The EV startup Rivian has chosen Pirelli Scorpion range to fit its highly anticipated R1T pickup, which begins production in June 2021, and its R1S electric SUV.
Pirelli has developed special versions of its Scorpion Verde All Season, Scorpion Zero All Season and Scorpion All Terrain tires (Pirelli’s dedicated range for SUVs and pickups) to meet Rivian’s specifications, and to enhance the vehicles’ unique characteristics following the “Pirelli Perfect Fit” strategy. Indeed, all Pirelli tires developed for Rivian have a special marking on the shoulder: RIV and Elect.
“Elect” is the marking that identifies Pirelli tires for electric vehicles. Tires play a crucial role in EV performance – they are a key safety, performance, and range optimizer.
Pirelli tires marked “Elect” offer a number of advantages for electric vehicles, thanks to a specific set of technical characteristics. Low rolling resistance helps to maximize each car’s range. In electric cars, reduction in noise accentuates one of the key advantages of electric driving: silence. Finally, the Pirelli tires marked “Elect” offer improved traction in line with the intense demands from the transmission. Electric motors deliver the maximum torque available right from the bottom of the rev range, and so they need tires that can bite into the asphalt instantly.
Pirelli and Rivian co-developed these products over almost two years, and this collaboration has resulted in three special tires: 20, 21 and 22 inches. In particular, the Scorpion Verde All Season in 21 inches have a very special tire size, unique in the world, introduced in the industry by Pirelli specifically for Rivian: 275 55R21.
The technical partnership with Rivian underlines the focus of Pirelli on sustainable mobility and American car brands.
PIRELLI SCORPION VERDE ALL SEASON: THE “LOW ROLLING RESISTANCE” TIRE
The Scorpion Verde (Italian for green) All Season is Pirelli’s eco-friendly Crossover/SUV Touring All-Season tire developed for the drivers of crossovers, sport utility vehicles and pickups.
The main challenge Pirelli’s technicians had to face to develop a dedicated version of these tires for Rivian was to meet their low rolling resistance targets.
Pirelli’s engineers worked on a higher-silica compound that decreases the vehicles’ energy consumption. Then, they worked on a dedicated design of the mold, narrowing the tread pattern of the tires and keeping an optimal footprint pressure distribution. In this case reducing surface-to-ground contact translates into less energy dissipation.
Pirelli’s Scorpion Verde All Season tires for Rivian are constructed from lighter raw materials that don’t compromise durability or performance. The Scorpion Verde All Season also presents a special size, unique in the industry: 275/55R21.
The Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season for Rivian increases efficiency and range. It is also designed to combine dry and wet road handling, comfort and year-round capabilities, including all-season traction in light snow.
PIRELLI SCORPION ZERO ALL SEASON: THE “GRIPPY” TIRE
If “Verde” in the Pirelli vocabulary defines its environmentally friendly tires with low rolling resistance and weight, “Zero” definitely indicates its high-performance range.
In particular, the Scorpion Zero All Season tires are developed for the drivers of powerful crossovers and SUVs, as well as sport-tuned and performance pickup trucks looking for a combination of high-performance capability with all-season utility, including the ability to drive in snow.
For its vehicles, Rivian asked Pirelli to develop an even “grippier” version of its Scorpion Zero All Season tires. To achieve this request, Pirelli’s engineers introduced nano-composite compounds to ensure maximum grip and stability. Then they focused on the tread pattern, introducing a dedicated mold with a larger tread width, able to provide more contact area and, consequently, leading to a better handling performance.
All of that, without compromising the low rolling resistance targets needed to support a longer vehicle range.
PIRELLI SCORPION ALL TERRAIN: THE OFF-ROAD TIRE
Pirelli’s 275/65R20 off-road tire, the Scorpion All Terrain Plus, was also specifically developed for the R1T and R1S with electric adventure in mind.
The Scorpion All Terrain Plus is Pirelli’s On-/Off- Road All-Terrain light truck tire developed for drivers of pickup trucks, crossovers, and SUVs who want a balanced blend of on-road civility with off-road capability. The Scorpion All Terrain Plus is designed with a focus on optimizing durability, traction and wear resistance, in addition to providing snow traction: it gained indeed the three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) symbol.
The Scorpion All Terrain Plus is molded into a symmetric, high-void pattern. This pattern is designed to provide smooth and quiet on-road operation along with aggressive looks and confident off-road traction. Deep grooves and independent tread blocks help provide the clawing action needed to find grip in loose terrain, and conical stone ejectors resist punctures by forcing small rocks from the tread.
In this case, the challenge to create a dedicated version of these tires for Rivian has been to match their low rolling resistance targets with the off-road applications of the Scorpion All Terrain.
To achieve this result, Pirelli’s engineers designed a dedicated mold in order to reduce the weight of the tire, adding then a special compound for light trucks that made the tires more resistant to cuts and lacerations.
