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The duo of Rivian’s R1T and R1S created a significant impact as genuinely capable electric vehicles designed for adventure. But they also carried price tags more at home in a Palo Alto driveway than a middle-American cul-de-sac. For all their charm, they were aspirational, not accessible.
That changes with R2. Priced at a reported $45,000, the R2 promises to deliver Rivian’s rugged EV spirit without requiring a six-figure salary. It’s no coincidence this machine is aimed squarely at the Tesla Model Y and Volkswagen ID.4. This is a middleweight fight for dominance in the most important EV segment, vehicles regular people can actually afford.
Reddit Leak Unveils Rivian R2’s Powertrain Options and Impressive Range Estimates
If R2 is Rivian’s attempt to go mainstream, then Reddit has become its unofficial press office. The now-viral leak began not with a formal press release or glossy marketing video, but with a Reddit user named jb_nelson_ doing what Reddit does best, digging, speculating, and connecting dots like a digital-era conspiracy theorist with a spreadsheet addiction.
“While using A Better Routeplanner, ABRP for short, to loosely plan out some trips this summer… I was very surprised to see not only R2 but R3 and R3X options available.”
He wrote on r/RivianR2. That sentence kicked off a community-wide forensic analysis of Rivian’s next electric SUV, and the findings were stunning.
Using ABRP’s backend tools, jb_nelson_ extracted trip data and performance estimates that suggested the R2 will come in three driveline configurations, Single, Dual, and Tri Motor, with two battery pack options for the Single and Dual and a Large Pack-only setup for the Tri. He calculated likely EPA ranges using a regression analysis comparing ABRP data with known R1T and R1S figures:
“R2 Single Motor Standard Pack: 283miles.
R2 Single Motor Large Pack: 386 miles.
R2 Dual Motor Standard Pack: 270 miles.
R2 Dual Motor Large Pack: 375 miles.
R2 Tri Motor Large Pack: 365mi.”
Notably, these numbers jive with Rivian’s own public promise that all motor configurations of the R2 would offer over 300 miles of range. But more impressively, they flirt with Tesla territory. The Model Y Long Range boasts an EPA rating of 330 miles.
What Makes The Rivian R2 a Game Changer
- Starting at approximately $45,000, the Rivian R2 aims to make electric adventure vehicles accessible to a broader audience. CEO RJ Scaringe emphasizes that the R2 maintains Rivian’s commitment to off-road capability and innovative design, featuring elements like fold-flat seats for in-car camping and a rear liftgate window for transporting longer items such as surfboards.
- The R2 is engineered for efficiency without compromising performance. It offers multiple powertrain options, including Single, Dual, and Tri-Motor configurations. The Tri-Motor variant is expected to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under 3 seconds, rivaling high-performance EVs.
- Rivian is focused on sustainable growth and expanding EV accessibility. The company plans to produce the R2 at its Normal, Illinois facility, with future expansion anticipated at a new plant in Georgia, supported by a $6.6 billion loan from the U.S. Department of Energy.
The R2’s leaked figures don’t just match, they surpass, with one variant reportedly offering up to 386 miles. This isn’t just competitive. It’s disruptive.
What gives these leaks real credibility is the way they were derived, not just copied from some throwaway test site or sketchy blog, but calculated. As jb_nelson_ wrote:
“By comparing the R1S and R1T EPA-rated configurations to their counterparts in ABRP… I was able to create a trend line correlating the two ranges with a slightly logarithmic curve with an R2 of 0.98.”
That’s almost a perfect match between known EPA figures and ABRP projections. It’s not official confirmation, but in the world of pre-release EV intel, it’s about as close as you’ll get without a VIN.
Beyond Reddit’s mathletes, the broader r/RivianR2 community is abuzz. One user commented,
“This would be insane to get 375 miles from the R2 and would intrigue me so so much more.”
Another said simply,
“This is great news! R2 Dual Motor Large Pack with 375mi it is!!”
And yet there’s a nervous energy too, a sense that this vehicle must hit the mark. As user Better-Leg-9268 put it:
“The R2 will flop if it doesn’t have competitive range for 2026 and beyond. Close to 400 miles of range will soon be the standard.”
That’s the reality Rivian is living in. After burning billions to bring the R1 series to market and acquiring ABRP to boost their software chops, the R2 isn’t just a new product, it’s a referendum on whether Rivian can scale, deliver, and survive. The stakes are brutal. Fail here, and it’s not just the stock price that takes a hit, it’s the entire Rivian brand.
Rivian R2’s Projected 386-Mile Range Could Set New Standards in EV Market
Reddit’s deep dive even extended to battery capacity. Using ABRP’s range and consumption data, jb_nelson_ estimated pack sizes with alarming specificity: ~74–75kWh for Standard, ~98kWh for Large. That’s right in the ballpark of what would be required to deliver the quoted ranges. Still, some users remain skeptical.
“You’re not going to see that until you go solid-state batteries for this size of skateboard.”
One user argued.
While Reddit was busy building Rivian’s future from source code and speculation, Twitter played the role of chaotic town crier. On March 4th, 2024, a user named Chris Hilbert tweeted screenshots of Rivian’s website source code with specs like 0–60 in 3 seconds and seating for five buried in the HTML.
“These are taken from the Rivian R2 website. Using the web inspector. Numbers are legit, look it up yourself.”
The tweet gained traction before Rivian quietly cleaned up the exposed code.
“The website is fixed. Notified a contact I have with Rivian about it. Nothing to see here now.”
Hilbert added later.
But there was something to see. And thanks to Reddit’s relentless sleuthing, the specs that Rivian may have hoped to keep under wraps are now embedded in the digital consciousness of its most devoted fans. The question now isn’t whether the R2 will be good, it’s whether Rivian can deliver on the expectations their own code helped create.
Are these leaked range figures realistic for the projected price point, and will they truly challenge Tesla’s dominance? What are your thoughts on the leaked Rivian R2 & R3 specifications? Share your opinions and predictions in the comment section below.
Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.
Image source: Rivian Media.
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Source: torquenews.com
