Sam Krahn 
With the Rivian R1T pickup and R1S SUV launch coming soon, Pirelli have announced they have been selected as the sole tire provider for the startup EV manufacturer. The pair of vehicles will use three tailor made versions of the Pirelli Scorpion tire, each with a specific use case and target user. Each of the three tires are in the “Pirelli Perfect Fit” custom tire family, where manufacturers and Pirelli work together to design a tire that is specifically engineered to work with that specific vehicle, rather than a universal version.
In fact, the tires will read “ELECT” for electric and “RIV” for Rivian on the side for their tailor made designation. Pirelli engineers their electric vehicle tires a little differently than their traditional tires, with lower rolling resistance to increase range, less tire roar for an even quieter drive and improved traction to take advantage of EV’s instant torque. Rivian and Pirelli have been working on the tire lineup together for the past two years.
The most exciting is the Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus, the tire that pushes Rivian’s theme of “All Electric Adventure Vehicles.” It provides a blend of on road everyday driving dynamics with great off-road performance. Its tread pattern is designed to maintain traction in low grip situations off-road or in snow, while maintaining the low rolling resistance an EV needs.
But despite the engineering that’s gone into making the Rivian R1T and R1S highly capable off-road, some people will never leave the pavement, and are buying a Rivian specifically because it looks to be a great electric luxury vehicle. For these customers, the Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season is the most eco-friendly option. Verde is green in Italian, after all. It prioritizes range over off-road ability and on road performance, but should still be highly capable in light snow.
Finally, Pirelli will offer a Scorpion Zero All Season. It’s the most performance oriented tire, and is aimed at the customer buying a Rivian for the wild performance it’s quad motors deliver. While it’s a grippier performance tire, it’s still rated to perform well in light snow and have low rolling resistance to hit Rivian’s estimated 300 miles of range.
These three tires should provide every Rivian customer with an option that fits their use case best. They’ll also be offered in 20, 21 and 22 inch sizes, hinting at the wheel and tire choices we will see when the configurator goes live on November 16 for preorder holders, and November 23 for the general public.
