This Rivian R1T Vs. Tesla Cybertruck Test Proves EPA Range Isn't The Full Story

There's a big gap in these trucks' stated ranges, but the real-world result was a lot tighter.

Tesla Cybertruck Vs Rivian R1T

Photo by: InsideEVs

Mack Hogan

By: Mack Hogan

Nov 26, 2024 at 2:00pm ET

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The second-generation Rivian R1S Dual Max has an EPA range of 420 miles compared to just 325 miles for the Tesla Cybertruck All-Wheel Drive.
On the highway in the cold, though, the difference between the trucks seems to be far, far smaller.
The Rivian eked out just 16 more miles than the Tesla, and both fell way short of their EPA city/highway mixed figures.

Rivian knows customers care about range, which is why the company offers a Max Pack with 420 miles of EPA-rated endurance. But one thing we've learned repeatedly is that EPA figures don't tell the whole story. That's confirmed yet again in an Out Of Spec range test between the second-generation Rivian R1T Dual Max and the Tesla Cybertruck All-Wheel Drive.

The result should be a clobbering. The Tesla's 325-mile range is nearly 100 miles shy of the Rivian's, and the Rivian has roughly 25 more usable kWh's of energy in its pack. Both vehicles were tested at the same time, on the same day, at the same speed on the same highway. Yet the Rivian barely eked out a victory over the Tesla.

Both vehicles struggled significantly due to cold conditions and high winds. Neither got close to its EPA rating. We've noted many times that EPA ratings assume a 55% city, 45% highway mix, so you should expect many vehicles to not hit their EPA figures on a highway-only test. That's extra true in the cold, when EV batteries are less efficient. High winds also push numbers down, as EV motors are so efficient that overcoming wind resistance accounts for a larger proportion of their overall energy expenditure than in a gas vehicle. But still, the numbers here are bad.

The Cybertruck only covered 252 miles, 73 miles short of its EPA range. The Rivian did far, far worse. It covered just 266 miles before going into low-battery limp mode. That's a whopping 154 miles short of its EPA figure. We expect some drop-off on the highway and in the cold, but that's a brutal showing.

It's especially bad because it takes a much bigger hit than the Cybertruck. Despite an EPA difference of 95 miles, Out Of Spec's observed range delta was just 16 miles in identical conditions. Host Kyle Conner speculates that the squarer Rivian could take a larger hit from the wind, but it's hard to explain why a vehicle with a much bigger battery fared only marginally better in range. The Tesla appears to be considerably more efficient in these conditions, delivering 2.1 miles per kWh to the Rivian's 1.89 mi/kWh.

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Perhaps Rivian's heat bumps and battery thermal management system just isn't as effective at dealing with cold weather as the Cybertruck's. It could also be that Tesla is underrating the Cybertruck, though not many tests suggest that. This may just be a good lesson to us all: Range is an extremely variable figure, and two vehicles can react wildly differently to changes in conditions. If you plan to use your vehicle in the cold, or purely on the highway, or in outside-the-norm conditions, you should make sure the vehicle you want is up to the task. Check here for more range tests, and stay warm out there.

Contact the author: Mack.Hogan@insideevs.com.

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