Here we have some new videos about the pre-production Rivian R1S vehicles seen in the public ahead of production launch expected this month.

The first one above is a camouflaged prototype, spotted in Irvine, California (on December 11). It's a different car than the one spotted in San Diego. Both had manufacturer plates.

According to the video, the test driver said that Rivian has about 40 pre-production R1S performing various tests.

The second video below is also interesting, as it shows a R1S without camouflage on a highway. This vehicle has also a different, quite cool looking wheel design. It appears that those are 20" All-Terrain Bright wheels (an $1,800 option, compared to standard 21" Road wheels).

The production of the R1S is expected to start this month with a symbolic goal of 25 units out of which some 15 would be delivered.

The first version will have an EPA range of 316 miles (508 km), which is really high considering the size of the three-row SUV for seven people. The quad motor, all-wheel-drive powertrain is shared with the Rivian R1T pickup, which is already ramping-up and receiving very good reviews, although the limited availability did not yet allow us to conduct extensive testing yet.

Gallery: Rivian R1S

Rivian R1S specs:

  • Range:
    EPA: 316 miles (508 km)

    250+ mile (402+ km) affordable version to follow
  • undisclosed battery capacity - around 135 kWh
    2170-type cylindrical cells (7,776), supplied by Samsung SDI
  • 0-60 mph (96.5 km/h) in 3.0 seconds
  • quad motor, all-wheel drive
  • on-board charger: 11.5 kW (AC Level 2); up to 25 miles of range per hour of charge
  • DC fast charging: up to 140 miles of range in 20 minutes
  • wading depth: 3+ ft (more than 0.91 m)
  • towing capacity: up to 7,700 lbs (3,493 kg)
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