The future of offroading?

[iamsuperdan]

So last week, Jeep announced the Gladiator. And that overshadowed this news.

Rivian are producing an all electric truck and SUV, with real offroad capability. 

https://www.overlandbound.com/rivian-will-bring-electric-to-off-road/

 

Yes, I think it's ugly. But the interior is kind of nice. And the specs are pretty impressive. The specs listed make it more capable that any half ton available. Including the Raptor.

 

Interesting...

 

 

[cowboy rich]

I hope it's not the future, but probably is. That thing wouldn't make it 100' where I wheel.

[Richard Bartrop]

Chevy's new IC truck is no beauty either.

I like Bollinger's take on an electric truck.  It's not pretty, but it's not trying to be.

[Ace-Garageguy]

So...where exactly do you charge these things when you're out in the middle of nowhere, and you've drained your battery getting unstuck? Carrying jerrycans works for IC engines, but with a little solar charger, you're gonna be there for days.

[Casey]

48 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

So...where exactly do you charge these things when you're out in the middle of nowhere, and you've drained your battery getting unstuck? Carrying jerrycans works for IC engines, but with a little solar charger, you're gonna be there for days.

Well, it's pretty clear by the limited tire clearance this isn't meant for grown-over logging roads out in the sticks. It has the capability to go off-road, but it also has limits, including its range. Maybe Dan's post title was tongue-in-cheek, but this is not intended to be a serious off-road vehicle as we traditionally think of such a thing. Heck, most 1/2 tone 4x4 pickups sold new now aren't, either. They are capable of going off road and not getting stuck or destroyed in short order, but they aren't designed to ford deep rivers nor take on the Rubicon Trail.

This truck seems well tuned to what the average crew cab truck buyer wants and realistically needs-- four doors, higher seating position, small bed for weekend handyman duty, and all the cupholders/USB ports for the electronics. Notice there is no oversized lift/excessive tire clearance, no grille/brush guard with multiple crossbars and LED light bars, no faux hood bulges nor vents, and no excessively tall grilles. The skateboard style platform keeps the center of gravity very low, too, but only a fool would take this anywhere the risk of high-centering the truck is high.

[mikemodeler]

Don't forget we are moving towards autonomous vehicles, so offroading in these newer vehicles might not even be an option. 

Personally, I haven't seen much lately that gets me excited about wanting to buy a new truck. If Chevrolet sticks with the 2020 MY design it revealed yesterday, I know a lot of people who will either buy a 2019 or skip a Chevy altogether.

Off roading in a new pickup truck, considering the cost, seems like a foolish thing to do. Buy a decent truck from the 80's and outfit it with a modern engine and beefier suspension pieces and you have a more capable vehicle for a lot less money.

[Aaronw]

They should team up with Yeti, that front storage space would make a great ice chest.

[espo]

These will end up like so many other such SUV's in the market today. The only off road experience most of these will ever see is if they jump the curb at the Soccer field parking lot or run over a subcompact at the Mall parking lot.  

[NYLIBUD]

Just my opinion,but to me the new trucks are ugly across the board.That is why I own a 2000 Jeep Cherokee.I Have had it for about five years now,and I've had no big problems with it at all.(knock on wood).All u have to do is change the oil,make sure things are maintained and you can drive one of these for over 400,000+ miles.And they are very easy to work on.A friend of mine had a 96 Cherokee that had about 420,000 miles before he took it off the road to use for parts for another Cherokee he just bought.

[misterNNL]

That second one looks like if was built with Legos! Double ugly.

[Dann Tier]

MALL RATED......jeeps rule!!

[stitchdup]

The cab area of the rivian looks really familiar, does anyone know if its sourced from another manufacturer? the second one looks like a knock off defender

[espo]

Some resemblance to the Honda trucklit.      

[Ace-Garageguy]

4 hours ago, Dann Tier said:

MALL RATED...

And endorsed by the Soccer Mom Association of America, Yuppies-R-Us, and Parents of Little Lawyers of Tomorrow.

But unless they have tires with automatically-deploying studs when the first snowflake hits the windshield, or an app that calls a friendly roving technician to come install the chains (for all the can't-do-anything-but-type-and-talk types), there will be just as many of them upside down in ditches here as there are Lexuses and Jeeps and Mercedes, etc. whenever the roads get slick.

Edited December 12, 2018 by Ace-Garageguy

[iamsuperdan]

2 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

 

But unless they have tires with automatically-deploying studs when the first snowflake hits the windshield, or an app that calls a friendly roving technician to come install the chains (for all the can't-do-anything-but-type types), there will be just as many of them upside down in ditches here as there are Lexuses and Jeeps and Mercedes, etc. whenever the roads get slick.

