Connect with us

News

Rivian Gear shop reminds owners of the company’s sustainable adventure goals

(Credit: Rivian Stories/Rivian Automotive)

Published

on

Rivian’s Gear Shop is live just as the company prepares to price its initial public offering on Tuesday. The items in Rivian’s Gear Shop remind customers of its main purpose: to allow people to have outdoor adventures while also preserving nature for future generations.

The Gear Shop reflects Rivian’s approach in the electric vehicle market. The shop features T-shirts, sweatshirts, and caps with Normal, Illinois printed on them, almost like one of the souvenirs tourists buy during trips to new and fun places. There are also some T-shirts and caps that simply feature Rivian’s logo.

(Credit: Rivian)

While all the Rivian shirts and caps are great for owners and supporters of the company, the most interesting part of the Gear Shop would be the actual gear available for purchase. The Rivian Camp Kitchen x Snow Peak Package is perhaps the perfect example of the company’s vision for the Gear Shop. The package includes three accessories: The Camp Kitchen, the Rivian Gear Tunnel Shuttle, and the Snow Peak Kitchen Set.

The Camp Kitchen is a modular kitchen that gives Rivian R1T owners a functional kitchen during outdoor adventures. The kitchen takes up 1,440 watts of power to run. It has a two-burner induction cooktop that Rivian claims can heat up a pot of chili quickly and still stay cool to the touch. The modular kitchen also comes with a 4-gallon water tank.

The Camp Kitchen is mounted onto and powered through the Gear Tunnel Shuttle, which is found in the R1T’s gear tunnel. The Gear Tunnel Shuttle is required to operate the Camp Kitchen. To install the shuttle, Rivian owners must go to a service center.

(Credit: Rivian)

The last piece of the package is the Snow Peak kitchen set. It is a 30-piece set that fully compliments the Camp Kitchen. The Snow Peak kitchen set includes cooking accessories like a nylon & bamboo spatula, a nylon ladle, a kettle, and knives. The set also includes a 4-piece cutlery set, bolts, plates, and six mugs. And Rivian didn’t forget to add some lighting into the set either, as it comes with a string of lights and a pole.

Rivian hasn’t listed the price of the Rivian Camp Kitchen x Snow Peak Package. However, the Gear Shop states the package is coming soon, and shipping is free in the United States.

Advertisement

Along with a kitchen, Rivian also thought of accommodations while owners are enjoying nature. The Gear Shop listed a three-person tent package, which includes a ladder, cargo crossbars, and a 2.5” thick wall-to-wall foam mattress. The crossbars are required to mount the tents onto the R1S or R1T.

(Credit: Rivian)

Another notable item in the Gear Shop would be Rivian’s Field Kit. The Field Kit costs $150 and fits snugly along the passenger door of the R1T pickup. It contains emergency care items like bandages , burn shield dressing, disposable gloves, gauze pads, and a finger splint.

Rivian’s Gear Shop is full of other accessories that could enhance someone’s outdoor adventures. Rivian will probably release more accessories and maybe even appropriate apparel for outdoor adventures in the future. The company’s founder and CEO RJ Scaringe has stated in the past that he would like Rivian vehicles to have a “Patagonia-like feel of enabling adventure.” It stands to reason that the same goes for the items Rivian releases in its Gear Shop.

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

Maria--aka "M"-- is an experienced writer and book editor. She's written about several topics including health, tech, and politics. As a book editor, she's worked with authors who write Sci-Fi, Romance, and Dark Fantasy. M loves hearing from TESLARATI readers. If you have any tips or article ideas, contact her at maria@teslarati.com or via X, @Writer_01001101.

Advertisement
Comments

Elon Musk

USDOT Secretary visits Tesla Giga Texas, hints at national autonomous vehicle standards

The Transportation Secretary also toured the factory’s production lines and spoke with CEO Elon Musk.

Published

on

Credit: Elon Musk/X

United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Sean Duffy recently visited Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas complex, where he toured the factory’s production lines and spoke with CEO Elon Musk. In a video posted following his Giga Texas visit, Duffy noted that he believes there should be a national standard for autonomous vehicles in the United States.

Duffy’s Giga Texas Visit

As could be seen in videos of his Giga Texas visit, the Transportation Secretary seemed to appreciate the work Tesla has been doing to put the United States in the forefront of innovation. “Tesla is one of the many companies helping our country reach new heights. USDOT will be right there all the way to make sure Americans stay safe,” Duffy wrote in a post on X. 

He also praised Tesla for its autonomous vehicle program, highlighting that “We need American companies to keep innovating so we can outcompete the rest of the world.”

