Skip to main content

Rivian’s R1T truck is stylish, no doubt, and hip, and expensive. But now it can add one more feather in its cap: It won a 2022 Innovation by Design award from Fast Company magazine. Rivian’s all-electric R1T trucks are gaining traction as fast, stylish, capable trucks but what makes the R1T an award winner?

What are the Fast Company Innovation by Design Awards?

A gray 2022 Rivian R1T electric pickup truck is driving.
The 2022 Rivian R1T | Rivian

Fast Company magazine usually chronicles the best of the high-tech world and reports on the movers and shakers of Silicon Valley. But those same folks sometimes come up with some clever ideas, and this year the Rivian R1T is one of 46 winners of its Innovations Design Awards, chosen by editors at the magazine and a jury, that stand out. It shares the award with some innovative cool stuff like the user-fixable Fairphone 4, recycled jeans from Levis, and Waymo’s self-driving car tech. The Rivian is the winner in the automotive category, but you can see the whole list at Fast Company.

What helped the R1T win?

a red Rivian truck with the camp stove package
A Rivian R1T with the Camp Kitchen | Rivian

Fast Company lauded the Rivian truck for its decidedly non-trucklike stuff. The designers added, for example, a deep center console that can hold a large handbag, its clever tunnel behind the cab that can carry skies or other long objects out of site, and for the rechargeable flashlight that’s stored in the door. The R1T design makes sure to capitalize on its EV possibilities, for sure, and it includes a large frunk, and other elements that, Fast Company says, exploit its EV nature and not needing to abide by a traditional truck drivetrain.

A Rivian R1T with a tent and stove attached
A Rivian R1T with a tent and stove attached | Rivian

The Gear Tunnel is one of the reasons that Fast Company loves the Rivian.. The R1T has a compartment that runs the length of the truck behind the cab that is watertight and can hold up to 11 cubic feet of stuff. For that tunnel, Rivian makes stuff that can be stuffed in or slid out. That’s not the only storage in the R1T. The truck also has a lockable frunk or front trunk. 

Sure, charcoal is great for grilling in the woods. But, who wants to tote a giant bag of charcoal that always leaks black flakes on your seats. The Camp Kitchen Snow Peak Package includes everything for electric cooking, and it all slots into the gear tunnel. Pull out the stove, turn it on and you’re cooking like you’re at home. The kit also comes with a 30-piece kitchen set from Snow Peak. Bring your copper pans: this is an induction stove. 

The Rivian Camp Kitchen x Snow Peak Package isn’t cheap, at $6,750. But it could make your next off-road Rivian camping trip tastier than ever.

It may be design-driven, but it does truck stuff well

This Rivian R1T Towing a Heavy Trailer can handle up to 11,000 pounds
Rivian R1T Towing a Heavy Trailer | Rivian

The Rivian R1T may have some cool design elements, but it was designed as a truck first. In that vein, it does a lot of truck things very well, and some things better than a traditional gas-powered truck. It can tow 11,000 pounds, for example, and it’s all-wheel drive and high ground clearance lets you tackle off-road trails. But, it’s also Corvette quick and can sprint to 60 miles per hour in three seconds. Trucks are rated on how much they can carry in the bed, and the R1T can hold 1,760 pounds in the bed.

How much does a Rivian R1T cost?

The current version of the R1T starts at $73,000 for this midsize truck. The previous year’s versions were less expensive. It comes in two versions, the basic Explore and the Adventure. The major differences include heated seats, stereo, and wood trim. The new R1S SUV has many of the same features, but starts at $78,000.

Related

Will 2022 Be Remembered as the Year the Electric Truck Took Off?

Best in Trucks & SUVs
Writer - Sedans & Coupes

Dan Mayfield

Dan joined MotorBiscuit in 2022 with over 20 years of experience in journalism and a lifelong passion for anything related to the automotive industry. He grew up wrenching a 1949 Ford pickup truck and an MGB with his dad, learning how not to wire a fuel pump (he inadvertently set the MGB on fire).

After earning a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from the University of New Mexico, Dan has contributed his expertise to a range of local outlets, including the City of Albuquerque, US Eagle, and the Alliance for Local Economic Prosperity.

On weekends, Dan spends Saturdays enjoying “cars and coffee” chats and, on Sundays, he’s watching the Route 66 Cruise roll through town. He also races motorcycles, and it’s not unusual to find him elbows-deep in his latest cafe racer build.

Taking advantage of the local desert terrain, Dan also enjoys exploring and driving off-road in his trusty Ram Rebel pickup truck, which provides personal insights into his contributions to our Trucks, SUVs, & Crossovers coverage. Dan strives to give our readers unique information about the dynamic automotive market, reading anything that has to do with cars, trucks, bikes, 4X4s, and, in his words, “everything with a motor.”

Dan has earned a number of accolades from the Public Relations Society of America, and is a University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism Fellow.