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Long way up“- the journey that Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman took on Harley Davidson LiveWire electric motorcycles from Ushuaia, Argentina, to Los Angeles. Next month, the R1T enters the realm of competition testing by competing in the Rebelle Rally, the rally of All-female sailing that takes place over 10 days and 1,243 miles in the sandy and rocky outback of California and Nevada. The team behind the wheel will be driver Emme Hall and navigator Rebecca Donaghe, who won last year’s Rebelle Rally driving the then new Rolls-Royce Cullinan “. data-reactid = “29”> Not long ago, the Rivian R1T electric truck participated in a very public development test as a support vehicle for “Long way up“- the journey that Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman made on Harley Davidson LiveWire electric motorcycles from Ushuaia, Argentina, to Los Angeles. Next month, the R1T enters the realm of competition testing by competing in the Rebelle Rally, the rally of All-female sailing that takes place over 10 days and 1,243 miles in the sandy and rocky outback of California and Nevada. The team behind the wheel will be driver Emme Hall and navigator Rebecca Donaghe, who won last year’s Rebelle Rally driving the then new Rolls-Royce Cullinan.
This is the first year in the Rebelle’s five-year history that there will be a pure electric vehicle; The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, returning this year, was the only previous entrant to fly the electrified flag. To welcome the battery-electric van and any other electric vehicles that may want to join in the future, the rally organizers have organized a mobile battery-powered charging system to be implemented throughout the course. It’s unclear which battery and motors the Rivian will house, but the maximum spec would provide a 180 kWh package, up to 750 horsepower, and a range of over 400 miles under normal conditions.
The race will help Rivian hone the truck’s off-road credentials, the brand’s creative director said: “Adventures like the Rebelle Rally are what Rivian vehicles are made for.” The Rebelle is not a timed rally, so the point is not to beat the R1T with marathon periods on the gas. As a navigation rally, the competitors aim to finish the stages in the shortest distance traveled. The rules reward point-to-point driving – that is, the ability to climb and traverse any obstacle on the road, a technique aided by the R1T’s height-adjustable suspension that provides 14 inches of tiptoe clearance to the ground. The ability to do tank turns can also come in handy. The Rivian will prove its worth by laying down, or teach important lessons when falling. All of this is a necessary step for a manufacturer that sells “electric adventure vehicles.”
There are only two classes in the Rebelle Rally, Crossover and 4×4. Crossovers can be either two-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, and they can have a unibody construction but no low-speed transfer case. The 4×4 class is traditional off-roader with a low-speed transfer case, from the Jeep Wrangler to the Range Rover.
The Rivian will challenge hardcore ICE racers in the 4×4 class, and we are yelling at one of them, Team 4 Corners with driver Nena Barlowe and her new navigator Tana White. Barlowe helped prepare this writer for a 26,000-mile journey from Los Angeles to the Arctic and back in a Jeep Wrangler a couple of years ago. Barlowe and White were destined to drive the Ram 1500 TRX in the race, which would have been spectacular, but Covid delayed the truck and scrapped those plans. Instead, they will look at the R1T from the longest of the field, a Hydro Blue Power Wagon that is two feet longer than the Rivian and, at 7,300 pounds, probably heavier. On top of that, the Ram doesn’t rise up to 14 inches off the ground, it always travels in 14.3 inches of natural light under the chassis.
Hall and Donaghe will be looking for a third overall win and are good bets to win the electrified division considering the dearth of competition. Barlowe will seek his third victory in the Bone Stock division. You can catch all the action on the Rebelle Rally webcast from October 8-17. After that, the Rivian R1T will hit the market next June, and the R1S SUV will arrive a couple of months later in August.
