Rivian R1T 8-Day Road-Trip Review: In-Depth Driver Interview

Journalist Emme Hall talks about her off-road Rebelle Rally experience in detail.

emme hall rivian r1t interview

Steven Loveday

By: Steven Loveday

Nov 2, 2020 at 9:41am ET

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Last week, we shared one of the first official Rivian R1T reviews with you. How was someone able to drive and review the electric pickup truck when it's not yet available? Journalist Emme Hall participated in the Rebelle Rally, which is a multi-day off-road navigation excursion that's just for women. What a solid way to test the upcoming electric truck.

The Rebelle Rally actually runs for 10 days and covers 2,000 kilometers. Terrain ranges from regular roads to dirt roads, trails, and dunes in California and Nevada. A driver and a navigator pilot the car using GPS checkpoints on their cell phones. This isn't a race that's about speed, but rather confident driving and successful navigation.

Driving an electric vehicle in an event like this immediately brings up questions related to range and charging, which Hall covers in the interview and in her articles. However, many advantages come from electrification, primarily related to torque, traction control, and overall capability.

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Hall provided her own write-up of the experience in a few recent articles on Road Show by CNET. Now, she provides a one-hour interview about the excursion. It's loaded with details, so the YouTube channel provided a timestamped breakdown of the topics covered. Check it out and leave us a comment.

00:00 introduction
00:45 about Emme and the test
03:20 introducing the R1T
05:20 range, charging
05:50 range extrapolation
06:50 nature of the rally's terrain
09:05 tow charging
12:00 initial impressions, difference to ICE vehicle
12:35 storage, gear tunnel, frunk etc
13:15 why not just use a generator to recharge?
14:00 how the R1T was charged in the desert
15:52 what's it like inside the Rivian; comfort, height etc
17:05 how far away is the R1T from showroom-ready
18:20 air suspension discussion, performance
20:15 high speed handling
22:30 individual wheel drive discussion vs diffs, lockers
27:00 dynamics of the car with IWD
27:48 are EVs more or less fun than ICE?
29:20 one-pedal driving and regen offroad
31:50 driving without the assistance low range
33:50 crawl control and ATPC
34:55 throttle response and driving modes
36:40 anything that R1T couldn't do?
37:25 batteries - 135 vs 180kWh, production vs pre-prod
39:35 effect of temperatures
43:15 driving on tarseal/pavement/bitumen!!!
44:20 NVH (noise/vibration harshness)
46:35 quietness of EV
47:40 reliability problems
49:30 navigate in miles or km?
49:50 compressor noise and use
51:10 wheel/rim diameter

Check Out More Rivian R1T Coverage:

UPDATE: 2021 Rivian R1T Electric Pickup Truck: First Drive Wows In A Big Way

Source: L2SFBC - Robert Pepper - auto journo

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