Trucks

Rivian's R1T gets the overland camping treatment it richly deserves

Packing a tent and an awesome custom electric camp stove, the R1T is the electric overlander we never knew we needed.

The R1T as configured for Overland West.

Rivian

We at Roadshow have been pumped for the Rivian R1T electric truck since we saw it in the metal at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show and now we're even more excited because Rivian has turned it into an overland camping rig for Overland West in Arizona.

The R1T made its Overland West debut on Friday as the first electric vehicle to be shown there, and it is a little different from the vehicle we saw in LA. Instead of merely having a pass-through tunnel behind the cab, Rivian has installed a brilliant-looking cooking station that slides out and is packing a custom electric camp stove.

To keep the overland theme going, Rivian bolted a rack to the bed of the R1T and tossed a tent on it. It's not something we'd trust on the African savannah, for example, but for a leisurely trip through the woods of California's Sierra Nevada, it looks perfect.

As for the rest of the R1T's particulars, it's powered by four electric motors and promises to deliver 400 miles of range while producing around 750 horsepower. It's got a built-in air compressor and alarmed gear loops so you can store your crud without too much fear of it getting swiped by ne'er-do-wells.

In case you forgot, Rivian is also using the R1T's platform and technology to build an SUV model. It looks kind of like a Range Rover classic that went to Art Center College of Design, and we love it.