Rivian R1T Electric Pickup Towing Test Footage Released

The electric car start-up Rivian has released incredible footage of its R1T electric pickup truck towing a trailer in an insane 47.8 degrees temperature. These electric trucks are still a year away, though Rivian shared prototypes for the "Long Way Up" documentary on Apple TV+ which features Ewan McGregor who is known for playing the role of Obi-Wan-Kenobi in the Star Wars franchise. The testing video happened in Bullhead City last month on the banks of the Colorado River. Rivian described the test as the Davis Dam Grade.

The car was towing a trailer in extreme temperature

"Established by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) as the standard for determining a vehicle's tow rating, the route begins at an elevation of 550 feet near the banks of the Colorado River in Bullhead City (about 90 miles south of Las Vegas and 70 miles downstream from the Hoover Dam), then climbs up through the Black Mountains to more than 3,500 feet in just 11.4 miles before gently tapering off near Golden Valley, Arizona," Rivian revealed. 

Rivian states that the R1T has a towing capacity of 4,989.516 kg and in its test, it executes the test with a 30 feet long trailer of the same weight. The towing happened at a speed of 64 kmph which is impressive considering the outdoor temperature was 47.8 degrees which would have been a huge drain on the EV's powertrain. This speaks volumes about the heat management of the vehicle. Rivian has plans to bring the R1T to the market by June 2021. 

The electric pickup truck can be seen in the Apple TV+ original

Rivian is not the only one with an electric pickup truck showcasing such footage. Recently Ford showed off footage of the F-150 electric pickup prototype. GM has also shown off footage of the Hummer EV electric which was testing its "crab mode". The Rivian R1T can be seen in the Apple TV+ documentary which released on Friday in which Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman ride on electric Harley Davidson bikes followed by their crew in Rivian R1T's from the tip of South America all the way to Los Angeles.