Ford has invested heavily in Rivian with a $500 million investment earlier this year. In all, Rivian raised about $1.3 billion in its latest round of fundraising with investments by GM and Ford, among others. Rivian has published a video that confirms a feature that many have talked about.
That feature is the Tank Turn that gets its name from the way that military tanks can turn in the length of the vehicle by rotating its treads in different directions. Rivian is touting the feature for its R1T and R1S electric pickup and SUV. The video embedded above shows the Rivian R1T pickup rotating in place.
The video shows the truck doing what amounts to donuts on the dirt in an off-road setting. The Tread Lightly crew might not like the feature that much as it does tear up the trial a lot as the Rivian truck spins quickly. We assume that the maneuver could be pulled off much slower and easier on the environment than we see here.
We also wonder if the feature would work on the pavement for turning around at the end of a dead-end. Being able to completely turn around 180-degrees in the length of the pickup is a nice feature to have. Rumors have circulated that the Skateboard platform that Ford’s significant investment got it access to will be used first for a Lincoln SUV. We would assume if the skateboard platform on the Rivian pickup can perform a Tank Turn, the Lincoln would be able to as well. Rivian is targeting a driving range of 400 miles per charge for its truck and SUV, with the first of the vehicles rolling off the assembly line in late 2020.
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Comment
GM had Silverados with rear wheel turning. It was an expensive option and was cancelled, but those Silverad owners love it. The TV ad was funny at the end, showing a cattle head dropping its jaw and its meal!