For the longest time, I ignored these newcomers, mostly skipped their reviews on YT but eventually I checked them out and I was blown by how impressed most car reviewers were by both these vehicles.
BHPian dragracer567 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
There are two EVs from Silicon valley that have been getting rave reviews from the motoring journos namely:
1) Rivian R1T
2) Lucid Air
For the longest time, I ignored these newcomers, mostly skipped their reviews on YT but eventually I checked them out and I was blown by how impressed most car reviewers were by both these vehicles.
This got me thinking, if you are on the market for an EV (assume you live in North America or Europe for the infrastructure), what would actually stop you from buying one of these cars over a Tesla? Offcourse, there is the Tesla supercharger network which other brand don’t enjoy but this affects other traditional car makers as well such as Mercedes, Ford, VW etc. But what else? Would there be a lot of glitches during the initial years? Would the early adopters just be guinea pigs? How would the aftersales be (though EVs don’t need as much service)?
So, assuming you had the money and lived in North America/Europe, would you consider a Lucid or a Rivian over a Tesla? Why/why not?
Some reviews of these cars:
Here’s what GTO had to say on the matter:
Not Lucid as I feel the company still has lots to prove. But I’d certainly consider the R1T. Love what Rivian is doing and all the unique, innovative touches in its trucks. Rivian also has the right partnerships & investors.
Although, in the longer run, unless these newbie brands differentiate, it’s going to be difficult as the entrenched carmakers catch up on EV tech. Look what Ford did with the F150 Lightning; they literally hit it out of the park! The Taycan is a mega effort from Porsche too.
Here’s what BHPian Vid6639 had to say on the matter:
Initially I was under the same impression as you for the Lucid.
All that changed last week after watching that one episode of Jason Cammisa (first link in OP). Just take a look at the video and see the extent of engineering and attention to detail that has gone into the Lucid.
The Lucid packaging, the tech and the thought that has gone into the engineering is next level. That video shows the way the damn thing drives defies physics for a car of that size and weight.
Here’s what BHPian viju had to say on the matter:
Thank you for posting this. If I was in the US, and I could afford the Lucid Air Dream, I would have bought one eyes closed.
When I watched Jason Cammisa’s review of the Lucid Air, I was literally mind-blown. He is one of the rare auto journalists I really respect, and his reviews are at a different level altogether.
I really look forward to the day when I can buy a car like this.
Here’s what BHPian kadanaJ had to say on the matter:
The above 2 mentioned brands in th USA? Sure! It’s a risk, but at least US consumer protection laws have some value.
In India, no way! Anything goes wrong, and if the company is unable/unwilling to support, I’ll be more-or-less out of luck.
Keyword: Silicon valley EV dogfight: Rivian vs Lucid