Right-Hand Drive Rivian R1T With 8 Seats Spotted In Africa

This American all-electric pickup ended up as a safari vehicle in Kenya.

Rivian R1T converted into safari truck in Kenya, Africa

Iulian Dnistran

By: Iulian Dnistran

May 2, 2023 at 9:41am ET

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A unique Rivian R1T has been spotted by a tourist in Kenya, where the all-electric American pickup truck has been converted into a safari truck.

The photos were posted on the Rivian Forums by the user shammyrocked, who said that a buddy of his spotted the special R1T while on a safari tour.

As you can see in the images posted on the forum thread, as well as in the embedded Reddit post below, the Rivian pickup has been converted from a left-hand drive to a right-hand drive configuration.

But that's not all because the original roof has been chopped, transforming it into something resembling a golf cart, and eight individual seats have taken the place of the standard seating arrangement.

Moreover, there's a beefy-looking front bull bar and two rear-mounted spare wheels.

However, as interesting as this Rivian R1T is, perhaps more intriguing is the fact that Rivian itself had a hand in making it.

Back in 2022, the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust (MWCT) announced a pilot program in cooperation with the American EV manufacturer, where Rivian would supply the Kenyan conservation trust with four R1T vehicles, enabling MWCT to carry out vital conservation work in the most efficient and environmentally friendly way possible, including quiet anti-poaching patrols, zero tailpipe-emissions transport for Maasai firefighters, and critical on-and off-road rangers’ operations.

Back then, there was nothing in the official press release that hinted at a converted, right-hand drive electric truck, but now it seems that the partnership between the two entities went one step further.

On the official website of Campi ya Kanzi, which is boutique eco-lodge located on a Maasai-owned reserve, it says that the trust is using two retrofitted EV Land Rovers and Rivian vehicles for its daily operations, with a Rivian safari vehicle soon to be added to the fleet.

Well, it looks like the website hasn't been updated for a while because that electric safari vehicle is already transporting people around the premises of the MWCT in South-Eastern Kenya.

What do you think?

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We've reached out to Rivian for some official info on the unusual R1T pictured above, but we haven't heard back from them yet.

As always, we'd like to know what you think about this, so head over to the comments section below and give us your thoughts.