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In a detailed teardown comparison by Munro & Associates, the new Rivian dual motor system—dubbed “Enduro”—goes head-to-head with the original Bosch-sourced quad motor configuration. This teardown reveals more than just packaging differences; it highlights a fundamental shift in how Rivian designs for efficiency, cost, and vertical integration.
The move from a Bosch black-box design to an in-house developed dual motor unit demonstrates Rivian’s maturity as an EV manufacturer. Engineers and enthusiasts alike will find the differences compelling—especially in the stator architecture, cooling strategy, inverter design, and driveline optimization. This teardown offers insight into lean design decisions that shave weight, reduce cost, and ultimately make for a more efficient electric vehicle.
From Bosch to Bespoke: Stator Design Evolution
The stator is the heart of an electric motor, and in Rivian’s original quad motor setup, Bosch supplied a modular, off-the-shelf unit. This stator relied heavily on welded connections and lacked integration opportunities. The newer Enduro stator, by contrast, features Rivian’s own hairpin design—more precisely called “splayed hairpins.” Originally pioneered by General Motors, hairpin windings reduce copper usage and improve heat dissipation. Rivian’s variant goes a step further by compacting the joint interfaces, which enhances manufacturability and power density.
This shift to splayed hairpins also significantly cuts down weld points, reducing both assembly complexity and cost. Munro’s engineers highlight the reduced weld count and refined connections as key indicators of Rivian’s maturing production strategy.
Casting a Simpler Future: Housing and Integration
Where the Bosch unit used extruded aluminum housings bolted together from multiple pieces, Rivian’s in-house design employs a single cast aluminum structure. This isn’t just cleaner—it’s leaner. A single cast housing means fewer parts, fewer joining surfaces, and less weight. It’s exactly the type of design philosophy Munro & Associates champion: design for manufacturability and integration without sacrificing performance.
This bespoke cast housing encapsulates the stator and reduces variability in assembly while enhancing thermal consistency. It’s a move away from compromise and toward platform-specific optimization.
Oil Cooling: Following the Tesla Playbook
One of the most dramatic improvements lies in the cooling strategy. Bosch’s original system relied on glycol jackets around the stator. While standard, this method can’t apply cooling directly to the motor internals. Rivian’s new pressurized oil-cooled approach follows a model proven by Tesla.
By spraying non-conductive oil directly onto the stator windings and rotor components, Rivian enables more aggressive thermal management. Jets of oil bathe hot zones, allowing the unit to operate at higher outputs without thermal throttling. The oil used is similar to that in utility transformers—non-conductive and stable under load.
This shift also reduces the number of thermal interfaces and expands overall powertrain reliability. It’s a costlier system upfront but yields downstream benefits in efficiency and performance scalability.
Disconnect Units: From Dual to Integrated
The teardown reveals another leap in integration: the differential disconnect mechanism. In the quad motor configuration, Rivian required two independent disconnect units from third-party supplier Means Industries—one for each wheel. These units were externally mounted, adding weight, friction, and complexity.
In the dual motor Enduro system, Rivian integrates a single disconnect directly into the geartrain using a helical spring washer and electromagnet actuator. This allows the ring gear to decouple with minimal motion, reducing drag when the motor isn’t in use. The result? A 6–7% increase in drivetrain efficiency—mirroring improvements seen in Hyundai systems.
Less friction, fewer components, and better packaging. It’s lean engineering in motion.
Inverter Integration: Smarter, Smaller, Stronger
Another big win in the teardown is the inverter system. The Bosch-based setup housed two full inverters in a separate, bulky aluminum case. Each motor had its own phase set and MOSFET array, connected with fasteners and stacked in a compartmentalized enclosure.
Rivian’s new single-inverter design—built around Infineon‘s G2 drive unit—is directly integrated into the drive housing. This three-in-one approach (motor, geartrain, inverter) not only reduces weight but also cuts the number of electrical fasteners. Laser welding replaces bolts in key high-current paths, eliminating the risk of loosening over time and improving reliability.
Sandy Munro singles out the MOSFET busbar integration as a favorite feature, praising its simplicity and failure resistance. The minimized inverter packaging also drops significant mass—about 30 kilograms per unit compared to the prior architecture.
Performance Tradeoffs: Still Fast, Just Smarter
So what’s the tradeoff? Performance. The quad motor system outputs 835 horsepower and 908 lb-ft of torque. The dual motor setup drops to 533 horsepower (665 in performance mode) and 829 lb-ft. Zero-to-sixty times shift from 3.1 seconds to around 3.3–3.4 seconds. Still extremely quick, but not hypercar territory.
Yet for most drivers, the performance difference is negligible. As Sandy Munro notes, “I thought it was hugely fast… I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t jump on it.” Sue Munro described the ride as “like driving a cloud.”
Even more telling is the cost. The dual motor R1T starts at $74,000—roughly $8,000 less than the quad motor variant. Even the performance dual motor saves buyers $3,000, while offering better range, simpler maintenance, and fewer failure points.
Weight Loss = Efficiency Gain
One of the core themes of the teardown is weight reduction. From the stator and housing to the inverter and disconnect system, Rivian’s Enduro platform trims over 100 pounds per vehicle. In EV design, every gram counts—especially when batteries are the most expensive component on board.
Less weight means greater range per kilowatt-hour, faster acceleration with the same power, and reduced load on structural and thermal systems. In this way, Rivian’s move echoes Tesla’s long-standing principle: do more with less.
Final Thoughts: A Smarter Powertrain Strategy
The Rivian dual motor teardown reveals a company doubling down on in-house innovation. With fewer parts, more integration, and smarter cooling, Enduro isn’t just a cost play—it’s a forward-looking blueprint for scalable EV performance.
Yes, the quad motor system still exists for those seeking peak specs. But for most customers, the dual motor Enduro offers better value, less weight, and fewer compromises—all while maintaining industry-leading capability.
For automotive engineers, EV enthusiasts, and investors, this teardown underscores the importance of powertrain ownership, system integration, and lean design. Rivian’s evolution here isn’t just smart—it’s essential for long-term viability in a competitive EV market.
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