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Rivian's electric R1T takes on the Rebelle Rally

For the second time, I ran Rivian's electric pickup in the seven-day Rebelle Rally.

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Emme Hall
I love two-seater, RWD convertibles and own a 2004 Mazdaspeed Miata for pavement fun and a lifted 2001 Miata for pre-running. I race air-cooled Volkswagens in desert races like the Mint 400 and the Baja 1000. I have won the Rebelle Rally, seven-day navigational challenge, twice and I am the only driver to compete in an EV, the Rivian R1T.
Emme Hall
2021 Rebelle Rally Rivian R1T
1 of 26 Regine Trias/Rebelle Rally

This is the Rivian R1T all-electric pickup truck and it is just as badass as you think.

2021 Rebelle Rally Rivian R1T
2 of 26 Regine Trias/Rebelle Rally

I took it on the Rebelle Rally, a seven-day navigational rally that uses just a compass and map to find checkpoints throughout Nevada and California.

2021 Rebelle Rally Rivian R1T
3 of 26 Caleb Wallace/Rebelle Rally

The Rivian R1T features over 800 horsepower and 900 pound-feet of torque from its 4 electric motors.

2021 Rebelle Rally Rivian R1T
4 of 26 Richard Giordano/Rebelle Rally

A 135-kilowatt-hour battery kept us going every day.

2021 Rebelle Rally Rivian R1T
5 of 26 Caleb Wallace/Rebelle Rally

Although buyers can opt for a pull-out kitchen for the super-cool gear tunnel, we used it to store our Maxtrax recovery boards.

2021 Rebelle Rally Rivian R1T
6 of 26 Richard Giordano/Rebelle Rally

While at the Rally, Rivian connected to the truck every night to get real-world performance data.

2021 Rebelle Rally Rivian R1T
7 of 26 Nicole Dreon/Rebelle Rally

My navigator Rebecca Donaghe and I were up at 5:00 a.m. every morning to plot 20-plus checkpoints on a paper map.

2021 Rebelle Rally Rivian R1T
8 of 26 Nicole Dreon/Rebelle Rally

Rebecca's "office" including a TerraTrip external odometer accurate to the hundredths, magnifying loops, timers for our time/speed/distance challenges, a calculator -- turns out there is a lot of math in navigating accurately -- and many, many pencils.

2021 Rebelle Rally Rivian R1T
9 of 26 Nicole Dreon/Rebelle Rally

Although I'm not well-versed with the truck mechanically, I was able to help out on a few minor repairs.

2021 Rebelle Rally Rivian R1T
10 of 26 Richard Giordano/Rebelle Rally

Our 34-inch Pirelli Scorpion tires suffered zero flats over rocks, sand, silt and dunes.

2021 Rebelle Rally Rivian R1T
11 of 26 Caleb Wallace/Rebelle Rally

It's rare a driver doesn't get stuck in Glamis, let alone one driving such a heavy beast.

2021 Rebelle Rally Rivian R1T
12 of 26 Caleb Wallace/Rebelle Rally

But some digging and our Maxtrax got us out and we continued with our day.

2021 Rebelle Rally Rivian R1T
13 of 26 Richard Giordano/Rebelle Rally

Keep scrolling for more photos of the Rivian R1T.

2021 Rebelle Rally Rivian R1T
14 of 26 Richard Giordano/Rebelle Rally
2021 Rebelle Rally Rivian R1T
15 of 26 Tim Calver/Rebelle Rally
2021 Rebelle Rally Rivian R1T
16 of 26 Nicole Dreon/Rebelle Rally
2021 Rebelle Rally Rivian R1T
17 of 26 Caleb Wallace/Rebelle Rally
2021 Rebelle Rally Rivian R1T
18 of 26 Richard Giordano/Rebelle Rally
2021 Rebelle Rally Rivian R1T
19 of 26 Richard Giordano/Rebelle Rally
2021 Rebelle Rally Rivian R1T
20 of 26 Caleb Wallace/Rebelle Rally
2021 Rebelle Rally Rivian R1T
21 of 26 Richard Giordano/Rebelle Rally
2021 Rebelle Rally Rivian R1T
22 of 26 Caleb Wallace/Rebelle Rally
2021 Rebelle Rally Rivian R1T
23 of 26 Nicole Dreon/Rebelle Rally
2021 Rebelle Rally Rivian R1T
24 of 26 Richard Giordano/Rebelle Rally
2021 Rebelle Rally Rivian R1T
25 of 26 Tim Calver/Rebelle Rally
2021 Rebelle Rally Rivian R1T
26 of 26 Tim Calver/Rebelle Rally

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