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Amazon, GM in talks to invest in electric pickup truck maker Rivian: sources

reuters.com

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Re: Amazon, GM in talks to invest in electric pickup truck maker Rivian: sources

#51

Post by adrianN »

microcolonel wrote: post #32
bonestamp2 wrote: post #30

This is great, but I also want Amazon to build a high speed rail network across the country. I think they're trying to build their own airline, at least for package logistics but they can't get planes fast enough. They could probably build rail much faster in certain areas and they could use it for people and order logistics.

> They could probably build rail much faster in certain areas and they could use it for people and order logistics. You're not alone in this, but why do you think passenger rail makes any sense in the U.S? As far as I can tell, it makes very little. People's big plans for rail in the U.S. tend to rely on some major change in one or more factors of feasibility, and people justify these plans by calling that or those f…

There are some areas in the US where passenger rail would make sense. For example in the northeast corridor (Boston–Washington). That could get similar treatment to the Tokaido Shinkansen line.

Re: Amazon, GM in talks to invest in electric pickup truck maker Rivian: sources

#52

Post by rhegart »

oakesm9 wrote: post #49

The Fully Charged YouTube channel did a great piece of this car: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMfxJEfb4lw If you're interested in electric cars then it's well worth a subscribe.

Wow great video! I had ZERO idea this company existed and I’m on my 2nd EV...this is awesome

Re: Amazon, GM in talks to invest in electric pickup truck maker Rivian: sources

#53

Post by ForHackernews »

jschwartzi wrote: post #40
Sendotsh wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If it's like lots of other EVs, the batteries go completely across the bottom of the vehicle for a low COG.

Yeah, this is probably why they went this route, and it makes a lot of sense. It's just strange to see it advertised as a design feature. Having it called out like that as if it's something I want in a truck was very jarring, like they didn't really understand what I would be using a truck for.

Yes, some people like you use their pickups for real work. For most American drivers, a pickup truck (or SUV) is just a fashion statement. They drive it around town with (an empty bed) instead of a Honda Civic.

Re: Amazon, GM in talks to invest in electric pickup truck maker Rivian: sources

#54

Post by ianai »

15155 wrote: post #20
yyyymmddhhmmss wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>you need to unload everything in the bed, which will be a huge pain in the ass on the side of the road. Who says that’s even going to be possible? It sounds like a complete design flop to me.

One could always place the spare in the cabin for situations where it will be less accessible. But yeah, major design problem.

That’s a bad idea in itself, but maybe a necessity. It’s a safety hazard to have big or heavy things that can turn into projectiles or blunt forces in a cabin during an accident.

Re: Amazon, GM in talks to invest in electric pickup truck maker Rivian: sources

#56

Post by Shivetya »

Sendotsh wrote: post #38
taneq wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It can't just be bolted underneath or to the back Why not just bolt it underneath and put a cover over it? The cover would weigh less than a couple of kilos and probably improve the vehicle's overall aerodynamics anyway.

If it's like lots of other EVs, the batteries go completely across the bottom of the vehicle for a low COG.

with regards to pickup trucks most spares are located behind the rear axle and current BEVs usually only have the battery pan between the axles.

So I put it down to a packaging issue. They had two choices and under the bed solution provided the extra benefit of being able to use that space for other purposes. Many newer vehicles do not carry spare tires and this trend has been accelerating as tire technology has improved greatly and road side assistance is common that people rarely if ever have to change a tire.

Re: Amazon, GM in talks to invest in electric pickup truck maker Rivian: sources

#57

Post by oakesm9 »

rhegart wrote: post #52
oakesm9 wrote: post #49

The Fully Charged YouTube channel did a great piece of this car: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMfxJEfb4lw If you're interested in electric cars then it's well worth a subscribe.

Wow great video! I had ZERO idea this company existed and I’m on my 2nd EV...this is awesome

The YouTube channel is even better if you're a Red Dwarf fan. Robert is amazing!

Re: Amazon, GM in talks to invest in electric pickup truck maker Rivian: sources

#58

Post by dankube »

mlacks wrote: post #2

Why do auto makers seem to be so against working with Tesla to bring electric vehicles to market? Now that I think about it, it seems like most car companies are trying to do the electric thing on their own, and if they do ask for help it’s from somebody that’s sort of out of their industry and not a direct competitor (yet). This is in contrast with for example how Mazda is working with Toyota on hybrid drive, and ho…

Mazda and GM (and Nissan, and probably a few others) work with Toyota on hybrid drive because of the wonderful CVT Toyota designed. It's really light years ahead of what the competition had at the time. Everybody has licensed it because it's patented, and demonstrably better than alternatives.

Re: Amazon, GM in talks to invest in electric pickup truck maker Rivian: sources

#59

Post by decasteve »

jschwartzi wrote: post #10

The only thing I really take issue with on this truck is that the spare tire is accessed through the top of the bed. There are two reasons you don't want to do this in a truck: 1.) The bed needs to be very strong because people routinely put weight on dunnage in the bed, and the door doesn't appear to be corrugated to withstand load. 2.) If you want to change your flat tire you need to unload everything in the bed, w…

I agree. But the R1S is exactly the electric vehicle Tata-Jaguar-Land-Rover should have built. If somebody said this was the new Range Rover Classic it would be exactly what I’d expect. Elevate the roof at the rear end and change the window styling for the 3rd row of seats and it would be a new Discovery.

Put the spare tire on the hood, extend the wheelbase, and call it a Defender.

Re: Amazon, GM in talks to invest in electric pickup truck maker Rivian: sources

#60

Post by dsfyu404ed »

kwhitefoot wrote: post #42
greglindahl wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was fun watching car spares shift to mini-spares, and now many high-end cars don't have a spare.

In over forty years of driving I have had only one flat that wasn't just a slow leak. And the weather was so bad that I chose to slowly drive home, about fifteen miles, on the flat rather than change the wheel. The next day I drove another couple of miles to a tyre supply company and just had the tyre replaced. Not sure if I would be so quick to do it in a modern car with alloy wheels and an even mass distribution bu…

How many flats you get depends on where you drive more than anything. If you're only ever driving on well maintained roads that are free of debris then you will almost never get flats. Also just because a leak is slow doesn't mean you don't need the spare. If you had needed to be somewhere the following day (e.g. work) you would have put on the spare.
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