When Rivian stated its electrical pickup was constructed to “deal with all of it,” it wasn’t bluffing. A Rivian R1T proprietor in Asheville, North Carolina, had his car dragged 100 to 150 ft after Hurricane Helene swept by the world. To even his shock, Rivian’s electrical pickup was nonetheless able to run.
Rivian R1T survives Hurricane Helene floodwaters
Rivian has “spent years” hauling gear, loading bikes, and testing its electrical pickup to make sure it could actually face up to all of it.
The R1T can plow by 3 ft of water and climb a 100% grade with over 14″ of floor clearance. It even has sports activities automotive acceleration with prompt torque to hit 0 to 60 mph in as little as 3 seconds.
Nonetheless, after Hurricane Helene left a devastating path of destruction, Rivian’s electrical pickup might have earned its title as the final word journey car.
Native Asheville, NC resident and Rivian R1T proprietor Joshua Vincent Sauer stated his Rivian R1T survived the worst of it.
After parking his electrical pickup by a U-Haul on Thursday night time, Sauer returned searching for it on Saturday, solely to seek out it “100 to 150 ft” away by a neighborhood Walgreens.
In a video posted on Fb, the R1T proprietor stated he assumed floodwaters carried the car.
Though he wasn’t there to see it, Sauer stated he knew the R1T was not discovered the place he parked it earlier than the Hurricane.
You possibly can see the mud caked on the facet of the car and water nonetheless within the mattress. After noticing the door handles opening, he knew the pickup nonetheless had electrical energy. When he obtained in, “it booted up like nothing occurred,” Sauer stated.
Though it was initially exhausting to seek out charging stations (like working fuel stations), Sauer stated there was an open Electrify America charger at a neighborhood Sam’s Membership. He additionally talked about a Tesla Supercharger at a close-by park.
Electrek’s Take
Asheville was one of many hardest-hit areas by Hurricane Helene, because the loss of life toll rises to almost 180. It was one of many worst storms in US historical past, in response to AP Information, in different phrases a pure catastrophe.
Many individuals misplaced every part, together with their properties, private belongings, and family members. Many are nonetheless with out energy, operating water, or cell service. Some are stranded with roads washed away by floodwaters. Authorities cargo planes are unloading meals and water to among the hardest-hit areas this week.
Automobiles usually are not anticipated to outlive a pure catastrophe like this, however Rivian’s R1T’s potential to face up to among the worst of it’s a main accomplishment for the EV maker.
Rivian continues advancing safer, extra environment friendly EV tech. Final month, it turned the one pickup within the US with an IIHS Prime Security Choose+ award in 2024. Rivian’s 2024 R1T electrical pickup scored “Good” on all crash rankings, besides the usual Ahead Collision Avoidance system, which earned an “Acceptable” ranking.
And Rivian isn’t the one one. Automakers, startups, and governments all over the world are teaming as much as develop safer EV tech as adoption charges proceed climbing.
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