Rivian is working on a mid-cycle refresh for its flagship R1S SUV and R1T pickup, and one of the most significant changes coming to the mid-size EV pair is a standard lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery.
The other significant change that should help with efficiency is the addition of a heat pump. Both were spotted in a leaked certification document posted on the Rivian Owners forum. The 64-page doc also mentions the EPA-estimated range figures for the new battery and wheel combinations.
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New stuff for the R1
The upcoming R2 and R3 EVs previewed by Rivian earlier this year are said to incorporate the latest and greatest tech in the name of efficiency. Now, the R1S and R1T flagships are in for a mid-cycle refresh that will incorporate some of that tech to make them better.
The paper says that the upcoming 2025 Rivian R1S and R1T EVs will be fitted as standard with a dual-motor layout and a 92.5-kilowatt-hour LFP battery pack that has a volume of 505 liters and a weight of 1,602 pounds (727 kilograms). By contrast, the default option for today’s R1S and R1T is a non-LFP unit that packs 105.9 kWh of energy, weighs 1,754 lbs (796 kg) and has a volume of 562 liters.
Rivian also currently offers a Standard+ battery with 121 kWh, a Large Pack with 135 kWh and a Max battery with 149 kWh. None of these versions were mentioned in the document.
The new LFP battery pack is smaller on all counts, so it will be interesting to see how these changes will affect the real-world range of the EVs. Another interesting thing is that with the LFP pack, the most efficient wheels are 22-inchers, while the 20-inch set needs more energy.
The certification doc doesn’t mention what type of tires were fitted to each wheel size, but the 20-inch ones are likely covered in all-terrain rubber, while the bigger ones get a set of street tires. With the new, lighter LFP battery pack and 20-inch wheels, the R1S has a curb weight of 6,532 lbs, while the R1T tips the scales at 6,507 lbs, according to the paper.
The same document includes several range figures for the R1S. With 20-inch wheels, Rivian’s SUV can reportedly cover 380 miles on a single charge in the city and 321 miles on the highway. With 22-inch wheels, the same dual-motor EV can reportedly drive 405 miles in the city and 339 miles on the highway. The 21-inch wheels currently on offer seem to have been eliminated from the 2025 model year lineup.
Today, the base-spec R1S has an estimated combined range of 270 miles on a full charge.
Speaking of charging, the same maximum DC charge rate of 210 kW currently available to Rivian R1S and R1T owners will carry over to 2025 models with the LFP battery. The CCS Combo 1 charging port will also stick around for the facelift, even though Rivian partnered with Tesla to allow owners to use the Supercharger network of DC fast chargers in North America. The initial timeline said that Rivian would adopt the NACS plug on its cars starting in 2025, but this document suggests otherwise.
The leaked paper also revealed the relocation of the air conditioning compressor to improve noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) levels.
The main advantages of an LFP battery pack compared to a nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) battery are a lower manufacturing cost and its ability to accept recharges from 0% to 100% state of charge without worrying about degradation. However, they’re slightly more sensitive to extreme temperature changes and are usually less energy-dense, meaning they can store less energy in the same footprint as an NCM pack.