You know it! Living in northern Aberta, you might say that I'm familiar with winter driving. And one thing we can count on is that when the snow flies, there will be more SUVs in the ditch than anything else. People get in their SUVs and assume athat because they have four wheel drive, and ABS, and traction control, and whatever other nonsense they've been sold by the dealer, that they are invincible and impervious to snow and ice. That because they have the latest and greatest, snow and ice is like pavement for them. ANd then they complain to whoever will listen abotu the condition of the roads.

It seems like a simple concept, but driving to the conditions actually works. That, and winter tires. I think winter tires should be mandatory on all vehicles. And that is a huge rant I like to go off on, so I'll elave that for another time.

 

Anyway, electric trucks. I think they're a cool idea, but the tech and the infrastructure aren't there yet.

[Dann Tier]

5 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

And endorsed by the Soccer Mom Association of America, Yuppies-R-Us, and Parents of Little Lawyers of Tomorrow.

But unless they have tires with automatically-deploying studs when the first snowflake hits the windshield, or an app that calls a friendly roving technician to come install the chains (for all the can't-do-anything-but-type-and-talk types), there will be just as many of them upside down in ditches here as there are Lexuses and Jeeps and Mercedes, etc. whenever the roads get slick.

Here, we RARELY see ANY jeeps in the ditches, but as you stated, lots of SUV's, trucks.....mostly truck people, who think that they can still do anything, forgetting I guess, that they are too light in the rear-end, and thus have uneven weight distribution, which doesn't go well with ice, snow, or quick changes in steering, braking, and accelerating. Jeeps rule!!

  I am NOT one of those idiots who thinks I am untouchable in my 4WD. All it does, is gives you BETTER ….not complete control. In fact, even though my jeep is pretty darn tough, that doesn't mean I should hit every pothole I see, or abuse it just because it can take it. I swerve all the horrible spots in the road I can, because to me, having  a vehicle like this, is to be able to handle rough environment when you HAVE to. If its all beat-up from stupid, irresponsible driving, it WILL fail you when you really need it......no matter what you drive.

[Rob Hall]

Having learned to winter drive young in NE Ohio in a Mustang with 4 snow tires and extra weight in the trunk, I learned how to drive in all sorts of winter weather...6 years of that, then 3 years in SE Michigan w/ my first 4x4 (Bronco II), then 12 winters in Colorado (the Bronco II then a Grand Cherokee).    Colorado winters were very different from Ohio and Michigan...more dry snow, less ice and no salt on the roads.  After a decade in dry and dusty Arizona, I'm now starting my 2nd winter back in Ohio with another Jeep.  all wheel drive helps w/ traction, but good tires and driving skills are what you need to be able to get through the winter and stay on the road.  

[High octane]

On 12/6/2018 at 8:00 AM, espo said:

These will end up like so many other such SUV's in the market today. The only off road experience most of these will ever see is if they jump the curb at the Soccer field parking lot or run over a subcompact at the Mall parking lot.  

My thoughts exactly as it seems like a lot of so called "off road" vehicles around here only go off road when they're in their driveway which is off the road.

[TarheelRick]

26 minutes ago, High octane said:

My thoughts exactly as it seems like a lot of so called "off road" vehicles around here only go off road when they're in their driveway which is off the road.

Driving across the backyard to unload a couple bags of playground sand is considered off-roading to many people; and of course you need a lifted, 1-ton, diesel, dually for that.  Now back to this electric truck.  I am sure they have some kind of seal around the electric motors, but one on each wheel and a 36" fording depth just seems to spell disaster.  I have found very few electric motors that work very well when submerged.

[Richard Bartrop]

On 12/11/2018 at 9:15 AM, misterNNL said:

That second one looks like if was built with Legos! Double ugly.

But at least it's a functional looking sort of ugly.

[maxwell48098]

One other thing to keep in mind is that the batteries are HEAVY, so where you go off-roading would be important as well.  When I was working for Chrysler, we had developed several hybrid and all electric vehicles.  The amount of torque from electric motors is unbelievable, so much so that we used torque-limiting software in the control modules.  Disable the software, and you'd smoke the tires on even moderate throttle acceleration, which would get you all sorts of stares when driving an electric mini-van.

[oldcarfan]

It's not bad looking, but a full electric is nothing more than a glorified golf cart. I'm picturing a small accessory trailer with a Home Depot generator on it to power the truck for any kind of extended trip!