Rivian R1T Struggles on the Dyno, Can’t Do a Clean Pull

A video clip shows the electric pickup bucking around on the dyno as its computers seemingly wig out.
rivian r1t dyno
via YouTube

We know Rivian’s top-shelf R1T is wicked quick—we drove it ourselves toward the end of last year. The new automaker claims output figures of 835 horsepower and 908 pound-feet of torque, which is a lot more than the Ford F-150 Lightning and within shouting distance of the GMC Hummer EV. However, people are having a tough time verifying this independently, as one recently posted dyno video shows.

The clip was uploaded to YouTube by a frequent dyno tester named Aaron O’Neil. You can see the Rivian R1T make a brief attempt, though it starts and stops a few times during its 14-second run. It sort of hesitates, with the wheels seemingly slowing down a bit, and then surges again as the front end lifts. It seems as though there are some software gremlins preventing it from going all-out.

O’Neil claims power was unavoidably cut during the test and that the Rivian lacks both a dyno mode and a way to defeat its collision control. Its safety systems are the likely culprit as they surely didn’t appreciate the Rivian accelerating at full-throttle, while stationary, with walls and objects close by. Nevertheless, it was impossible to get a clean dyno run.

O’Neil’s dyno-tested power figures were 526 horsepower and 563 pound-feet—far below the factory’s claims. Rivian has no need to fudge these numbers, of course; it may be struggling with production but no one’s accused them of falsifying key details like that.

Early Tesla models used to run into similar issues before the EV maker released a dyno mode. It’s possible that Rivian could deliver the same thing here, but fortunately, there have been plenty of real-world tests to display just how rapid the pickup really is. Needless to say, these battery-powered trucks are the real deal.

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Nico DeMattia

Staff Writer

Nico DeMattia is a staff writer at The Drive. He started writing about cars on his own blog to express his opinions when no one else would publish them back in 2015, and eventually turned it into a full-time career.