can even be used to indicate which direction to pass on when the hazard lights are activated r1's headlamps are also new with digital Matrix projection that can partially dim certain zones to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic though that feature will have to be activated via software update later this year so there you have it The Rebirth of rivian's r1t and r1s for their second generation as you can tell they've improved in pretty much every way that I can measure out here in the dirt in the rain at dirtfish be sure to head over to cnet.com we've got even more detail about both of these electric utility vehicles I'll meet you there\n"