Length-wise, the R1T is 217.1 inches long, putting it square in the range of other trucks we consider to be "mid-size." The bed is 54 inches long, which is exactly four-and-a-half feet. That’s on the short side of the spectrum compared to other mid-size pickups. In fact, it’s only barely longer than the tiny Hyundai Santa Cruz’s bed. That could be an issue for folks needing a full five-foot or six-foot bed, but Rivian makes this compromise to keep the rear overhang small, making the truck better off-road and easier to maneuver in tight spaces. The space between the rear arches measures 50 inches in width, and if you’re able to pack things with the tailgate laid flat, there’s a load-bearing panel that eliminates the gap between the tailgate and truck to make a flat surface. Rivian says its bed is made of compression-molded structural composite to resist corrosion.

You can open the tailgate via the key fob, button on the bed rail, using in-vehicle controls or through the Rivian app. Once in there, you’ll find two LED lights to illuminate the bed in the dark, forged steel tie-downs in each corner, four additional tie-downs on the bed rails (which can be used for cargo crossbars) and two 15-amp 110-volt outlets. There’s also an in-bed air compressor that can fill just about anything you want, including the truck’s tires.

Similar to the Honda Ridgeline, the R1T has an underbed storage compartment. However, it’ll typically hold your full-size spare tire and is weather-proof, dust-proof and can double as a cooler/storage compartment (it’s equipped with a drain plug) if you remove the wheel and tire. Your other covered storage options include a couple factory tonneau covers — one is powered, the other manual. You can control the powered cover via in-vehicle buttons or the Rivian app.

Moving to the truck’s front trunk, Rivian says you’ll find 11 cubic-feet of storage in there. It’s shaped to allow storage of two large coolers. There’s a cargo net available to organize loose items, and a removable compartment on the floor of it makes a spot for the truck’s portable charger. You can open it via the key, an exterior button under the light bar, via in-vehicle controls or (once again) the app. A 12-volt outlet is available in the compartment in case you need to power something in there, too.

You’ll find the gear tunnel storage compartment in the middle. It’s limited in scope, but will fit extra long and skinny items with ease, measuring 65 inches in total length. There’s LED lighting within the compartment, and you’ll also find both a 12-volt and 110-volt outlet. In case you wanted to do some home measuring to know if your use case works, you should also know that it’s 18.1 inches in width and 20.3 inches in height.

The last bit of information Rivian dropped concerns the trailer hitch. Like some others today, Rivian designed it as a “hidden hitch” with a panel that requires removal to gain access to it. Rivian says it did this for aerodynamic reasons — two screws later, and you’ll be looking at the receiver. Towing maxes out at 11,000 pounds.

Additional deep dives like this one are reportedly on the way for other areas of the R1T and R1S, so watch out for more juicy details in the coming months as Rivian prepares for production.

Rivian CEO R.J. Scaringe said his company was waiting on various government agencies to complete their work before beginning Rivian deliveries sometime this month. One of those government divisions has weighed in, the EPA releasing range figures for Rivian's R1T pickup and R1S SUV. The numbers are for the Launch Edition vehicles, both with the mid-sized "Large" 135-kWh battery pack and riding on 21-inch wheels. The R1T was rated at 314 miles of range, drinking 48 kWh of energy per 100 miles, good for 74 mpge (miles per gallon equivalent) city, 66 highway, and 70 combined.

The R1S made it a couple miles further although with slightly less efficiency, rated at 316 miles of range, taking in 49 kWh of energy per 100 miles, good for 73 mpge city, 65 highway, and 69 combined. The difference in slightly increased range and slightly decreased efficiency could be down to vagaries in the respective packs on that particular day. The EPA test is conducted on a dyno, so aerodynamics don't play a part.

The wheel size is also pertinent, Rivian having said the 21-inchers on all-season rubber were designed for the best range. The optional 22-inch wheels were developed to provide "the best on-road handling" at the cost of a 5 to 10% reduction in range. One might anticipate the smaller 20-inch wheels being able to go further, but on the Rivian these will be forged units designed for off-roading and will get heavier, meaty tires that could extract a 10 to 15% range penalty compared to 21-inch wheels and stock tires.

As of January next year, we're told the Rivian pair will be available with the other two battery packs, a small one said to achieve about 230 miles on a charge, and a "Max" pack aiming for more than 400 miles from full to empty.

Ford hasn't mentioned planned pack sizes for its F-150 Lightning, but we know the OEM expects 300 miles of range from its extended-range pack and around 230 miles from a smaller pack. The GMC Hummer EV and its 200-kWh pack are aiming for 350 miles of range. Tesla's bandied a range of 250 to 500 miles or more for the Cybertruck, depending on configuration, but the Cybertruck is so far from production that its design isn't finalized yet. By putting its off-road-worthy trucks on the market, Rivian can now wait to see where the challengers land around its benchmark.

Yep, we drove it. Are you ready for the electric truck revolution?

The 2022 Rivian R1T is the first mass-produced electric truck to hit the U.S. market, but that's hardly the most interesting thing about it. Its electric powertrain notwithstanding, the R1T is unlike any pickup we've ever driven—part truck, part sport sedan, and 100 percent amazing. It's been speculated that pickup buyers are too conservative to embrace electrification, but after our first drive in a pre-production Rivian R1T, both on-road and off-, we think this is the electric truck that will turn them into believers.

Today marks the beginning of the new normal in Normal, Ill., as the first production Rivian R1T electric pickup — meaning the first truck for commercial sale to a customer — rolled off the line at Rivian's factory.

Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe tweeted photos of the truck, done up in namesake Rivian Blue and surrounded by cheering crowds of factory workers and their families.

The accomplishment comes less than three years after Rivian came out of obscurity and burst on the scene at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show. Since then, the company has come a long way — building out the former Mitsubishi plant in Normal, obtaining billions of dollars in backing from Amazon and Ford, and earning EPA range estimates of 314 miles for the R1T and 316 for the upcoming R1S utility vehicle using their initial midsize battery packs.

For Rivian's next act, it plans an initial public offering of stock before the end of the year in which it could seek a valuation of between $50 billion and $70 billion.