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Munro Live Teardown Reveals Rivian Battery Design and Construction
The Rivian R1T impressed us in the test drive, but is its battery pack also impressive?
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The Rivian R1T's battery pack prior to installation at the factory.Image courtesy of Rivian
Vehicle technical analyst Sandy Munro has applied the teardown capabilities of his company, Munro & Associates, to the amazing Rivian R1T electric pickup truck. This truck astounded us with its on-road and off-road performance, and now Munro is taking a looking under the sheetmetal at the components that provide this astounding capability.
Munro is posting a series of teardown videos of various Rivian subsystems, and we've decided to take a specific look at his findings about the design and execution of the truck's battery pack. This video is hosted by Munro & Associates account director Ben Lindamood, who walks viewers through the battery's components and offers opinions on the things that are done well and the things that could be done differently or more efficiently. Click through the gallery for a look.
About the Author
Dan’s coverage of the auto industry over three decades has taken him to the racetracks, automotive engineering centers, vehicle simulators, wind tunnels, and crash-test labs of the world.
A member of the North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year jury, Dan also contributes car reviews to Popular Science magazine, serves on the International Engine of the Year jury, and has judged the collegiate Formula SAE competition.
Dan is a winner of the International Motor Press Association's Ken Purdy Award for automotive writing, as well as the National Motorsports Press Association's award for magazine writing and the Washington Automotive Press Association's Golden Quill award.
Dan, testing the 2025 Aston Martin Vanquish. ANDY MORGAN/ASTON MARTIN
He has held a Sports Car Club of America racing license since 1991, is an SCCA National race winner, two-time SCCA Runoffs competitor in Formula F, and an Old Dominion Region Driver of the Year award winner. Co-drove a Ford Focus 1.0-liter EcoBoost to 16 Federation Internationale de l’Automobile-accredited world speed records over distances from just under 1km to over 4,104km at the CERAM test circuit in Mortefontaine, France.
He was also a longtime contributor to the Society of Automotive Engineers' Automotive Engineering International magazine.
He specializes in analyzing technical developments, particularly in the areas of motorsports, efficiency, and safety.
He has been published in The New York Times, NBC News, Motor Trend, Popular Mechanics, The Washington Post, Hagerty, AutoTrader.com, Maxim, RaceCar Engineering, AutoWeek, Virginia Living, and others.
Dan has authored books on the Honda S2000 and Dodge Viper sports cars and contributed automotive content to the consumer finance book, Fight For Your Money.
He is a member and past president of the Washington Automotive Press Association and is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers.
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