Rivian has taken the wraps off a new division within the company that it says consists of a team of designers, engineers and adventure enthusiasts who spend their days and nights exploring the limits of what a Rivian can do. 

In short, it wants to find out just how hardcore its all-electric vehicles are, how they stack up against the competition and how good they look decked out in a bespoke livery that looks straight outta the 1970s.

Said division is called the Rivian Adventure Department — or RAD for short — and it builds on what the company has already achieved at the Rebelle Rally and Pike’s Peak, which led to a fine-tuning of vehicle and chassis dynamics that actually filtered down into customer cars via an over-the-air update.

“Rivian says its very being is an invitation to explore what your vehicle can do and how much fun you can have”

The resulting software tool, dubbed the RAD Tuner, allows Gen 2 Rivian R1T and R1S Quad Motor owners to create their own drive modes in real-time, adjusting power output, torque bias, stability control and brake regeneration to match the trail or road ahead. 

But this recent announcement of RAD as a separate division indicates how seriously Rivian is taking the adventure, with the company stating that it will enter the 2026 FAT Ice Race in Big Sky, Montana.

Although not exactly the most challenging off-road event, the fashion-forward gathering of both classic and modern metal will see Rivian partake in a spot of ice-based racing and skijoring, where someone will undoubtedly be towed behind a RAD wagon on a pair of skis.

There’s no word on what RAD will spawn next, but Rivian says its very being is an invitation to explore what “your vehicle can do and how much fun you can have”.

We eagerly await all of the negative comments about batteries dying in the wild to come rolling in.