2022 Rivian R1T: Curiosities We Found in the Electric Pickup
Some of the small but mighty features we noticed and appreciated.
It's the first electric pickup truck to reach the market. It stands out for its distinctive appearance. Its performance–as the quickest pickup truck Car and Driver has ever tested—is jaw-dropping. Those things are big. The features we're showing you here are small, but we know you'll appreciate them as much as we do.
Torch Song
A 1000-lumen flashlight lives in the door. Its rechargeable battery is a 2170 (21 by 70 mm) lithium-ion cell, the same as what's in the battery pack. There are 7777 cells in R1T; 7776 are in the battery pack.
Boom Box
At the bottom of the center console is a removable Bluetooth speaker that can play audio from the car or your phone. Rivian calls it a Camp Speaker, but it's powerful like an '80s-era boom box.
Filling Station
There is a 150-psi air compressor in the bed for all your inflatable-fun needs. We fully deflated the full-size spare, and this onboard air compressor refilled it in just over six minutes. A hose and various bits store in a pouch that lives in the driver's-side door to access the Gear Tunnel. The hose will reach all four tires, should you want to refill your tires after airing down for a drive on some dunes or a beach.
Roll Aboard
At the push of a button, the luggage-carousel-looking slats retract. It is rigid and secure. There is also a locking trunk under the bed, Honda Ridgeline style, that stores an optional spare tire or 14 cubic feet of whatever you want.
Strapped
A locking cable in the bed can tie down and secure bikes or other gear. It automatically locks with the R1T's doors. If you are a bike-over-the-tailgate type, it's very useful.
Hidey Hole
More lockable storage is hiding in a transverse tunnel behind the cab. The doors to this locker flip down and can be used as steps should you need to load the roof or access the bed (there's no bumper to step on). Small compartments in the interior door panels hold a first-aid kit on the passenger's side and the 20-foot air-compressor hose on the driver's side. It is the perfect place to put a set of golf clubs.
K.C. Colwell, the executive editor at Car and Driver, is a seasoned professional with a deep-rooted passion for new cars and technology. His journey into the world of automotive journalism began at an early age when his grandmother gifted him a subscription to Car and Driver for his 10th birthday. This gift sparked a lifelong love for the industry, and he read every issue between then and his first day of employment. He started his Car and Driver career as a technical assistant in the fall of 2004. In 2007, he was promoted to assistant technical editor. In addition to testing, evaluating, and writing about cars, technology, and tires, K.C. also set the production-car lap record at Virginia International Raceway for C/D's annual Lightning Lap track test and was just the sixth person to drive the Hendrick Motorsport Garage 56 Camaro. In 2017, he took over as testing director until 2022, when was promoted to executive editor and has led the brand to be one of the top automotive magazines in the country. When he’s not thinking about cars, he likes playing hockey in the winter and golf in the summer and doing his best to pass his good car sense and love of '90s German sedans to his daughter. He might be the only Car and Driver editor to own a Bobcat: the skidsteer, not the feline. Though, if you have a bobcat guy, reach out. K.C. resides in Chelsea, Michigan, with his family.
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