This Special Rivian Feature Dates All The Way Back To The 1920s
The Rivian brand is all about modern EV off-road and adventure vehicles. You could literally fill a book with all the gadgets that come with the standard versions of the Rivian R1T — its pickup version — and the R1S, the SUV version. Drivers can also upgrade and order the Rivian Adventure package with their vehicle. And if that doesn't cut it, there is always the Rivian Gear Shop, where users can get anything from Kayak mounts to a complete kitchen to cook in their wild outdoor rides.
For those worried about Rivian's performance and delivery delays, the brand seems to be working hard to turn things around. In May 2022, Motley Fool reported that delays and hikes in prices caused Rivian stock to drop by 70% in 12 months. But the maintains a market cap of $28 billion, four times that of Rolls-Royce, and continues to get good reviews from car sites including InsideEVs and Consumer Reports.
Rivian must maneuver supply chain issues that are affecting the entire EV industry. The company assured it will produce 25,000 vehicles in 2022. Beyond the debate about whether new buyers will be able to get behind the wheel of a Rivian soon, one thing is certain: building a Rivian — with all its endless features — is not like building an ordinary EV. But where did Rivian get its extra gear inspiration? Turns out that one of the most iconic features of the Rivian, the Gear Tunnel, was commonly seen in cars in the 1920s.
Supercars of the 1920s and the Rivian Gear Tunnel
The '20s were a golden decade for cars. SuperCars explains that many technological advancements were introduced then. Cars of those years shared many innovations with the modern cars of today. Four-wheel drive, electric-powered cars, and even hybrid cars were first released in the 1920s.
Modern cars and cars from the '20s also share a vision for supersized exteriors with spacious and luxurious interiors, though both eras apply it with very different styles. Drivers in the 1920s, like drivers today, loved the great American outdoors. There were 15 million auto campers in use then, giving families a cheap and safe way to enjoy the outdoors and countrysides in 1922, SuperCars reports. To manage cargo space cars in the 20s introduced the "Golf Compartment." Posts from a AAA Forum show different 1920s car models and their different golf compartments.
In a Rivian, the golf compartment is called the Gear Tunnel. It crosses the entire vehicle from side to side. Only the Rivian R1T, the pickup version, has a gear tunnel. The SUV version, or R1S, does not have one due to the space restrictions that rise with its three-row seat arrangement. In the R1T, the gear tunnel is located in the lower space between the rear passenger door and the rear wheels. It is a sophisticated approach to storage space utilization.
How big is the Rivian gear tunnel?
Rivian Stories says that when it comes to planning a road trip in the R1T, "just bring everything you think you might need." The company notes that it designed the vehicle around storage. "Sleeping bags, sleeping pads, fishing poles, and waders can go in the Gear Tunnel, behind the rear seats," Rivian adds. The gear tunnel allows for gear like snowboards, to be loaded without dismantling them. This ready-to-use storage approach saves time and makes life easier for users."
The tunnel gear has a height of 20.7 inches, a width of 64 inches, and a length of 18.4 inches. That's big enough to fit a person, and some Rivian users post images on Twitter of themselves inside the gear tunnel just to prove it. Rivian adds that its rubber lining is what makes the tunnel gear special. Anything fragile won't slide and is set to endure the bumpy road ahead.
The gear tunnel also has two outlets: one 110 AV and one 12V DC. These can power up Rivian gear like the Camp Kitchen, or whatever a user would want to plugin. The Gear Tunnel Shuttle, sold in the Gear Shop, is a sliding-out platform that increases usable space and allows faster loading and unloading. In total, the gear tunnel has 11.7 cubic feet of storage. It is just one of many hidden features Rivian models have that every new car should have.