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Rivian’s R1T electric truck kitchen set was made with sustainable materials
Rivian has a lot of excitement built up for its outdoor adventure brand, and alongside the launch of its all-electric R1T pickup truck and R1S SUV, the company also has plans to launch must-have accessories for new vehicle owners. The most notable of these is the extendable kitchen set designed for the R1T gear tunnel which is constructed with environmentally friendly materials that align with Rivian’s sustainability mission.
A close-up look at Rivian’s portable kitchen was recently published by Tech Crunch from their attendance at the Overland Expo West in Flagstaff, Arizona this past May. The car maker had unveiled the cooking companion at the event, and team members were demonstrating the module’s functionality. Part of Rivian’s branding is centered around being part of a sustainable future as an electric vehicle car manufacturer, and with that in mind, the gear tunnel kitchen uses recycled materials in its frame and work surfaces, specifically the brand Richlite, as revealed in the recent video. Richlite is an ultra-durable, heat-resistant blend of recycled paper and resin that has received several sustainability certifications, including Greenguard Certification for low emissions, Rainforest Alliance Certification, and Forest Stewardship Council Certification, per the company’s website.
Another interesting part of Rivian’s portable kitchen is its induction stovetop and electric kettle; both were designed to tuck away into the kitchen’s frame for maximum usability with minimum storage requirements. Drawers with cork inserts that stabilize utensils and cooking supplies while driving are also included in the design. The kitchen set additionally includes a dish drying rack made from bamboo that folds out of a built-in sink. Finally, there’s a 5-gallon water tank to supply any drinking, cooking, or cleaning needs.
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- Rivian’s R1T gear tunnel kitchen set. | Image: Rivian/Twitter
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- Rivian’s R1T gear tunnel kitchen set. | Image: Rivian/Twitter
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- The Rivian R1T with tent attachment. | Image: Rivian/Instagram
After unveiling its kitchen set, Rivian’s social media focused on promoting the accessory to help jog potential customers’ imaginations and inspire trips of their own with food at the forefront. Two company team members documented a trip to Sedona with the R1T truck over Memorial Day weekend highlighting the kitchen specifically along with a tent that attaches to the truck bed. While this newest gear tunnel addition was only meant to be a prototype to interact with the overlanding community and gain feedback for Rivian’s products, its popularity has convinced the company to offer it as a standard accessory available for purchase when the company fully launches its production vehicles.
The Rivian team is currently hard at work bringing the company up to a high-volume manufacturing level for the R1T and R1S. In the meantime, CEO RJ Scaringe has teased a few other environmentally-focused projects underway. At the company’s manufacturing facility in Normal, Illinois, Rivian is planning an on-site food farm for employees in collaboration with local universities. Also, the car maker recently announced an expansion of its partnership with rock climber Alex Honnold via an energy storage project using the company’s expended car batteries for a micro solar grid in Puerto Rico.
Deliveries of the first customer R1T pickup trucks and R1S SUVs are expected to happen at the end of 2020. Scaringe recently estimated that in 2021, Rivian’s estimated first full year of rolling vehicles through the assembly line, approximately 20,000 to 40,000 cars will be made. Until then, preorders are still open on their website.
News
Tesla gamifies Supercharging with new ‘Charging Passport’
It will also include things like badges for special charging spots, among other metrics that will show all of the different places people have traveled to plug in for range.
Tesla is gamifying its Supercharging experience by offering a new “Charging Passport,” hoping to add a new layer to the ownership experience.
While it is not part of the Holiday Update, it is rolling out around the same time and offers a handful of cool new features.
Tesla’s Charging Passport will be available within the smartphone app and will give a yearly summary of your charging experience, helping encapsulate your travel for that year.
It will also include things like badges for special charging spots, among other metrics that will show all of the different places people have traveled to plug in for range.
Tesla has just introduced “Charging Passport,” a new yearly summary of your charging.
• Charging badges: Iconic Charging badge (for visiting places like the Tesla Diner, Oasis Supercharger, etc), Explorer badge, green saver badge, etc.
• Total unique Superchargers visited
•… pic.twitter.com/c1DHTWXpj7— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) December 8, 2025
Tesla will include the following metrics within the new Charging Passport option within the Tesla app:
- Charging badges: Iconic charging badges for visiting places like the Tesla Diner, Oasis Supercharger, etc., Explorer Badge, and more
- Total Unique Superchargers Visited
- Total Charging Sessions
- Total Miles Added during Charging Sessions
- Top Charging Day
- Longest Trip
- Favorite Charging Locations
This will give people a unique way to see their travels throughout the year, and although it is not necessarily something that is needed or adds any genuine value, it is something that many owners will like to look back on. After all, things like Spotify Wrapped and Apple Music Replay have been a great way for people to see what music they listened to throughout the year.
