Rivian has touted its unique portable kitchen that’s set to pair with the company’s all-electric R1T pickup truck a few times already, and now they’ve released a short promotional video showing the accessory in action. This comes on the heels of an announcement sent to the Rivian preorder community listing three locations where the company’s vehicles will be on display.
“We’re hitting the road…,” the communication from Rivian read, as posted on Reddit. “The R1T and R1S will be doing a little sightseeing this fall. If you haven’t seen your future wheels up-close, there are a few opportunities coming up. We’re heading to Atlanta, Seattle and San Francisco next. More details to follow, including dates and how to RSVP.” Rivian’s flagship vehicles have already traveled to several locations around the US for customer previews including Los Angeles, New York City, and Denver.
https://twitter.com/Rivian/status/1164229603243618304
The R1T kitchen set was originally debuted at the Overland Expo in Flagstaff, Arizona this year, and its popularity has convinced the company to offer it as a standard accessory available for purchase when its production vehicles are launched in 2020. As seen is Rivian’s recent video titled “Cooking in the Wild,” two team members (and camera crew) took a trip to Sedona, Arizona over Memorial Day weekend to demonstrate the R1T in all its overlanding glory. During their adventure, they prepared meals using the numerous features of the kitchen’s space and energy-conscious design, then set up camp on top of the truck bed in a specialty tent designed for such occasions.
Rivian’s portable kitchen includes an induction stovetop and electric kettle, both 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. 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. The primary construction material of the set is Richlite, 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.
A company “story” was also published alongside Rivian’s kitchen-centered adventure, and the purpose behind the accessory was made quite clear. “Powered by the same battery pack that powers the R1T, our camp kitchen is designed to make cooking in the outdoors easy and fun. To prove it, we sent members of our team out for a test. Watch the film below to follow their adventure, and keep scrolling to see how we went from a wild idea to an incredible meal under the stars,” the site description read. Rivian’s design process for the set included getting out of the office and hanging with people who cook in the wild, as indicated on the video’s page.
Watch Rivian’s team show off their R1T adventure in the Arizona wild below:
Elon Musk
Elon Musk takes latest barb at Bill Gates over Tesla short position
Bill Gates placed a massive short bet against Tesla of ~1% of our total shares, which might have cost him over $10B by now
Elon Musk took his latest barb at former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates over his short position against the company, which the two have had some tensions over for a number of years.
Gates admitted to Musk several years ago through a text message that he still held a short position against his sustainable car and energy company. Ironically, Gates had contacted Musk to explore philanthropic opportunities.
Elon Musk explains Bill Gates beef: He ‘placed a massive bet on Tesla dying’
Musk said he could not take the request seriously, especially as Gates was hoping to make money on the downfall of the one company taking EVs seriously.
The Tesla frontman has continued to take shots at Gates over the years from time to time, but the latest comment came as Musk’s net worth swelled to over $600 billion. He became the first person ever to reach that threshold earlier this week, when Tesla shares increased due to Robotaxi testing without any occupants.
Musk refreshed everyone’s memory with the recent post, stating that if Gates still has his short position against Tesla, he would have lost over $10 billion by now:
Bill Gates placed a massive short bet against Tesla of ~1% of our total shares, which might have cost him over $10B by now
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 17, 2025
Just a month ago, in mid-November, Musk issued his final warning to Gates over the short position, speculating whether the former Microsoft frontman had still held the bet against Tesla.
“If Gates hasn’t fully closed out the crazy short position he has held against Tesla for ~8 years, he had better do so soon,” Musk said. This came in response to The Gates Foundation dumping 65 percent of its Microsoft position.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk sends final warning to Bill Gates over short position
Musk’s involvement in the U.S. government also drew criticism from Gates, as he said that the reductions proposed by DOGE against U.S.A.I.D. were “stunning” and could cause “millions of additional deaths of kids.”
“Gates is a huge liar,” Musk responded.
It is not known whether Gates still holds his Tesla short position.
Tesla made a change to the Cybertruck, and nobody noticed. But to be fair, nobody could have, but it was revealed by the program’s lead engineer that it was aimed toward simplifying manufacturing through a minor change in casting.
After the Cybertruck was given a Top Safety Pick+ award by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), for its reputation as the safest pickup on the market, some wondered what had changed about the vehicle.
Tesla makes changes to its vehicles routinely through Over-the-Air software updates, but aesthetic changes are relatively rare. Vehicles go through refreshes every few years, as the Model 3 and Model Y did earlier this year. However, the Cybertruck is one of the vehicles that has not changed much since its launch in late 2023, but it has gone through some minor changes.
Most recently, Wes Morrill, the Cybertruck program’s Lead Engineer, stated that the company had made a minor change to the casting of the all-electric pickup for manufacturing purposes. This change took place in April:
We made a minor change on the casting for manufacturability in April. Our Internal testing shows no difference in crash result but IIHS only officially tested the latest version
— Wes (@wmorrill3) December 17, 2025
The change is among the most subtle that can be made, but it makes a massive difference in manufacturing efficiency, build quality, and scalability.
Morrill revealed Tesla’s internal testing showed no difference in crash testing results performed by the IIHS.
The 2025 Cybertruck received stellar ratings in each of the required testing scenarios and categories. The Top Safety Pick+ award is only given if it excels in rigorous crash tests. This requires ‘Good’ ratings in updated small and moderate overlap front, side, roof, and head restraints.
Additionally, it must have advanced front crash prevention in both day and night. Most importantly, the vehicle must have a ‘Good’ or ‘Acceptable’ headlights standard on all trims, with the “+ ” specifically demanding the toughest new updated moderate overlap test that checks rear-seat passenger protection alongside driver safety.
Tesla has entered an interesting situation with its Full Self-Driving suite in California, as the State’s Department of Motor Vehicles had adopted an order for a suspension of the company’s sales license, but it immediately put it on hold.
The company has been granted a reprieve as the DMV is giving Tesla an opportunity to “remedy the situation.” After the suspension was recommended for 30 days as a penalty, the DMV said it would give Tesla 90 days to allow the company to come into compliance.
The DMV is accusing Tesla of misleading consumers by using words like Autopilot and Full Self-Driving on its advanced driver assistance (ADAS) features.
The State’s DMV Director, Steve Gordon, said that he hoped “Tesla will find a way to get these misleading statements corrected.” However, Tesla responded to the story on Tuesday, stating that this was a “consumer protection” order for the company using the term Autopilot.
It said “not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem.” It added that “sales in California will continue uninterrupted.”
This was a “consumer protection” order about the use of the term “Autopilot” in a case where not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem.
Sales in California will continue uninterrupted.
— Tesla North America (@tesla_na) December 17, 2025
Tesla has used the terms Autopilot and Full Self-Driving for years, but has added the term “(Supervised)” to the end of the FSD suite, hoping to remedy some of the potential issues that regulators in various areas might have with the labeling of the program.
It might not be too long before Tesla stops catching flak for using the Full Self-Driving name to describe its platform.
Tesla Robotaxi goes driverless as Musk confirms Safety Monitor removal testing
The Robotaxi suite has continued to improve, and this week, vehicles were spotted in Austin without any occupants. CEO Elon Musk would later confirm that Tesla had started testing driverless rides in Austin, hoping to launch rides without any supervision by the end of the year.
Elon Musk takes latest barb at Bill Gates over Tesla short position
Tesla Cybertruck gets small change that makes a big difference
