Rivian R1T gross vehicle weight makes it a “heavy duty” truck at 8.5k lbs

September 26, 2021 by admin 35 Comments

By Maria Merano

Posted on September 26, 2021

The Rivian R1T Owners Manual hints that the all-electric pickup could essentially be considered a heavy-duty truck. Several details in the Rivian R1T Owners Manual hint at this, but the main one would be the all-electric pickup’s Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of 8,532 lbs.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), trucks weighing between 8,501 to 10,000 lbs. are classified as EPA Class 2b. The Rivian R1T could then be considered a three-fourth ton heavy-duty pickup truck based on its GVWR classification. The classification puts the Rivian R1T in the same category as the Ford-250, Chevy 2500, and Ram 2500. For some perspective, Ford calls the Ford-250 its “Super Duty” truck, and it’s made to handle work and loads the F-150 can not.

A comparison between the GVWR of popular pickup trucks and the Rivian R1T is listed below, courtesy of The Fast Lane Truck.

Rivian R1T: GVWR = 8,532 lbs
Toyota Tacoma: GVWR = 5,600 lbs
Ford F-150 Hybrid: GVWR = 7,350 lbs
Nissan Frontier: GVWR = 6,012 lbs
Toyota Tundra Hybrid: GVWR = 7,660 lbs
Nissan Titan XD: GVWR = 8,800 lbs
Chevy Silverado 2500: GVWR = 10,850 lbs

A truck’s GVWR is the most accurate way of knowing how much a truck can carry. The Rivian Owners Manual does not provide a precise payload capacity for the R1T pickup truck. However, it does hypothetically calculate a capacity of 1,400 lbs.

The Rivian R1T’s GVWR hints at how all-electric pickup trucks could change the way people classify trucks and their capabilities. Despite its GVWR classification matching trucks like the Ford-250, the Rivian R1T will most likely be pitted against Ford’s F-150 Lightning and the Tesla Cybertruck.

The Lightning is marketed as a working truck with the commercial model priced at $39,974. Meanwhile, the Cybertruck has been said to make an excellent commercial pickup, and it starts at $39,900 for the Single Motor RWD variant.

Months before its expected September deliveries for its Launch Edition trucks, Rivian has shown the R1T in different situations with its Stories series. Most Rivian Stories show the R1T as a truck made for adventures in different landscapes and varying weather conditions.

Rarely has the Rivian R1T been depicted as a working truck in Stories. However, the Owners Manual hints that the R1T could be used for work and play.

Rivian’s configuration page states that deliveries for its non-Launch Edition R1T vehicles will begin by January 2022. The Rivian R1T Explore Package starts at $67,500. While the Adventure Package with premium interior and added functionality starts at $73,000.

As September nears an end, Rivian R1T Launch Edition deliveries seem to be within sight. The EV automaker has already released the first iteration of its official Rivian App, which contains a multitude of information and hints about the R1T, including the Owners Manual–which was shared by the Rivian Forums.

Read the Rivian R1T’s Owners Manual below!

Rivian R1T Owners Manual by Maria Merano on Scribd

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Rivian R1T gross vehicle weight makes it a “heavy duty” truck at 8.5k lbs