Watch How a Rivian R1T Saves the Day by Rescuing a Class 8 Truck

It’s no secret that Rivian makes a great pickup truck. With one motor for each wheel, the R1T is capable to offer superlative off-road capabilities and makes enough power to rival hypercars. It’s priced competitively, too, considering that the price starts from $73,000 for the dual-motor plus standard 260-mile (418-kilometer) battery pack configuration. The price can comfortably climb up to $98,550 when the 400-mile (644-kilometer) is paired with the two-motor powertrain, and some other options are chosen. But everything about this vehicle might be worth it because a customer just proved the R1T can do a lot more than what the automaker promised.

While coming back from a humanitarian trip, photographer Mylo Fowler spotted a big rig that slid off the highway after it left Moab, Utah. The area was hit by high winds and a lot of snow which led to icy conditions and low visibility. Fowler chose not to ignore the semi-trailer truck driver in need of assistance and stopped to lend a helping hand. He says that’s what his dad taught him.

Even though the minimum weight of a Class 8 truck is around 33,000 lb (14,969 kg), the Rivian owner hooked up a recovery kit and attempted a first pull, but it did not work out. The R1T was thrown to the side and immediately lost traction.

The pickup truck driver repositioned, found a better angle, and tried again. Lo and behold, after applying smooth acceleration, which avoided any uncomfortable jolts, it worked! The Rivian managed to pull the semi-truck back on the highway. Another try was not needed!

The R1T owner sacrificed the vehicle’s rear General Grabber AT/X tires while doing so, but it was worth it. The other driver was visibly grateful, but both of them were impressed by how well the all-electric pickup truck behaved while pulling so much weight. Those 908 lb-ft (1,231 Nm) of torque truly shined in this rescue story.

EVs are great for these kinds of things because they can deliver great amounts of power at absurdly low speeds. Essentially, all the torque can be used starting from zero mph. That’s how the Lucid Air Sapphire or the Rimac Nevera can reach such dazzling 0-60 mph times. The quad-motor R1T is not shy of being quick either – it reaches 60 mph (97 kph) from naught in just 3.2 seconds.

After some chatting with the semi-truck driver, Fowler found out that the big rig weighed around 38,000 lb (17,237 kg). That is over three times more than the rated towing capacity of the Rivian R1T.
The photographer is a seasoned pickup truck driver. He says that in the last 15 years, that’s the type of vehicle he drove most because his job and passion took him on many adventurous routes.

Ultimately, this encounter proved yet again that the Irvine-based automaker puts out great vehicles, which, as it looks, can handle a lot more stress than what is advertised. Maybe this is how Rivian will convince naysayers to jump on the EV train and give up on their gas-powered vehicles. Or, who knows, maybe the R1T will be used to save Tesla Semis in the near future!