Enlarge / The R1T handled this boulder-strewn hill with aplomb. (credit: Ian Ward/Rivian)
NORMAL, Ill.—It was a blazing hot August day in central Illinois, but you wouldn't know it once inside Rivian's 4 million-square-foot manufacturing facility. The electric vehicle manufacturer was hosting media members not only to demonstrate how far Rivian has come since buying a former Mitsubishi plant in 2017 but also to launch its new, range-increasing Enduro drive unit that's now available across its entire EV lineup.
As a startup in a crowded and established industry, Rivian has pursued a strategy of vertical integration to keep its costs down. It can be done all in-house, and that's what Rivian has done with its new motor.
Journalists tour Rivan's 4,000,000-square-foot factory in Normal, Illinois. (credit: Ian Ward/Rivian)
The new dual-motor system is part of Rivian's new Enduro drive unit. Enduro is a fully integrated platform, and all its components—gearbox, inverter, and motor—were designed in-house. Rivian has been using Enduro in its single-motor commercial electric vans (the factory floor was dense with electric Amazon delivery vans in various states of assembly, with many more outside awaiting delivery), and it is now building R1T pickup trucks and R1S SUVs with the Enduro platform.
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