What is Rivian Adventure Department?
The Rivian Adventure Department (RAD) is a team of Rivian designers, engineers and adventure enthusiasts who spend their days and nights exploring the limits of what a Rivian can do.
They have one mission: finding the next level of what’s possible with our vehicles, bridging between where we find the extremes and the features that end up in your driveway.
Exploring what our vehicles can do and how much fun you can have
Six years ago, we brought two of our first R1T prototypes to the southernmost tip of South America to film Long Way Up. We weren’t just there to drive; we were there to learn. And somewhere between the bottom of South America and Los Angeles, something very fundamental became clear: the further we push our vehicles, the more fun we can have.
Winning the Rebelle Rally (and becoming the first EV to win the longest off-road rally in the USA) was just the start in 2023.
“We've learned there's no substitute for real-world experience. Three years ago at Rebelle, when deep sand conditions made for slow going at certain points in the course, our team's experience was directly informed by our earlier development of Soft Sand mode,” said Lilly Macaruso, Rivian Engineer and Rebelle Race Winner. “All the vehicles we competed with are the same as the vehicles you have in your driveway.”
Following the historic win, we set the production electric truck record at Pikes Peak in 2023, then beat our own record again in 2024.
"Pikes Peak has no margin for error, and at 14,115 feet, the air gets thin, every bump and switchback was a test of our vehicle’s capability – and the truck stayed planted through every second of it,” said Gardner Nichols, Sr. Performance Test Engineer and Pikes Peak record-setter. “Breaking the 11-minute barrier in an EV truck isn’t just a record; it’s a statement about the future of performance and breaking the barriers of what’s possible in a Rivian.”
Innovation, Validated by the Wild
What started as a way for engineers to fine-tune driving dynamics at Rebelle Rally and Pikes Peak quickly evolved into RAD Tuner, a tool available on Gen 2 Quad configurations. eligible Rivians.
To match the trail or road ahead, RAD Tuner allows drivers to:
Create their own drive modes in real time
Adjust power output, torque bias, stability control, and brake generation
These aren't just software updates; they are lessons learned from the edge, delivered directly to you. The presets you find in RAD Tuner, like Desert Rally and Hill Climb, weren’t built in a simulator. The real world is our playground and proving ground.
Desert Rally: When we won the 2023 Rebelle Rally, it wasn't just about the trophy. It was about stress-testing our systems in the sand. That victory gave birth to the Desert Rally drive mode, a preset honed directly from the race data needed to conquer that terrain.
Hill Climb: When we took the R1T to Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, we weren't just chasing a record. We wanted to know how to make an all-electric truck feel like a rally car at 14,000 feet. We built a tool that allowed us to adjust stability control, regeneration, and torque bias in real-time. That tool was too fun to keep to ourselves, so we refined it into RAD Tuner, giving you the power to dial in your own driving dynamics.
"RAD is where we maximize the capability of our vehicles. Subjecting them to extreme conditions—from the 14,000-foot ascent of Pikes Peak to the barren deserts of the Rebelle Rally. Though it isn’t just about competition, It’s about rigorously validating every system, component and algorithm,” said Luke Lynch, Chief Engineer, R1. “The greatest outcome of developing the vehicles in these extreme environments is a beautifully well rounded vehicle. The cherry on top is translating those hard-won lessons into features, like the new RAD Tuner, that deliver next-level fun to our owners."
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