Rivian’s Biggest Battery Pack Will Be A Massive 180kWh Unit With 8000 Cells

Rivian has revealed that the range-topping battery pack offered in its R1T pickup and R1S SUV will be the largest automotive battery pack ever.

During a recent tour of the electric car manufacturer’s assembly plant in Normal, Illinois, a writer from Auto News was told that the battery pack contains no less than 7776 individual cells. While this battery pack promises to offer an exceptional range between charges, ensuring the battery pack is reliable could be difficult for a company with as limited experience in building EVs as Rivian, the writer suggests.

Also Read: Rivian Promotes The Adventurous Spirit Of The R1S And R1T In New York

The battery pack in question will be 180 kWh in size and should offer a range exceeding 410 miles (659 km). Such a range figure is extraordinary for any typical of electric vehicle but it is particularly impressive for vehicles as heavy and large as the R1T and R1S. Auto News notes that this battery pack contains liquid cooling but holds some reservations about how this battery can be adequately developed and tested before hitting the market in roughly 17 months as planned.

For what it’s worth, Rivian is also working on a 105 kWh battery pack and a 135 kWh battery pack for its vehicle, both of which are larger than the range-topping 100 kWh used by select Tesla Model S and Tesla Model X variants. Range for the 105 kWh Rivian models should sit at approximately 240 miles (386 km) while the 135 kWh should be good for a range of 310 miles (498 km).

Before Rivian gets anywhere close to bringing the R1T and R1S to the market it must first revamp its Illinois assembly plant which was once run by Mitsubishi. Additionally, the car manufacturer needs to hire and train a comprehensive workforce to build its vehicles.