Does the R2 have a spare tire?

[usulio]

Sorry, but the answer is no. In my book that would be a foolish and naive compromise to accept. This would not be our first EV. EV's are heavy vehicles putting a lot of stress on the tires. A lot more stress than tires on ICE vehicles see. I'd kick myself for ever if I agreed to a tire sitting in the rear cargo area. It's not even safe in a crash unless it is strapped down. Otherwise you have the potential for a 75 pound wheel flying forward in the car. By the time you strap it down there is not much usable cargo area left. I use my rear hitch for a bike rack, so using it for a tire mount would not work. Placing it on the roof would mean wrestling a 75 lb. tire on and off the roof. For me, that's a no go. Plus, a spare tire needs a jack and lug wrench, etc. If Rivian cannot figure out, space for a compact spare under the rear load floor, then I would need to look for another EV.

Ok, sounds like you are not interested in trying to make it work. For me in the R1S, yes it’s annoying to put a full size spare in the back and strap it down. And I’ve criticized rivian for this. But the frunk space more than makes up for the lost volume, I think I’m coming out ahead compared to a Bronco etc. (not to mention the 3rd row and the ground clearance tradeoff). If the R2 is similar it’ll be very doable for people like me.

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[usulio]

One of the launch-event videos showed the rear floor lid lifted up - no room for even a compact spare. So no, just a can of fix-a-flat in the R2 and R3.

Are you sure? It looks like that could possibly be a divider in the middle which might be removed to make space for a compact spare.

 

[Jiji]

I just don’t see spare tires as being an EV thing given the desire to cut the weight and improve the EPA range as well reduce the vehicle build cost, especially in smaller vehicles. Maybe someday when batteries are smaller, lighter, and less expensive but for now I think that train has left the station.

And the days of no cell service are coming to an end, you can request assistance from a newer iPhone via satellite messaging today even in areas of no cell service. Still might take hours to respond so if that is an issue you need to adjust or limit yourself to vehicles with a spare tire.

 

[CharonPDX]

Are you sure? It looks like that could possibly be a divider in the middle which might be removed to make space for a compact spare.

That's not a divider, that's the front wall of the under-floor storage area. The deeper section is only the rear 1/2 of the cargo area. In front of that there isn't the extra depth. Nowhere near enough room for even an expanding spare.

 

[Polar]

Sorry, but the answer is no. In my book that would be a foolish and naive compromise to accept. This would not be our first EV. EV's are heavy vehicles putting a lot of stress on the tires. A lot more stress than tires on ICE vehicles see. I'd kick myself for ever if I agreed to a tire sitting in the rear cargo area. It's not even safe in a crash unless it is strapped down. Otherwise you have the potential for a 75 pound wheel flying forward in the car. By the time you strap it down there is not much usable cargo area left. I use my rear hitch for a bike rack, so using it for a tire mount would not work. Placing it on the roof would mean wrestling a 75 lb. tire on and off the roof. For me, that's a no go. Plus, a spare tire needs a jack and lug wrench, etc. If Rivian cannot figure out, space for a compact spare under the rear load floor, then I would need to look for another EV.

And do tell what other EV you had/have that a spare let alone a full size spare - maybe an e-tron variant?

Plenty of hitch mount spare tire carriers that have a pass through for your bike rack.

 

[Augsburg]

And do tell what other EV you had/have that a spare let alone a full size spare - maybe an e-tron variant?

Plenty of hitch mount spare tire carriers that have a pass through for your bike rack.

We had our first EV for 4 years, back when EV range was a lot shorter (typically 100-150 miles). We loved that car. But, it was a car to drive around town. Not a car to road trip. Our city was in a large valley with no obstructions and we always had cell service. Our metro area was 1M population, and getting a tow or roadside service was not a concern.

We also owned two cars back then, so if it took a couple of weeks to get the special tire (like recently happened to our friends after their EV hit a pothole), that would not be a big issue. We are now retired and have downsized to one car. We found a second car just sits and does not get used. Cars are too expensive for that these days. Unless you live in car-dependent suburbia, many people like us are going with only one car. We can get around our small town with our e-bikes, so a second car is a waste.

"Pass through" adapters for tow hitches don't work for e-bikes for several reasons. Especially if you think you can mate one up with a spare tire carrier and a modern bike rack. We are like 2.5M others in the U.S. that have purchased e-bikes the past 3 years. We ride our e-bikes constantly and take them on road trips. You would exceed the load rating of a tow hitch with the weight of a spare tire carrier, a spare tire, a bike rack and two e-bikes. Not to mention the pass through offsets the bike rack messing up the load height and the ability to use the bike rack's loading ramp. The idea does not work.

