Rivian Overland

[norseman]

 

[Madison5716]

Flat structural underbody. Why doesn't everyone do that? I ran over a tree 2 weeks ago and wacked my muffler, and now it needs to get fixed. Pretty sweet ride in that vid. Nice.

[norseman]

1 hour ago, Madison5716 said:

Flat structural underbody. Why doesn't everyone do that? I ran over a tree 2 weeks ago and wacked my muffler, and now it needs to get fixed. Pretty sweet ride in that vid. Nice.

 

Because it’s an electric vehicle. They use a “skate board” platform. With four electric motors at each wheel.

 

No drive lines, mufflers, transfer cases, differentials hanging down and getting hung up.

 

Sorry to hear about your bad luck.

[Catmandoo]

Norseman is all over the assortment of vehicles. He posted about the Bollinger electric vehicle last year.

The current models in the media that might appear in 2020:

Bollinger

Rivian ( designed for an electric adventure )

Unknown year of appearance:

Tesla truck

Atlis

Amazon has invested 700 million dollars in Rivian and Ford has dumped in 500 million dollars into Rivian. The Rivian test frames on the road are wearing Ford F-150 bodies. Seems to be a plan to beat up on Elon Musk and struggling Tesla.

The Rivian does zero to 60 mph in 3 seconds. That will be handy when you are towing your boat and want a hole-shot to get to the boat ramp. Any one can drive fast on level pavement.  Gradeability is a key factor in off pavement operation. 

The Rivian is nicely pimped out.  The electric induction cook top will wow the crowd but I think you would have an unsatisfactory time trying to make smores. Cooking would be too close to the tent and fabric will pick up odors.

The pass through cargo bay  would be a good holding area to take your pet alligator to the vet. The space under the car top tent can hold a generator and gas can.

The published range is about 400 miles I think ( varies with battery options ).  How will this do in cold weather?

 

And, what about the 'other' power system?

Hydrogen fuel cells are still being developed.

Edited May 25, 2019 by Catmandoo
more text

[BC witness]

Catmandoo, the gradeability of electric power is phenominal. I'm currently (pun intended) driving a Mitsubishi Outlander plug in hybrid, and the power delivery to all four wheels is so controllable, with a motor at both front and rear axles, that a low range transfer case is not needed; in fact no transfer case is needed. Torque is there right from 1 rpm, so it will inch over obstacles with ease, and the regenerative braking is adjustable to a level that is nearly equivalent to using low/low on the downhills. The driveline is definitely off road capable, though the ground clearance and tires are not.

 

The present state of EV batteries has not overcome the effects of cold temps, my system lost about 25% efficiency when it got near freezing this past winter, but it was still more cost effective than operating a gas engine. The big drawbacks with EV are still range, charge time, and charging infrastructure. If you take your Rivian more than 1/2 its range beyond a charge point, you're not getting back home. That's why I chose a hybrid, with its own 2L high efficiency generator built in.

Edited May 25, 2019 by BC witness

[Catmandoo]

^^^

I understand the rpm-torque relationship of electric motors.  The power consumed while climbing in off road conditions can place a high drain on the batteries.

There is another factor that electric vehicle buyers do not 'ant'-icipate. Some types of ants love electric equipment, including vehicles. Electric car forums have sections on bugs. I would guess that in the B.C. climate, ants are not a problem.

Does your vehicle have a battery heater for cold weather?

[NCBFr]

Give me a turbo diesel V8 every day and twice on Sunday before I try to take an  electric truck out in to the woods.

[BC witness]

Catmandoo, no heater for the battery, but there is a cooling system for it. The cabin heater is both electric and engine coolant powered, depending on which system is driving the vehicle at the moment. Owners in much colder parts of Canada than where I live have reported diminished battery capacity in extreme cold, at about the same % as I found last winter.

[gigantor]

For the slider...

 

 

[SWWASAS]

The kitchen stuff in the Rivian looks like it was designed by someone that does not cook.    My camper has a stove mount attached to the side but you really do not want hot grease splattering all over the side of your camper much less all over the canvas tent of the Rivian.    Induction stoves require special and heavy pots and pans and I would worry that if I cook too much I might not make it back to civilization.     There is no more inefficient use of energy than heating something with electricity.    I cannot think of a single charging station in my town of over 22,000.    If you look at the electric vehicles registered in the State of Washington,  most are zipcodes for affluent neighborhoods.   Correspondingly the charging stations are found in yuppy neighborhoods of big cities.    Most electric cars are 2nd or 3rd cars for wealthy people who need to show how green they are to their friends and neighbors.   Some friends drove their Prius home and hours later went outside to find it steaming.   They had forgotten to turn it off because it was operating electric and quiet,   so they went inside with it running, the gas engine started to charge the battery,  and they found it overheated hours later.    

[Huntster]

On 5/24/2019 at 7:26 PM, Madison5716 said:

Flat structural underbody. Why doesn't everyone do that?.........

 

Expense. It also makes for more difficult access for maintenance and repair. But you're right; that's the way to go for true off road use..........unless you just go with extreme ground clearance and skid plates.

 

After many years of home-built Alaskan swamp buggy experience myself as well as with the wider Alaskan hunting community going back to before atv's were invented, I posit that atv's simply can't be beat. That's why government bans their use.