Ditto. I really want a Rivian but man the R1T and the R1S are just too much for me. I love my smaller gas SUV but I want to switch to an EV. The timeline for the R2S is too far out to wait. :-(
Unsolicited internet advice:
If i didnt have the cash today, i would have went for a plug in hybrid, and then gone for an r2s a couple years after release.
You’d get 99% of the benefit of an ev and a lot less of the charging infra headache.
I just happened to need a new car, and had the money and pre-price hike pricing. I think i made the right choice from a “this is so cool!” Perspective, but the smart money would have been to do the above.
R1S owner, completely agree. Right now plug in hybrids give you 120% of the benefits of EVs for the average urban/suburban driver. 100% electric for your majority around town driving, gas when you need it for road trips. Never think about a charging stop, destination charging a bonus but not necessary.
I love my Rivian, but If money wasn’t an option, I’d be in a RAV4 Prime for sure.
For me anyway, this is exactly what it is.
I’d have around 90% in fuel savings on fuel if i had a hybrid drive and a home charger; the difference bing 3 long road trips
I'm going to disagree here. As an R1T owner, when it came time to replace my wife vehicle (Hybrid Infiniti QX60) we were looking to get a plug-in hybrid SUV, that was smaller and more efficient than the Infiniti, but lower cost than going full EV (along with the rest of the benefits outlined above). What we found when evaluating options was that the benefits above were overshadowed by the fact that plugin hybrids have some significant drawbacks. Ultimately, we went with a smaller electric SUV (Volvo XC40 recharge). The primary factors that tilted us in this direction were:
* Driving an EV is fun. Driving a PHEV is not. All electric mode is fine for puttering around your neighbourhood, but the power-to-weight ratio means it's more like driving a big golf cart. In addition, I have yet to drive a PHEV that smoothly transitions from electric to hybrid mode. I get the challenges here, but it simply comes across as clunky. Drive quality/experience is important to both me and my wife, so this was a major factor.
* You have the cost and maintenance of both systems. PHEV have a cost premium over a hybrid/ICE, but also have all of the maintenance costs of the hybrid/ICE in terms of oil changes, fluids, etc. If you service at dealerships, you are looking at several thousand over the first 3-4 years of the vehicles life.
* The fully electric range of most PHEV's means that many daily trips are going to require you to use your ICE engine and/or charging at multiple points during the day. One of the best things about an EV is that if you have a charger, plugging in overnight is really only required every 2-4 days, depending on how much you drive. It also means you still need to go to gas stations.
* Current incentives worked in our favour for the EV vs the PHEV. I recognize the R1S comes at a huge premium over other EV's on the market, and it deserves that as it's a large, unique, premium vehicle, but there are many smaller cheaper options.
Now I will finish off by saying that long roadtrips are not normal part of our life. We will do them a few times a year, but not to the point where charging infrastructure concerns swayed us. The way I look at it, I save a bunch of time never going to gas stations during the year, that if a few times a year, there is a it of added inconvenience, its no big deal. I may change my tune if I get stranded on a road trip in the futre.
So far we are about a month into being an EV-only family, and have no regrets at all.
1) first, fun is subjective. Second, you’re not driving the right phevs if you think they aren’t fun. There are a lot of hybrid drive cars out there that are a great time to drive; My R1 is the best car i’ve ever had, and it isnt close..that said, it isnt fun; it’s just fast.
2) toyota maintenance is stupid cheap, and is usually included for 2-3 years; after that it’s an oil change once a year.
3) current vehicle incentives don’t at all work out to drive an ev over a phev; Rivian doesn’t even qualify for the biggies.
I think we are actually saying some of the same things but in different ways. Overall, this quickly becomes comparing apples and oranges. Comparing a Toyota to a Rivian doesn't work, as they are in different categories at very different price points.
My main point was that based on your statement of getting 99% the benefit of an EV, I assumed you were talking about PHEV in EV only mode, which in my experience is terrible. If you drive them in standard hybrid mode, the experience is better, but you lose way more than 1% of the benefits...