National Standard

While speaking with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the Transportation Secretary stated that other autonomous ride-hailing companies have been lobbying for a national standard for self-driving cars. Musk shared the sentiment, stating that “It’d be wonderful for the United States to have a national set of rules for autonomous driving as opposed to 50 independent sets of rules on a state-by-state rules basis.”

Duffy agreed with the CEO’s point, stating that, “You can’t have 50 different rules for 50 different states. You need one standard.” He also noted that the Transportation Department has asked autonomous vehicle companies to submit data. By doing so, the USDOT could develop a standard for the entire United States, allowing self-driving cars to operate in a manner that is natural and safe.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

News

Tesla posts Optimus’ most impressive video demonstration yet

The humanoid robot was able to complete all the tasks through a single neural network.

Published

on

Credit: Tesla Optimus/X

When Elon Musk spoke with CNBC’s David Faber in an interview at Giga Texas, he reiterated the idea that Optimus will be one of Tesla’s biggest products. Seemingly to highlight the CEO’s point, the official Tesla Optimus account on social media platform X shared what could very well be the most impressive demonstration of the humanoid robot’s capabilities to date.

Optimus’ Newest Demonstration

In its recent video demonstration, the Tesla Optimus team featured the humanoid robot performing a variety of tasks. These include household chores such as throwing the trash, using a broom and a vacuum cleaner, tearing a paper towel, stirring a pot of food, opening a cabinet, and closing a curtain, among others. The video also featured Optimus picking up a Model X fore link and placing it on a dolly.

What was most notable in the Tesla Optimus team’s demonstration was the fact that the humanoid robot was able to complete all the tasks through a single neural network. The robot’s actions were also learned directly from Optimus being fed data from first-person videos of humans performing similar tasks. This system should pave the way for Optimus to learn and refine new skills quickly and reliably.

Tesla VP for Optimus Shares Insight

In a follow-up post on X, Tesla Vice President of Optimus (Tesla Bot) Milan Kovac stated that one of the team’s goals is to have Optimus learn straight from internet videos of humans performing tasks, including footage captured in third person or by random cameras.

“We recently had a significant breakthrough along that journey, and can now transfer a big chunk of the learning directly from human videos to the bots (1st person views for now). This allows us to bootstrap new tasks much faster compared to teleoperated bot data alone (heavier operationally).

Advertisement

“Many new skills are emerging through this process, are called for via natural language (voice/text), and are run by a single neural network on the bot (multi-tasking). Next: expand to 3rd person video transfer (aka random internet), and push reliability via self-play (RL) in the real-, and/or synthetic- (sim / world models) world,” Kovac wrote in his post on X.

Continue Reading

News

Starship Flight 9 nears as SpaceX’s Starbase becomes a Texan City

SpaceX’s launch site is officially incorporated as Starbase, TX. Starship Flight 9 could launch on May 27, 2025. 

Published

on

spacex-starship-flight-9-starbase-city
(Credit: Jenny Hautmann/Wikimedia Commons)

SpaceX’s Starbase is officially incorporated as a city in Texas, aligning with preparations for Starship Flight 9. The newly formed city in Cameron County serves as the heart of SpaceX’s Starship program.

Starbase City spans 1.5 square miles, encompassing SpaceX’s launch facility and company-owned land. A near-unanimous vote by residents, who were mostly SpaceX employees, led to its incorporation. SpaceX’s Vice President of Test and Launch, Bobby Peden, was elected mayor of Starbase. The new Texas city also has two SpaceX employees as commissioners. All Starbase officials will serve two-year terms unless extended to four by voters.

As the new city takes shape, SpaceX is preparing for the Starship Flight 9 launch, which is tentatively scheduled for May 27, 2025, at 6:30 PM CDT from Starbase, Texas.

SpaceX secured Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for up to 25 annual Starship and Super Heavy launches from the site. However, the FAA emphasized that “there are other licensing requirements still to be completed,” including policy, safety, and environmental reviews.

Advertisement

On May 15, the FAA noted SpaceX updated its launch license for Flight 9, but added: “SpaceX may not launch until the FAA either closes the Starship Flight 8 mishap investigation or makes a return to flight determination. The FAA is reviewing the mishap report SpaceX submitted on May 14.”

Proposed Texas legislation could empower Starbase officials to close local highways and restrict Boca Chica Beach access during launches. Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino, Jr., opposes the Texas legislation, insisting beach access remain under county control. This tension highlights the balance between SpaceX’s ambitions and local interests.

Starbase’s incorporation strengthens SpaceX’s operational base as it gears up for Starship Flight 9, a critical step in its mission to revolutionize space travel. With growing infrastructure and regulatory hurdles in focus, Starbase is poised to become a cornerstone of SpaceX’s vision, blending community development with cutting-edge aerospace innovation.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending