Not all good ideas are good ideas. Case in point: Remember that sweet video from 2019 of a Rivian RT1 truck spinning in a perfect circle use something called “Rotate the tank?” Well, it won’t come a Rivian products near you anytime soon.
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe broke the hearts of EV truck buyers in one Instagram Q&A when he revealed that the feature was removed because it was too destructive to the trails and nature areas the company had dedicated to protecting.
Tank rotation refers to the RT1 or RS1 rotating like a corkscrew in its own range. The action of an 8,500-pound truck capable of reaching 60 mph from a stop in just three seconds seems to tear the ground a bit. Who knows! Even in the promotional video, you can say that manipulation will be a problem:
The rotation will chew the ground, and that’s not good for off-road trails where owners might try this little trick. EQUAL Road & Track pointed out, it wasn’t the company’s only concern about maneuvering:
add shared concerns with Motorcycle Trends in 2021 about how difficult turns can be for customers when turning at high speeds, and this feature doesn’t appear to be coming to the R1S or R1T anytime soon.
While “Turn the Tank” itself is clearly working (and at surprisingly high speeds) in the video, the clip also gives a pretty good idea of how much damage a 7000 lb truck can do. can be caused to the trail as it rotates in place. As the overhead camera angle shows, the R1T really becomes a boring device that digs into the dirt below. That could severely damage trails over time by creating new crater-like streaks, which would obviously go against the environmental goals behind an electric truck that can go. everywhere.
Ford is also said to be keeping an eye on turn tank for Ford F-150 Lightning, but hopefully it will come to the same conclusion as Rivian. Rivian has had its ups and downs in recent months. The year didn’t start well with a loss of $1.35 billion in the first quarter and a flurry of anger angry customers through a price increase. However, the luxury EV truck maker expects to hit its target of 50,000 vehicles produced by 2023.