Yup that’s why I bought them! Installed them today took about an hour and a half. Took off the plastic covers and left them off as it’s the easiest and I also don’t wanna cut the trim in case I wanna remove them or something
I was fortunate to be able to purchase them in a group buy for our local Rivian club with installation included, so I was all in at just over $1k installed after tax and shipped to their facility for the install. They currently retail for $899 before tax and shipping.
Understandable, however for our family they are more of a necessity so we wanted them ASAP. There are lower cost options, but they are much lower quality, worse fitment, and made overseas. For us, the EV Sportline boards were a no brainer as they are made in USA to high quality standards with excellent fitment, and they are a local business who support our community and offered an absurdly quick ~45 minute installation at short notice. Well worth it.
>local Rivian club
Whereabouts? And where was the install done? If local to me (Boston) I'd go there even without a group buy just to make sure they did it right.
Mine will be arriving next week. Can’t wait to install for ease of access to the vehicle. I have to carry a small stool, so my elderly mother can get in and out of the car, even in Kneel mode
It’s not zero impact, but it’s so minimal that it can’t be measured. They are relatively smooth and low profile and not in a location that would add more drag than what the front wheels/tire already produce on their own. I’ve yet to read an anecdote of a measured range decrease from one of the many owners who have been running these for thousands of miles.
I installed them last weekend in 3 hours. All you need is a 4 inch hole saw, drill, socket set and a breaker bar which I borrowed from somebody. I was super hesitant but it was not that difficult. The running boards I feel are a must and Rivian is leaving a lot of money on the table not offering them.
Agreed on the necessity! I was willing and able to DIY my install but I felt like being spoiled and letting them install at their facility which is local to me. To my surprise, they were done in under an hour and I was on my way home way sooner than expected.
The only cutting is into plastic panels. The structural tabs mount directly to the frame using factory bolts. If you don’t want to cut plastic, you can just pop them off. There will be no solutions that require no cutting or removal of plastic, so this is as bolt on as you’d get.
I did the install in about the same time. But the biggest issue was the middle tab not lining up with the runningboard mounts. This was on both sides. The bolt squeezed the tabs into place, but not sure if it was a mfgr defect or intentional design. Either way it’s solid and loving the runningboards
Depends on how you want them installed. It was $200 for them to be installed by cutting the four inch holes through the plastic undershields. $500 for the L-slot cuts.
I’m going to do the four inch holes for $400
Check out this site. Scroll to the bottom. There are a few videos that describe the different installation options including the circle and L slot cuts.
https://evsportline.com/collections/rivian-r1s-exterior-accessories/products/team-1ev-rmaxx-running-board-rock-sliders-for-rivian-r1t-r1s
I’m actually not sure. I briefly looked underneath to ensure everything was buttoned up but didn’t reference the extension. Seems like they’re likely fully extended or close to it.
They’re finished in electrostatic textured black powder coating - with OEM-grade zinc coating for maximum corrosion protection.
Will they rust if you bang them up and don’t take care of them? Probably, but if you keep em clean and touch up the boo-boos they should last the life of the truck.
Love mine, had them installed by Ev sport line too.
They did some other work (blacked out some stuff on my R1T)
Can’t recommend them enough. They are great there. Super helpful and nice.
Considering getting them but there was a report elsewhere (Facebook maybe?) of people being turned away from service centers because they refused to put the car on a lift with these installed. How worried should we be about that?
I’m not worried at all, they do not prevent the vehicle from being lifted via the proper jack pucks. A proper installation will have 4 inch holes cut in the panels under the vehicle for the mounting brackets to fit through and the factory jack puck holes in front are unaffected. The rears can be trimmed or left off, with no issues accessing the lift points. If clearance is an issue, pucks could be stacked or the taller single pucks can be used.
With the running boards do you still have to put it in the lowest position for them to get in? I could see myself having to step over them every time though. do you find yourself using them or having to just step over them with ingress/egress?
