When the Rivian pickup appears, you might be able to charge your pal’s truck with your own.
A recent trick of modern smartphones is wireless charging. An even more recent trick is their ability to turn that wireless tech into a two-way street, allowing one phone to charge up another. If plans from Rivian come to fruition, we’ll be able to do the same with their pickup truck, too.
In a wide ranging interview with The Drive, top brass pontificated about many parts of the company, including that Rivian models will be able to share battery juice like kids share apple juice. Recharging on a peer-to-peer basis is a novel idea, one which does not currently exist in the EV marketplace. Come to think of it, this is not unlike siphoning gas from one rig on the trail to put in another when someone miscalculates how much gasoline they’ve in the tank (or their wonky fuel gauge is lying to them again).
Another tidbit from the interview centers around the rumored so-called accessory packs designed to extend the Rivian’s driving range. These packs could take the form of a tool box or some type of bed insert, giving drivers more peace of mind in terms of range when venturing out into the great unknown. They’d act an awful lot like extra jerry cans of gasoline in the bed of a traditional pickup, really. It’s a great idea.
Plans have been calling for a quad-motor truck, meaning the pickup will have power going to all four wheels. There will be a three different versions, the quickest of which may well likely hit 60 miles per hour in three seconds flat thanks to a total power output of about 750 horsepower. It’ll be good for about 300 miles of range.
Rivian is the current (pun intended) EV darling of the automotive segment, drawing big investments from the likes of Amazon and Ford.