There are some head-to-head races that auto enthusiasts love to see. From high-dollar sportscars to monster muscle cars, consumers enjoy seeing their favorite automaking brands challenge each other off the line.

So, when the Ram TRX rolled up to the dirt track line next to the Rivian R1T, fans rallied. The dry lakebed surface would be the proving ground for these two pickups. It would be the ultimate head-to-head between the traditional gas-powered engine and the all-electric truck power sources.

In this drag race, the Rivian R1T emerged victorious. These are the juicy details of how it all went down. In the end, it may be no surprise at all that the EV truck took the trophy.

How the ultimate truck race between the Rivian R1T and Ram TRX

When you want to put the ultimate electric versus gas truck drag race between Ram and Rivian, only Edmunds would do such a contest justice. The team shared the details about how this ultimate drag race came to be and just how it all went down. For starters, they wanted to see how the Ram TRX and the Rivian R1T would tap into their maximum power reserves. For fun, they ventured out to a dry lake bed surface to really “kick up dust.”

The company staged two races. In the first run, both pickups would launch from a standing start. In this scenario, the winner was more than apparent. The Rivian R1T scorched the dusty lakebed achieving 60 mph in a flat 4.0 seconds. The Ram 1500 TRX was no slouch, but it took its time to achieve 60 mph in 4.7 seconds. The quarter-mile finish line came easy for the Rivian with a time of 12.5 seconds. The Ram TRX came in at 13.1 seconds.

In the second race, and to provide a new dynamic, the Edmunds team gave the pickups a rolling start of 30 mph before officially clocking them at the starting line. Again, the Rivian R1T “blasted off,” as they said, winning by a full second ahead of the Ram TRX. The Rivian truck earned a quarter-mile win with 11.3 seconds, while the Ram truck came in eventually at 12.3 seconds.

The impressive specs of the R1T and 1500 TRX

So, what makes the Rivian electric truck so much better? In reality, both trucks have pretty impressive specs in their own way. The Rivian R1T isn’t that big a truck. It’s roughly the size of the big Tacoma or small F-150. However, its secret sauce is its battery technology. There are a total of four electric motors, one for each wheel, redefining what it means to be an all-wheel drive model. On the flip side, all that battery equipment makes the truck heavy, measuring at 7,100 pounds.

Comparatively, the Ram 1500 TRX is much lighter, weighing around 6,700 pounds. Additionally, it brings a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine to the starting line and its standard 35-inch tires. With its “bulging fenders” and “scooped hood,” as Car and Driver points out, the TRX has all the looks and feels of a beefy, capable, and comparable pickup. However, in this particular drag race, it just doesn’t have the juice to compete with the Rivian.

The results aren’t that surprising when you think about it

You might be astonished that the electric truck beat out the gas-powered engine in a drag race. However, when you look at the horsepower capability for each, it’s really not that surprising. The acceleration is vastly different, regardless of the standing start or rolling start. The Rivian R1T harnesses a whopping 835 horsepower, which is more than 100 hp more than the 702 horses the Ram 1500 TRX taps into for power.

For anyone thinking about a new pickup, especially if you have acceleration and power on the top priority list, the Rivian R1T electric truck will not disappoint. You may not have the rumble of the gas engine, but whenever you need quick and punchy acceleration, the R1T is the victor.