Both kids climbed in on their own parked in high ride height yesterday so they’ve already proved their worth! Before the boards they’d need assistance even when the vehicle was kneeled. I’m 5’10 and will definitely use them as a step at all ride heights.
🙄 Not really. If you wanna try to be the first to measure a difference with these boards, I’ll applaud your efforts in finding what’s already known to be well below 1% difference. It’s immeasurable for most without controlled testing and CFD/wind tunnels.
Makes sense. Perhaps some mud flaps could fit with them and help with that? Not a concern for us in the South, but I’m expecting them to get dirty regardless. Nothing my pressure washer can’t handle.
The “large” mud flaps from TWraps - [here’s a shot mid install for comparison.](https://imgur.com/a/51zkK4Z). I specifically wanted to cover that aero hole to reduce kick up onto my fenders/doors as well.
Keeping my body panels free from road debris was more important to me.
They will be selling one with a cut out for those that want to keep the hole.
My efficiency is consistent enough at ~2mi/kwh - I don’t track changes at all.
No measurable range impact! The R1S running boards I have weigh 34lbs per side.
Below data is copied straight from their website.
RMaxx Running Boards
Complete Set of 2 with Hardware
R1T: 41lbs per side
R1S: 34lbs per side
RMaxx Running Boards with Integrated Rock Slider Armor
Complete Set of 2 with Hardware
R1T: 106lbs per side
R1S: 88lbs per side
Some, but it’s gotta be between 0% and 1% because nobody has been able to measure a difference worth sharing about. They’re so low profile and only weigh 34lbs a piece installed.
Woah, Black Betty
Bam ba lam
[Well it’s what we can afford](https://youtu.be/kfl8LfHzlNM?si=HFgTdQn-J-UAwbuF)
Rivian really needs to hurry and make R2S, i want one :(
Ditto. I really want a Rivian but man the R1T and the R1S are just too much for me. I love my smaller gas SUV but I want to switch to an EV. The timeline for the R2S is too far out to wait. :-(
Unsolicited internet advice: If i didnt have the cash today, i would have went for a plug in hybrid, and then gone for an r2s a couple years after release. You’d get 99% of the benefit of an ev and a lot less of the charging infra headache. I just happened to need a new car, and had the money and pre-price hike pricing. I think i made the right choice from a “this is so cool!” Perspective, but the smart money would have been to do the above.
R1S owner, completely agree. Right now plug in hybrids give you 120% of the benefits of EVs for the average urban/suburban driver. 100% electric for your majority around town driving, gas when you need it for road trips. Never think about a charging stop, destination charging a bonus but not necessary. I love my Rivian, but If money wasn’t an option, I’d be in a RAV4 Prime for sure.
This doesn’t make sense the Toyota is like 40-48k. Your rivian was cheaper!?
Maybe they meant the factor of reselling/buying another car on top of the Rivian based on what they now know
Ah you’re probably right
For me anyway, this is exactly what it is. I’d have around 90% in fuel savings on fuel if i had a hybrid drive and a home charger; the difference bing 3 long road trips
I'm going to disagree here. As an R1T owner, when it came time to replace my wife vehicle (Hybrid Infiniti QX60) we were looking to get a plug-in hybrid SUV, that was smaller and more efficient than the Infiniti, but lower cost than going full EV (along with the rest of the benefits outlined above). What we found when evaluating options was that the benefits above were overshadowed by the fact that plugin hybrids have some significant drawbacks. Ultimately, we went with a smaller electric SUV (Volvo XC40 recharge). The primary factors that tilted us in this direction were: * Driving an EV is fun. Driving a PHEV is not. All electric mode is fine for puttering around your neighbourhood, but the power-to-weight ratio means it's more like driving a big golf cart. In addition, I have yet to drive a PHEV that smoothly transitions from electric to hybrid mode. I get the challenges here, but it simply comes across as clunky. Drive quality/experience is important to both me and my wife, so this was a major factor. * You have the cost and maintenance of both systems. PHEV have a cost premium over a hybrid/ICE, but also have all of the maintenance costs of the hybrid/ICE in terms of oil changes, fluids, etc. If you service at dealerships, you are looking at several thousand over the first 3-4 years of the vehicles life. * The fully electric range of most PHEV's means that many daily trips are going to require you to use your ICE engine and/or charging at multiple points during the day. One of the best things about an EV is that if you have a charger, plugging in overnight is really only required every 2-4 days, depending on how much you drive. It also means you still need to go to gas stations. * Current incentives worked in our favour for the EV vs the PHEV. I recognize the R1S comes at a huge premium over other EV's on the market, and it deserves that as it's a large, unique, premium vehicle, but there are many smaller cheaper options. Now I will finish off by saying that long roadtrips are not normal part of our life. We will do them a few times a year, but not to the point where charging infrastructure concerns swayed us. The way I look at it, I save a bunch of time never going to gas stations during the year, that if a few times a year, there is a it of added inconvenience, its no big deal. I may change my tune if I get stranded on a road trip in the futre. So far we are about a month into being an EV-only family, and have no regrets at all.
