Rivian's Travel Kitchen: Features & Compatibility [Video]

Rivian

Rivian has launched its new Travel Kitchen – the replacement of the R1T’s Gear Tunnel Camp Kitchen. While the Camp Kitchen never came to fruition, the new Travel Kitchen is compatible with the R1T, and R1S, and will be compatible with the R2 and R3 as well.

Rivian has hit it out of the park with this fantastically designed kitchen, so let's take a look at what we get.

Travel Kitchen

Rivian’s Travel Kitchen was showcased at the meet-and-greet in Pasadena, where the R2 was also shown off to the public. The Travel Kitchen costs $1,400 USD (~$1900 CAD), but you’ll get quite a bit of kitchen to mount in the back of your vehicle.

The Travel Kitchen mounts in the trunk of the R1S or R2, or on the tailgate of the R1T. With it, you get a two-burner induction cooktop, powered by the trunk or bed power outlets, along with a fashionable drawer that can house some cutlery and even comes with an included cutting board. The utensils will be included in the final product as well. A handle is on the stove side, allowing you to hang some utensils or a towel.

The space on the right side, where the drawer is, can be used to hold items. It is not a cutting surface, so be sure to use your cutting board.

Lights

Two poles can be extended out from the Travel Kitchen and upward, revealing five LED light strips that hang between the two poles. There is a control on the side that allows you to change the lights between four dimming stages.

Weight and Portability

The Travel Kitchen folds in half and opens to sit on the back of the vehicle or directly on a table. It also comes with a large bag, along with a shoulder strap for portability. The kitchen weighs 41 lbs, which isn’t exactly light but makes it light enough to be moved from one location to another. Additionally, since it uses a standard 120V 3-prong plug, you could pick it up and plug it in wherever you want, whether that’s at your campsite, your backyard, or another vehicle.

Rivian’s Official Video

Travel Kitchen Review

Follow

Follow

Follow

Rivian Battery Options: Range, Cost and Battery Pack Sizes (kWh)

Rivian Wave

Rivian offers a variety of battery packs and motors to give customers the range they need at the lowest price point possible. Let's take a look at the various battery sizes Rivian offers, their costs, and the range you’ll get with each package.

The battery options differ on Rivian’s Gen 1 and Gen 2 vehicles (model year 2025+), so we’ll break it down by vehicle generation. One thing to note is that even though Gen 2 has smaller battery sizes in general, the vehicles are far more efficient than the first generation, so you’ll be able to travel further on the same battery size.

Rivian divides its models by the number of motors and battery pack size. The motor options are Dual, Tri, and Quad, while the battery options are Standard, Large, and Max. So, when selecting a model, you’ll see names such as Dual Standard (two motors and the Standard battery) and Dual Large or Tri Max (three motors and the Max battery).

Here are your battery options for the current generation of vehicles (R1S and R1T) and their range and cost.

Gen 2 Battery Options

You’ll note that the upcoming Quad Motor Ascend vehicles aren’t listed here just yet. Rivian hasn’t unveiled the details of the Quad Motor battery packs and pricing yet, but we’ll update the table above once that information arrives.

The Max Tri-motor models include the same battery pack as the Dual Max models, but their range is reduced due to the additional weight of the extra motor and the vehicle's performance tuning. The Tri-motor vehicles also include a variety of standard options, such as the Dynamic Glass Roof, Premium Audio, the Ascend interior, and others, which drives the price up to the $30,000 premium over the Dual motor variant.

Of note, the only official EPA range estimates are for the R1T’s Standard pack and the R1S’ Standard and Max packs.

Gen 1 Battery Options

Rivian offered more options in its battery lineup in Gen 1, and the range of its lowest-level offering was a bit bigger – 258 miles in Gen 2 compared to 270 miles in Gen 1. That difference is mostly due to the smaller pack size – 105kWh in the Standard Gen 1 vehicles, while only 92.5 kWh in the Gen 2 vehicles.

The battery ranges above are all EPA estimates.

Follow

Follow

Follow

New Details About Rivian's R2/R3 Steering Wheel: Dynamic Clicks & Haptic Feedback

Rivian

Rivian’s upcoming vehicles, including the R2 and R3X prototypes, will include a next-generation steering wheel that offers an innovative approach to driver control and feedback. We recently had a chance to chat with Marty L., UI/UX Director at Rivian, who shared exciting details about the new features and functionality of this wheel.

Three Axes of Freedom

The new steering wheel design looks great, with large, mostly exposed scroll wheels at either side of the steering wheel. However, the most interesting part of the wheel is the functionality it introduces. As expected, the steering wheel will have three axes of freedom, similar to the steering wheels in the current R1S/R1T models, but instead of requiring a separate button to navigate left and right, you’ll be able to tilt the scroll wheel left/right.

• Tilt Left/Right: The ability to navigate left and right by tilting the scroll wheel

• Push In: A push or press feature that can be used to confirm selections or switch modes.

• Scroll Up/Down: Scroll up and down with dynamic haptic feedback

These scroll wheels are the cornerstone of changing the most used settings in the vehicle. However, Rivian plans to use them for more than just basic features. You’ll be able to adjust a variety of settings directly from the scroll wheels.

Dynamic Haptic Feedback

The biggest innovation with Rivian’s new steering wheel will be the ability for the wheel to provide dynamic haptic feedback as you’re scrolling. While most scroll wheels have a basic click sensation, Rivian’s will have adaptable feedback that changes depending on the function you’re adjusting:

• Volume Control: When adjusting the vehicle’s volume, the haptic feedback (the “clicks”) will be more spaced out, with distinct, widely separated clicks corresponding to each volume level (e.g., 1 through 10).

• ADAS Speed Adjustment: For adjusting speed settings, you’ll feel more closely spaced clicks that offer more precise control, giving a tactile sense of small incremental changes.

This feedback ensures drivers get a clear, physical confirmation of each adjustment, making it easier to make changes without taking their eyes off the road.

Rivian

Resistance for Added Control

The new steering wheel is beyond just clicks, Rivian’s scroll wheels will have varying levels of resistance. Marty explained that users will feel a slight resistance when they scroll up or down to change settings. For example, as you’re scrolling up to the next volume level or speed increment, the wheel will offer a subtle resistance before snapping into the next position. This makes the interaction feel natural and intuitive—almost like turning a dial that clicks into place.

Which Models Will Feature This Steering Wheel?

The steering wheel is currently featured in Rivian’s R2 and R3X prototypes, which have been showcased at various events. This innovative wheel will be rolled out to all R2 and R3 models. However, when asked whether the new wheel would make its way to the current R1S and R1T models, he simply responded with a “stay tuned,” hinting that Rivian may have plans to introduce it to its current lineup in the future.

This new steering wheel design is a testament to Rivian’s focus on technology, software, and innovation to produce some of the best EVs. As Rivian continues to redefine what’s possible in vehicle interiors, as they did with Dolby Atmos support, this new steering wheel will likely set the standard for user experience in future designs.

Follow

Follow

Follow