Toothy smiles, boisterous laughter, and eyes filled with joy cover the nooks and crannies of Rivian’s story, making it more than just another EV startup. A glance through its website, and you won’t just find vehicles. You’ll see people. People having fun, exploring, basking in the sun, and, most of all, enjoying the outdoors.
When Rivian invited Teslarati to its First Mile tour event in the Bay area, we were excited to get a small taste of the outdoor adventures the company promises with the R1T. And we wanted to share the experience with our friend Arash Malek. After all, Rivian is also about community.
“Meaningful change happens when people come together. That’s how we’ve built Rivian, and that’s how we want to build our community.” – RJ Scaringe
At the event, Tanya greeted Arash as if she was greeting a friend. He was met with welcoming smiles and a promising day with the R1T ready to hit the beaten dirt path.
Rivian’s Roots
Arash was pleasantly surprised by Rivian’s R1T pickup truck, pointing out its impressive handling and traction. “The grip on the dirt feels like grip on pavement,” Arash told Teslarati.
The R1T ripped through muddy paths amid a backdrop that looked straight out of The Lord of the Rings‘ Hobbit village. Out in the open greenery, it was just Arash, driving the R1T with a few cool people who were egging him on to tear through the dirt paths.
And that is what Rivian wants to bring to customers. The promise of adventure with friends, family, and a tiny bit of calculated danger.
Rivian Today
Rivian’s IPO happened recently, making history as the sixth-largest listing ever on a US exchange. RIVN is also the biggest listing of 2021, and a few analysts and investors are stumped by it.
The company’s historic IPO could be attributed to what Rivian actually provides as an automaker. When it comes to the R1T, Rivian isn’t simply selling the first all-electric pickup truck on the market. It’s giving people an opportunity.
Rivian Tomorrow
The Rivian R1T starts at $67,500 before tax credits. At that price, the R1T appears to compete with the likes of the Ford F-150 Raptor and Ram 1500 TRX. However, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe stated before that he wants the R1 vehicles to have a “Patagonia-like feel of enabling adventure,” referring to the iconic premium sustainable clothing line.
The Patagonia brand has been renowned for decades among outdoor explorers. Given its history, it’s easy to see why Rivian wants its sustainable R1 vehicles to reach Patagonia’s heights.
Global Expedition Vehicles, which specializes in overlanding vehicles for adventurers-at-heart, launched a Patagonia-inspired expedition vehicle that starts at $700,000. It is fully equipped for comfort in the outdoors, with a kitchen, dining area, bathroom, and bedroom. It even has a tough zombie-apocalypse-level exterior to boot.
- A $700,000 overlanding vehicle complete with a wide range of creature comforts. (Credit: Global Expedition Vehicles)
- A pickup truck fitted with aftermarket overlanding equipment. (Credit: TacomaBeast/YouTube)
A $700,000 overlanding vehicle may be too much for some. So, other outdoor and overlanding enthusiasts typically buy pickup trucks and equip them with overlanding gear. An overlanding buildout can range from a few thousand dollars up to $100,000 or more. Labor is usually the most expensive part of outfitting an overlanding vehicle.
The R1T treads the line between all-out deluxe setups like the $700,000 Patagonia-inspired expedition vehicle and the simpler overlanding pickup truck setup. Rivian’s R1T gives owners a premium, comfortable outdoor experience. But in a more natural way, similar to outdoor experiences in a pickup truck outfitted with overlanding gear. The R1T also happens to be electric, so it doesn’t harm the environment it explores either.
“It’s like glamping but for off-roading. Glamroading,” Arash commented after his R1T drive.

At its price point, the R1T makes that premium overlanding experience accessible, attainable to more families, friends, and communities. And after a year indoors because of the pandemic, who doesn’t want to embrace the outdoors?
With the R1T and R1S, Rivian is coaxing more people to go out on the open road and explore the natural world while maintaining the simple comforts we’ve built as a society. Rivian knew it years ago. People need to experience nature, its majesty, its serenity, and its unity.
Rivian encourages people to use their R1 vehicles out in nature and bond with others. After all, isn’t human connection the best Chicken Soup for the Soul? Rivian is giving people the opportunity to create their own adventures and share stories around a camp fire–or in Rivian’s case, the Camp Kitchen.
The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, reach out to me at maria@teslarati.com or via Twitter @Writer_01001101.
Lifestyle
EV fans urge Tesla to acquire Unplugged Performance for edge in fleet and security industry
Unplugged Performance has built a name for itself by producing performance upgrades for Tesla vehicles.