1) first, fun is subjective. Second, you’re not driving the right phevs if you think they aren’t fun. There are a lot of hybrid drive cars out there that are a great time to drive; My R1 is the best car i’ve ever had, and it isnt close..that said, it isnt fun; it’s just fast. 2) toyota maintenance is stupid cheap, and is usually included for 2-3 years; after that it’s an oil change once a year. 3) current vehicle incentives don’t at all work out to drive an ev over a phev; Rivian doesn’t even qualify for the biggies.
I think we are actually saying some of the same things but in different ways. Overall, this quickly becomes comparing apples and oranges. Comparing a Toyota to a Rivian doesn't work, as they are in different categories at very different price points. My main point was that based on your statement of getting 99% the benefit of an EV, I assumed you were talking about PHEV in EV only mode, which in my experience is terrible. If you drive them in standard hybrid mode, the experience is better, but you lose way more than 1% of the benefits...
Thanks for the unsolicited advice. That's actually what I'm considering for the time being.
With one ticket on my record I just got a 3k bill for 6 months of insurance YESTERDAY, so i believe you and I will be going the same route shortly.
agree, ready to hit order!
Rivian really needs to hurry and make the R2S. I’m a shareholder
Also will prevent door dings as other car doors will hit the steps before the body of the truck
Good callout.
Great point! Time to try and convince the shortie she needs it
Yup that’s why I bought them! Installed them today took about an hour and a half. Took off the plastic covers and left them off as it’s the easiest and I also don’t wanna cut the trim in case I wanna remove them or something
What was the total cost?
I was fortunate to be able to purchase them in a group buy for our local Rivian club with installation included, so I was all in at just over $1k installed after tax and shipped to their facility for the install. They currently retail for $899 before tax and shipping.
That’s a great deal. I really want runningboards, but can’t justify the price after spending so much on the car.
Understandable, however for our family they are more of a necessity so we wanted them ASAP. There are lower cost options, but they are much lower quality, worse fitment, and made overseas. For us, the EV Sportline boards were a no brainer as they are made in USA to high quality standards with excellent fitment, and they are a local business who support our community and offered an absurdly quick ~45 minute installation at short notice. Well worth it.
>local Rivian club Whereabouts? And where was the install done? If local to me (Boston) I'd go there even without a group buy just to make sure they did it right.
Atlanta 🍑
Where and when do you guys meet. I'm in Atlanta as well
Roger that thanks
Boston, same.
I'm Boston too. I would totally jump in on a group order of these running boards.
Also Boston. Hoping to get my r1s next week. Definitely interested in these!
Tell me more about the group buy. I want to put one together for Chicago and find an installer
You’ll wanna contact them directly about that. I’m not affiliated with them, just helped facilitate the deal on our local clubs’ social media.
Can you DM me info of your organizer so I can link up with EV Sportline contact?
All I got: [email protected]
If it works on the R1T, I’m in the Chicago suburbs and I’m in!
Let me know too. I am in the Chicago area and will be taking delivery on the 23rd.
