It was only six years ago that Rivian was playing with early prototypes of its first vehicle, the R1T, in South America. The adventure was filming and supporting the Long Way Up electric motorcycle expedition and film. On that trip, the company says it realized something important: “the further we push our vehicles, the more fun we can have.”
From there Rivian designers, engineers, and adventure enthusiasts have been on all sorts of wild adventures around the globe, many times on their own dime and time. Adventure is baked into Rivian’s DNA and has attracted talented employees that like to push the boundaries of what’s possible.
What all this loose skunkworks activity has produced now has a name, and a focus. The Rivian Adventure Department (RAD) is said to have one mission: “finding the next level of what’s possible with our vehicles, bridging between where we find the extremes and the features that end up in your driveway.”
Rivian Adventure Department
While this team of enthusiasts within Rivian didn’t have a name until now, they have been pushing boundaries since the company’s inception. Think winning the Rebelle Rally and setting records at Pikes Peak.
“We’ve learned there’s no substitute for real-world experience. Three years ago at Rebelle, when deep sand conditions made for slow going at certain points in the course, our team’s experience was directly informed by our earlier development of Soft Sand mode,” said Lilly Macaruso, Rivian Engineer and Rebelle Rally Winner.
RAD Tuner
From all this adventure, extreme testing, and good fun has come a rad new customization tool for Rivian Gen 2 Quad owners. It’s called the RAD Tuner and allows for the creation of custom drive modes on the fly. This was introduced via an over-the-air update and is a feature within the infotainment system.
You can customize ten different variables with the RAD Tuner. These include: acceleration, regen, brake assist, steering assist, ride height, torque balance, wheel slip, stability, dampening, and roll stiffness. And, you can save your preferred settings as selectable drive modes — which you can also give fun names.
The RAD Tuner also comes with presets, which have been honed from the data collected on big adventures. An example, the data collected during the Rebelle rally directly created the Desert Rally drive mode.
Debuting RAD
RAD as an entity, a sub-brand, and a statement by Rivian that it plans to continue pursuing adventure and extreme performance, debuts this week at the 2026 FAT Ice Race in Big Sky, Montana.
Rivian is showing off its new RAD livery, showcasing its RAD team, and getting rad with the R1S Quad-Motor. With 1,025 horsepower on tap and the RAD Tuner on board the R1S Quad is likely to put on a good show and be quite competitive in the race.
The company’s smaller R2 SUV, which is hits the market later this year, is also making an appearance, as well as an R1T. All are wrapped in bright RAD livery.
What’s Next for RAD?
Rivian says that “RAD is a promise that we will never stop pushing the limits and finding new ways to put a smile on your face.” While that is a shiny marketing line, I do believe it to be true. Rivian has been an adventurous company from the start.
Where this new RAD program will go is still a big question mark. But, my guess is that it will become the performance and in-house upgrade arm of Rivian. Think BMW M, Mercedes AMG, Ford Performance, Genesis Magma, and the like.
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