This is essentially Tesla’s version of that.
With a handful of unique Superchargers already active, Tesla is also building some new ones, like a UFO-inspired location in New Mexico, near Roswell.
Tesla is building a new UFO-inspired Supercharger in the heart of Alien country
News
Tesla launches its coolest gift idea ever just a few weeks after it was announced
“Gift one month of Full Self-Driving (Supervised), which allows the vehicle to drive itself almost anywhere with minimal intervention.”
Tesla has launched its coolest gift idea ever, just a few weeks after it was announced.
Tesla is now giving owners the opportunity to gift Full Self-Driving for one month to friends or family through a new gifting program that was suggested to the company last month.
The program will enable people to send a fellow Tesla owner one month of the company’s semi-autonomous driving software, helping them to experience the Full Self-Driving suite and potentially help Tesla gain them as a subscriber of the program, or even an outright purchase.
Tesla is going to allow owners to purchase an FSD Subscription for another owner for different month options
You’ll be able to gift FSD to someone! https://t.co/V29dhf5URj
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 3, 2025
Tesla has officially launched the program on its Shop. Sending one month of Full Self-Driving costs $112:
“Gift one month of Full Self-Driving (Supervised), which allows the vehicle to drive itself almost anywhere with minimal intervention. All sales are final. Can only be purchased and redeemed in the U.S. This gift card is valued at $112.00 and is intended to cover the price of one month of FSD (Supervised), including up to 13% sales tax. It is not guaranteed to cover the full monthly price if pricing or tax rates change. This gift card can be stored in Tesla Wallet and redeemed toward FSD (Supervised) or any other Tesla product or service that accepts gift card payments.”
Tesla has done a great job of expanding Full Self-Driving access over the past few years, especially by offering things like the Subscription program, free trials through referrals, and now this gift card program.
Gifting Full Self-Driving is another iteration of Tesla’s “butts in seats” strategy, which is its belief that it can flip consumers to its vehicles and products by simply letting people experience them.
There is also a reason behind pushing Full Self-Driving so hard, and it has to do with CEO Elon Musk’s compensation package. One tranche requires Musk to achieve a certain number of active paid Full Self-Driving subscriptions.
More people who try the suite are likely to pay for it over the long term.
News
Tesla expands Robotaxi app access once again, this time on a global scale
Tesla said recently it plans to launch Robotaxi in Miami, Houston, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Dallas.
Tesla has expanded Robotaxi app access once again, but this time, it’s on a much broader scale as the company is offering the opportunity for those outside of North America to download the app.
Tesla Robotaxi is the company’s early-stage ride-hailing platform that is active in Texas, California, and Arizona, with more expansion within the United States planned for the near future.
Tesla said recently it plans to launch Robotaxi in Miami, Houston, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Dallas.
The platform has massive potential, and Tesla is leaning on it to be a major contributor to even more disruption in the passenger transportation industry. So far, it has driven over 550,000 miles in total, with the vast majority of this coming from the Bay Area and Austin.
First Look at Tesla’s Robotaxi App: features, design, and more
However, Tesla is focusing primarily on rapid expansion, but most of this is reliant on the company’s ability to gain regulatory permission to operate the platform in various regions. The expansion plans go well outside of the U.S., as the company expanded the ability to download the app to more regions this past weekend.
So far, these are the areas it is available to download in:
- Japan
- Thailand
- Hong Kong
- South Korea
- Australia
- Taiwan
- Macau
- New Zealand
- Mexico
- U.S.
- Canada
Right now, while Tesla is focusing primarily on expansion, it is also working on other goals that have to do with making it more widely available to customers who want to grab a ride from a driverless vehicle.
One of the biggest goals it has is to eliminate safety monitors from its vehicles, which it currently utilizes in Austin in the passenger’s seat and in the driver’s seat in the Bay Area.
A few weeks ago, Tesla started implementing a new in-cabin data-sharing system, which will help support teams assist riders without anyone in the front of the car.
Tesla takes a step towards removal of Robotaxi service’s safety drivers
As Robotaxi expands into more regions, Tesla stands to gain tremendously through the deployment of the Full Self-Driving suite for personal cars, as well as driverless Robotaxis for those who are just hailing rides.
Things have gone well for Tesla in the early stages of the Robotaxi program, but expansion will truly be the test of how things operate going forward. Navigating local traffic laws and gaining approval from a regulatory standpoint will be the biggest hurdle to jump.
Tesla gamifies Supercharging with new ‘Charging Passport’
Tesla launches its coolest gift idea ever just a few weeks after it was announced