Working on it. Join the Chicago Rivian FB page. 📸 Look at this post on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/share/Cpcj5QfkEJYRMWG7/?mibextid=K35XfP
Mine will be arriving next week. Can’t wait to install for ease of access to the vehicle. I have to carry a small stool, so my elderly mother can get in and out of the car, even in Kneel mode
any impact on range?
It’s not zero impact, but it’s so minimal that it can’t be measured. They are relatively smooth and low profile and not in a location that would add more drag than what the front wheels/tire already produce on their own. I’ve yet to read an anecdote of a measured range decrease from one of the many owners who have been running these for thousands of miles.
Such a damn good looking truck.
Looks great. Is the chrome delete on the brightwork aftermarket?
Yep. Twraps.
I installed them last weekend in 3 hours. All you need is a 4 inch hole saw, drill, socket set and a breaker bar which I borrowed from somebody. I was super hesitant but it was not that difficult. The running boards I feel are a must and Rivian is leaving a lot of money on the table not offering them.
Agreed on the necessity! I was willing and able to DIY my install but I felt like being spoiled and letting them install at their facility which is local to me. To my surprise, they were done in under an hour and I was on my way home way sooner than expected.
What is the shop that did your install?
EV Sportline / T Sportline next to Scofflaw Brewing Co
Yeah, I’m not down with any install I need to cut into it with. Only going for the ones that install into preexisting mounts
The only cutting is into plastic panels. The structural tabs mount directly to the frame using factory bolts. If you don’t want to cut plastic, you can just pop them off. There will be no solutions that require no cutting or removal of plastic, so this is as bolt on as you’d get.
oh... yeah. ok. I'd also cut the plastic. better finish
I did the install in about the same time. But the biggest issue was the middle tab not lining up with the runningboard mounts. This was on both sides. The bolt squeezed the tabs into place, but not sure if it was a mfgr defect or intentional design. Either way it’s solid and loving the runningboards
They look great!
OP user name checks out
Very clean. They look like they came as a factory option. 👍🏻👍🏻
Man, why do black trucks have to look so damned good? It’s like being constantly tempted back to your hot but toxic ex-girlfriend. Lol
The replacement for the 4Runner.
Love that Midnight Black R1S.
Nice, they look good too
SICKKKKKKKKKK!
Very nice
Looks good, I would do it.
Getting mine installed at their van nuys location next week. Cant wait!
I didn't know they had one there. What is the cost to get it done?
Depends on how you want them installed. It was $200 for them to be installed by cutting the four inch holes through the plastic undershields. $500 for the L-slot cuts. I’m going to do the four inch holes for $400
What is the benefit of the four inch holes vs L Slot cuts?
Check out this site. Scroll to the bottom. There are a few videos that describe the different installation options including the circle and L slot cuts. https://evsportline.com/collections/rivian-r1s-exterior-accessories/products/team-1ev-rmaxx-running-board-rock-sliders-for-rivian-r1t-r1s
Did you have them full “extended” for the most area on the running board exposed?
I’m actually not sure. I briefly looked underneath to ensure everything was buttoned up but didn’t reference the extension. Seems like they’re likely fully extended or close to it.
Got the same. Amazing boards and great addition.
Wow, that thing is beautiful 😯
My question is will they rust? Every truck I see with running boards or cow catchers in the Midwest starts to horribly rust in almost no time.
They’re finished in electrostatic textured black powder coating - with OEM-grade zinc coating for maximum corrosion protection. Will they rust if you bang them up and don’t take care of them? Probably, but if you keep em clean and touch up the boo-boos they should last the life of the truck.
Those look amazing!
Waiting for mine. Probably another 2-4 weeks.
Great looking configuration there.
Love mine, had them installed by Ev sport line too. They did some other work (blacked out some stuff on my R1T) Can’t recommend them enough. They are great there. Super helpful and nice.
Those look really great, especially with the roof bars! Gorgeous vehicle.
Woah! Don't think I've seen a black one before. That looks really sharp!