Not to mention the idea of driving around all the time with this spare tire mount contraption and spare tire hanging off the back of a beautiful R2 sounds ridiculous.

I actually believe Rivian can solve the spare tire problem. If you look at the size of a compact spare, I think they can shoe horn one in. But they won't bother if they believe the R2 will just be used a s shopping mall queen, and not a car people would actually road trip.

In any event, we went through this once before. We had an R1S on order for 2 years. But when we got close to delivery, Rivian had some problem and took the spare tire off the option list. They moved it to the Gear Store and were then "out of stock". We cancelled our order when the R1S spare tire sat as out of stock for months. We'd seen the R1S by then and it was too big, too fancy on the interior and we decided to wait for the R2.

 

[kurtlikevonnegut]

I owned a 98 Jeep XJ for about 20 years. It is one of the most capable off road and utilitarian vehicles made for the US market. It was everything that a "Sport utility vehicle" should be.

The spare tire mount for it, if equipped, was in the cargo area mounted against the side window and it took up a significant amount of the cargo space if you had a full sized spare. Most people who modified theirs to go off-road ended up using a roof rack or hitch rack for a full size spare.

This is not an issue unique to Rivian or to EVs. Having a spare tire involves tradeoffs, and Rivian clearly decided that they wanted to prioritize cargo space over the ability to carry a spare tire, catering to the majority of their market for whom this isn't a big deal.

 

[atx_wapiti]

I can confirm after seeing the vehicle in person while it was in Austin, that it does not come with a spare tire - nor does the subfloor space in the cargo area have room to fit a compact spare. I don't think this is a deal breaker personally - I would rather have the space free and just pack a spare if I know I am going out into the wilderness for an adventure.

I have included a photo that I snapped of the R2 that is currently traveling around the US (same one that was on stage for the reveal).

 

[MidnightRivian]

There must be a spare tire - at least a compact spare. For us, it is a dealbreaker. This is an adventure vehicle. You take a car like this into remote areas with no cell service. We've had two friends/family that have had their EV get a flat that resulted in too big a "hole" in the tire for the repair kit to handle. That resulted in a lengthy wait for a flatbed tow. It seems like everything has been "skinny-ed" down to weigh less on vehicles these days and tires are not as sturdy as they used to be. I sure hope Rivian comes up with a compact spare under the rear load floor.

I expect to see this as an option for the R2 as a spare tire carrier with hidden applications

https://carbuzz.com/news/rivian-developing-digital-spare-wheel-carrier-with-hidden-applications/

 

[Polar]

We had our first EV for 4 years, back when EV range was a lot shorter (typically 100-150 miles). We loved that car. But, it was a car to drive around town. Not a car to road trip. Our city was in a large valley with no obstructions and we always had cell service. Our metro area was 1M population, and getting a tow or roadside service was not a concern.

That’s a very long way to say no your other EV didn’t have a spare.

I too loved my 2012 Leaf for the ten years I owned it, but I’ve since moved on, love having triple digit range now. And of course the compact spare installed in my R1S for when I might need it between the middle school and Costco…

 

[atx_wapiti]

I expect to see this as an option for the R2 as a spare tire carrier with hidden applications

https://carbuzz.com/news/rivian-developing-digital-spare-wheel-carrier-with-hidden-applications/

I would love to see something like this come to R2 - even cooler if they have the optional accessories that are detailed in the patent.

 

[kurtlikevonnegut]

I expect to see this as an option for the R2 as a spare tire carrier with hidden applications

https://carbuzz.com/news/rivian-developing-digital-spare-wheel-carrier-with-hidden-applications/

You can tell that the diagram is intended for the R2 by the lack of windshield wiper for the rear glass. R2 mod confirmed!

 

[PappaBolt]

I expect to see this as an option for the R2 as a spare tire carrier with hidden applications

https://carbuzz.com/news/rivian-developing-digital-spare-wheel-carrier-with-hidden-applications/

You beat me to it. I recall when the design for this leaked. Seems destined for R2 and might use the attachment ports at rear bumper.

 

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

So it can carry my Roomba, too? Neat!

/s

 

[Dark-Fx]

Are you sure? It looks like that could possibly be a divider in the middle which might be removed to make space for a compact spare.

Every R2 and R3 will have a motor between the rear wheel wells.

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