The range updates announced by Rivian last week for the 2023 R1T and R1S EVs have gone official on EPA's website. The new EPA-estimated range rating for the R1T makes it the longest-range electric pickup truck on sale in the US right now.
More specifically, the 2023 Rivian R1T in Quad-Motor configuration with the Large battery pack now offers a maximum EPA-estimated range of 328 miles (527 kilometers). That's a 14-mile (22-kilometer) increase over the 2022 Rivian R1T in the same configuration, which had an EPA-estimated range of 314 miles (505 kilometers).
The revised rating is for the 2023 R1T with 21-inch wheels; the same model equipped with 22-inch wheels gets an EPA-estimated range of 303 miles (487 kilometers), while 20-inch wheels lower the rating to 289 miles (465 kilometers).
The range improvements come after an over-the-air software update that also brought a slight range increase for the 2023 Rivian R1S SUV to 321 miles (516 kilometers) of range, up by 5 miles (8 kilometers). Looking at the EPA website, there are also improvements when it comes to efficiency, with the MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) combined rating now being 73 MPGe, up from 70 MPGe before.
The EPA estimates an annual fuel cost of $950 for the most efficient 2023 R1T, compared to $1,000 for the 2022 model—based on 45% highway, 55% city driving, 15,000 annual miles (24,140 kilometers) and current fuel prices.
Now, it's worth noting that the R1T's driving range is expected to see a more significant increase once Rivian rolls out the Max battery pack, which will only be available with the in-house developed dual-motor AWD powertrain that's expected to arrive in mid-2023.
Rivian recently announced it won't offer the R1T Quad-Motor with the Max battery pack as originally planned. Two days ago, the company informed R1T reservation holders that the Quad-Motor R1T with Max battery pack would not be available beginning in 2023. The automaker advised preorder holders to switch to Quad-Motor R1Ts with Large battery packs if they want to take delivery of their vehicles in early 2023.
The combination of Max battery pack and more efficient dual-motor AWD powertrain should enable Rivian to push the R1T's range beyond 400 miles, which was the initial target for the now axed R1T Quad-Motor with the Max battery.