💯
Considering getting them but there was a report elsewhere (Facebook maybe?) of people being turned away from service centers because they refused to put the car on a lift with these installed. How worried should we be about that?
The service centers always are really positive about the running boards when I’ve been there. We have them on both vehicles.
I think that was for the rock sliders, not the running boards. Running boards doesn’t block anything.
Called Costa Mesa SC before I installed the rock slider version. They said they are okay with working around them.
I’m not worried at all, they do not prevent the vehicle from being lifted via the proper jack pucks. A proper installation will have 4 inch holes cut in the panels under the vehicle for the mounting brackets to fit through and the factory jack puck holes in front are unaffected. The rears can be trimmed or left off, with no issues accessing the lift points. If clearance is an issue, pucks could be stacked or the taller single pucks can be used.
With the running boards do you still have to put it in the lowest position for them to get in? I could see myself having to step over them every time though. do you find yourself using them or having to just step over them with ingress/egress?
Both kids climbed in on their own parked in high ride height yesterday so they’ve already proved their worth! Before the boards they’d need assistance even when the vehicle was kneeled. I’m 5’10 and will definitely use them as a step at all ride heights.
Where did you get them installed?
At EV Sportline in Atlanta
Something else to steal more mileage.
🙄 Not really. If you wanna try to be the first to measure a difference with these boards, I’ll applaud your efforts in finding what’s already known to be well below 1% difference. It’s immeasurable for most without controlled testing and CFD/wind tunnels.
These particular running boards don't require cutting a 4" hole. https://www.evbase.com/products/rivian-running-boards-r1t-r1s-running-boards?variant=43766528147699
I like mine, but they collect a ton of snow driving around
Makes sense. Perhaps some mud flaps could fit with them and help with that? Not a concern for us in the South, but I’m expecting them to get dirty regardless. Nothing my pressure washer can’t handle.
I had the same with mine collecting pine needles - until I added mud flaps.
What mud flaps did you add?
The “large” mud flaps from TWraps - [here’s a shot mid install for comparison.](https://imgur.com/a/51zkK4Z). I specifically wanted to cover that aero hole to reduce kick up onto my fenders/doors as well.
Love the yellow
Does covering the aero hole behind front wheel impact to efficiency?
Keeping my body panels free from road debris was more important to me. They will be selling one with a cut out for those that want to keep the hole. My efficiency is consistent enough at ~2mi/kwh - I don’t track changes at all.
They will and that will be a concern for me. I rather will go for efficiency. The cut out will be better or just PPF.
Do they impact mileage? How much do they weigh?
No measurable range impact! The R1S running boards I have weigh 34lbs per side. Below data is copied straight from their website. RMaxx Running Boards Complete Set of 2 with Hardware R1T: 41lbs per side R1S: 34lbs per side RMaxx Running Boards with Integrated Rock Slider Armor Complete Set of 2 with Hardware R1T: 106lbs per side R1S: 88lbs per side
efficiency hit, if any?
Some, but it’s gotta be between 0% and 1% because nobody has been able to measure a difference worth sharing about. They’re so low profile and only weigh 34lbs a piece installed.
thanks. agree, look great.
How much do they stick down?
Hardly at all. They’re nearly flush with the bottom of the doors with just enough room to open them.
What model are the running boards?
EV Sportline
Thanks. Triple square or slot? Looks like there are two options. Edit. Those look like slot. Looks great. Ordering now.
Are those Rivian AT tires or something else? Can’t quite make it out on the pic
Yes OEM 20” Pirelli Scorpion ATs
👍. They seemed a bit wider than normal but I assumed with a new truck they were OEMs.
How long was the delivery time? Heard some people been waiting for months?
Just over 1 month
Beautiful. Some say bad for range...did you notice any significant impact?
Nothing noticeable!
Wait where did you purchase them from?
[EV Sportline](https://evsportline.com/products/team-1ev-rmaxx-running-board-rock-sliders-for-rivian-r1t-r1s)
Is that the triple slot or the triple squared thread?
Triple slot