Sign up for Design News newsletters
What Did Munro Find in its Rivian Battery Tear-Down?
Tearing down the Rivian R1T's battery pack yielded some instructive discoveries about the pack's details.
10 Slides
Already have an account?
The corner of a battery module removed from the Rivian R1T's battery pack reveals the cylindrical cells inside.Image courtesy of Munro & Associates
The analysts at Munro & Associates continue to tear into their Rivian R1T to expose its secrets, and after an exhaustive effort, they were able to peel open its battery pack and extract a battery module.
Munro program manager Jordan Arocha and senior engineer Antonio DiNunno walk us through their findings in this Munro Live video.
In it, they detail the components they found and their organization, which suggests the assembly processes applied.
We've pulled out some of the highlights for this slideshow of high points from the video.
Munro's difficulty accessing modules in the pack does prompt concern about the future serviceability of Rivian's battery in the event of a problem.
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.
You May Also Like
Editors' Choice
Jan 28 - Jan 30, 2025
Jan 28 - Jan 30, 2025
The must-attend event for chip, board, and systems design engineers. DesignCon is the premier high-speed communications and system design conference and exposition, offering industry-critical engineering education in the heart of electronics innovation — Silicon Valley.
Register Now