Rivian R1T wins 1,600-mile Rebelle Rally for first EV victory, demonstrating off-road electric supremacy

The Rebelle Rally is a female-only rally even that spans 2,500 km (1,553 miles) across the Nevada and California deserts, pitting drivers against the other teams and the environment in a challenge to navigate the desert to locate checkpoints with no digital navigation aids whatsoever. This year, the Rebelle Rally was conquered by a stock Rivian R1T driven by Lillian Macaruso and Alexandra Anderson, both engineers working at Rivian.

The multi-day Rebelle Rally follows an unconventional format, with the teams starting the day at a set basecamp, venturing out into the desert in search of checkpoints that must be collected consecutively, and returning to the camp after the end of the day. Each checkpoint is worth a set number of points, depending on route difficulty, and how many points a team accrues determines its standing.

This unique race format allows the Rebelle Rally to accommodate electric vehicles with Renewable Innovations solar- and hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered tractor-trailers powering EV DC fast chargers for nightly charges, among other amenities, like showers, for all teams.

At the end of the event, teams racing Rivian R1Ts took first, eleventh, twentieth, and thirtieth places. Interestingly, second place was taken by a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4xe, which was only 36 points behind the Rivian team. This demonstrates both the Rivian R1T's impressive off-roading chops and the effectiveness of an electrified drivetrain for off-road work.

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