Rivian continues to improve its off-road mode settings, offering more options for specific scenarios. RJ Scaringe recently confirmed that one of the recent improvements coming to the R1S and R1T Tri-motor (and likely the Quad motor trims too) is improved deep-sand performance.
Off-Roading in Sand
Driving on deep sand can be challenging for even adventurous vehicles like the R1T and R1S – and off-roading in sand requires some preparation from both the driver and the manufacturer. Otherwise, it's easy to begin digging your tires into the sand and sinking till you high-center your vehicle.
These deep-sand specific tunings will likely improve R1 model performance when traveling in sand in several ways. The first is likely that they’ll be better able to track wheel slippage – because once you start having a wheel slip, that means it's digging into the sand. Stopping slippage can be the difference between getting across that dune or getting stuck.
In addition, changes to how regenerative braking occurs will likely need to be fine-tuned for coming to a stop in the sand – lest you slide forward or dig in as the weight of the vehicle comes to a rest. This can be solved by slowing down deceleration and coming to a smooth and straight stop.
Sand also tends to form wakes, similar to a boat in water, as wheels tread through it at speed. Accounting for the wakes of the front wheels in the rear wheels will likely make the tri-motor variants even better off-road.
Sand Recovery
Finally, some vehicle manufacturers have also implemented sand-recovery modes on their off-roading vehicles. Rivian likely has or will look into adding a similar feature – especially given the air suspension on the R1T and R1S – which makes them ideal for bouncing the vehicle out of the sand.
We’re looking forward to Rivian’s improvements in the off-roading field – especially since Rivian provides such an eco-friendly way to take your vehicle off-road and into nature. That adventurous spirit that’s behind Rivian’s decisions is always good to see.
Our team is further developing the deep sand performance of the Tri-Motor R1! It’s incredible :) pic.twitter.com/DNzlGaSVAH
— RJ Scaringe (@RJScaringe) August 16, 2024