A growing number of Tesla enthusiasts and longtime community voices are calling on the electric vehicle maker to acquire Unplugged Performance, a California-based aftermarket company best known for tuning Tesla vehicles and developing specialized government fleet solutions under its UP.FIT division.
The idea was once considered a niche proposal among EV fans, but it is now gaining serious attention not just as a performance play but as a strategic move to deepen Tesla’s roots in the fleet and security industry.
A strategic fit
Unplugged Performance has built a name for itself by producing performance upgrades for Tesla vehicles, from track-optimized components to visual and aerodynamic upgrades. But in recent years, its UP.FIT division has pivoted toward a more functional future by outfitting Tesla vehicles like Model Ys for police, military, and government use.
That work has sparked growing calls for closer collaboration with Tesla, especially as the EV maker increasingly leans into autonomy, AI, and fleet services as core components of its next chapter.
“I posted this four years ago, but I think it’s more true now than ever,” wrote Whole Mars Catalog, a well-known Tesla investor and FSD Beta tester, on X. “Tesla should buy Unplugged. But not just as a Performance division. What they are doing with UP.FIT unlocks large government and commercial fleet purchases that can improve utilization.”
Tesla fans such as shareholder Sawyer Merritt echoed the sentiment, calling Unplugged a “great fit within Tesla.” adding, “They are literally located directly next to Tesla’s design studio in Hawthorne.”
Enabling the next wave
Supporters of the idea noted that integrating Unplugged into Tesla’s corporate structure could help accelerate the adoption of autonomous technologies in government sectors. With UP.FIT patrol cars already in use across some U.S. police departments, Tesla fans envisioned a future where self-driving Teslas could potentially revolutionize law enforcement, search-and-rescue, and public service logistics.
“Just imagine how autonomous patrol cars could transform policing and bring us into a safer future,” the veteran FSD tester wrote.
The benefits could also extend to Tesla’s existing consumer base. “They also have some incredible products in the works that I think will appeal to many ordinary Tesla drivers — not just those looking for performance or mods. Stuff that’s so good it should have come straight from the design studio next door,” Whole Mars Catalog noted.
Unplugged Performance, founded in 2013, shares not just a product vision with Tesla, but also geography. Its Hawthorne headquarters sits directly adjacent to Tesla’s design studio, and the two companies have maintained a close working relationship over the years. The aftermarket firm has long positioned itself as a “mission-aligned” partner to Tesla.
In response to the recent calls for acquisition, Unplugged Performance acknowledged the support from the community. “Our very existence is to support the Tesla mission with @UpfitTesla and @UnpluggedTesla,” Unplugged CEO Ben Schaffer posted on X. “We love working with Tesla and are grateful for the community’s support since 2013!”
Elon Musk
X account with 184 followers inadvertently saves US space program amid Musk-Trump row
Needless to say, the X user has far more than 184 followers today after his level-headed feat.

An X user with 184 followers has become the unlikely hero of the United States’ space program by effectively de-escalating a row between SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and President Donald Trump on social media.
Needless to say, the X user has far more than 184 followers today after his level-headed feat.
A Near Fall
During Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s fallout last week, the U.S. President stated in a post on Truth Social that a good way for the United States government to save money would be to terminate subsidies and contracts from the CEO’s companies. Musk responded to Trump’s post by stating that SpaceX will start decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately.
Musk’s comment was received with shock among the space community, partly because the U.S. space program is currently reliant on SpaceX to send supplies and astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). Without Dragon, the United States will likely have to utilize Russia’s Soyuz for the same services—at a significantly higher price.
X User to the Rescue
It was evident among X users that Musk’s comments about Dragon being decommissioned were posted while emotions were high. It was then no surprise that an X account with 184 followers, @Fab25june, commented on Musk’s post, urging the CEO to rethink his decision. “This is a shame this back and forth. You are both better than this. Cool off and take a step back for a couple days,” the X user wrote in a reply.
Much to the social media platform’s surprise, Musk responded to the user. Even more surprising, the CEO stated that SpaceX would not be decommissioning Dragon after all. “Good advice. Ok, we won’t decommission Dragon,” Musk wrote in a post on X.
Not Planned, But Welcomed
The X user’s comment and Musk’s response were received extremely well by social media users, many of whom noted that @Fab25june’s X comment effectively saved the U.S. space program. In a follow-up comment, the X user, who has over 9,100 followers as of writing, stated that he did not really plan on being a mediator between Musk and Trump.
“Elon Musk replied to me. Somehow, I became the accidental peace broker between two billionaires. I didn’t plan this. I was just being me. Two great minds can do wonders. Sometimes, all it takes is a breather. Grateful for every like, DM, and new follow. Life’s weird. The internet’s weirder. Let’s ride. (Manifesting peace… and maybe a Model Y.)” the X user wrote.
Lifestyle
Tesla Cybertruck takes a bump from epic failing Dodge Charger
The Cybertruck seemed unharmed by the charging Charger.

There comes a time in a driver’s life when one is faced with one’s limitations. For the driver of a Dodge Charger, this time came when he lost control and crashed into a Tesla Cybertruck–an absolute epic fail.
A video of the rather unfortunate incident was shared on the r/TeslaLounge subreddit.
Charging Charger Fails
As could be seen in the video, which was posted on the subreddit by Model Y owner u/Hammer_of_something, a group of teens in a Dodge Charger decided to do some burnouts at a Tesla Supercharger. Unfortunately, the driver of the Charger failed in his burnout or donut attempt, resulting in the mopar sedan going over a curb and bumping a charging Cybertruck.
Ironically, the Dodge Charger seemed to have been parked at a Supercharger stall before its driver decided to perform the failed stunt. This suggests that the vehicle was likely ICE-ing a charging stall before it had its epic fail moment. Amusingly enough, the subreddit member noted that the Cybertruck did not seem like it took any damage at all despite its bump. The Charger, however, seemed like it ran into some trouble after crashing into the truck.
Alleged Aftermath
As per the the r/TeslaLounge subreddit member, the Cybertruck owner came rushing out to his vehicle after the Dodge Charger crashed into it. The Model Y owner then sent over the full video of the incident, which clearly showed the Charger attempting a burnout, failing, and bumping into the Cybertruck. The Cybertruck owner likely appreciated the video, in part because it showed the driver of the Dodge Charger absolutely freaking out after the incident.
The Cybertruck is not an impregnable vehicle, but it can take bumps pretty well thanks to its thick stainless steel body. Based on this video, it appears that the Cybertruck can even take bumps from a charging Charger, all while chilling and charging at a Supercharger. As for the teens in the Dodge, they likely had to provide a long explanation to authorities after the incident, since the cops were called to the location.
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