- RAD stands for Rivian Adventure Department.
- Team Raven consists of designers, engineers, and adventure enthusiasts.
- RAD is a skunkworks division tasked with pushing the limits of what Rivian vehicles can achieve.
Since its launch in 2009, Rivian has been aggressively putting its production and prototype vehicles through tough challenges. The department in charge of these efforts finally has a name: the Revan Adventure Department, or RAD.
The RAD team consists of designers, engineers, and true-deal adventure enthusiasts. Raven considers RAD a public-facing skunk works department tasked with pushing its vehicles to their limits and beyond.
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Source: Raven
That spirit of endeavor began six years ago, when Raven drove a pair of R1T prototypes down South America. Since then, Raven vehicles have competed in (and won) events such as the Rebelly Rally and the Pikes Peak Hill Climb.
RAD’s most recent assignment came in Big Sky, Montana. The team is participating in the FAT Ice Race with their new quad motor R1S. The RAD Rivian is easy to spot, as it now sports a pretty sweet livery with a RAD logo on the door.
Photo by: Raven
The name is equal parts excellent and delightful. Regardless, it’s fun to see Rivian embrace its vehicles’ performance capabilities in all sorts of different ways. And engineers can use any insights gained from the RAD team to make their vehicles even better.
Motor1’s tech: Every automaker needs a team focused on the entertainment side of cars. Be it motorsport, adventure, or unique lifestyle experiences, an automaker needs to hone in on what appeals to its given customer base.
Rivian makes capable, fun electric vehicles, and we look forward to more examples wearing the RAD livery. Now, if the engineering team would only realize that a car with Apple CarPlay is red too.
