The Rivian R1T is billed as the ultimate "Adventure Vehicles," and that's pretty much Rivian's theme across the board. While its electric trucks and SUVs are touted as pretty extreme off-road vehicles with the ability to ford deep water and crawl over rocks, that doesn't necessarily prove your gear will stay bone dry in all situations ... or does it?
We've seen videos of the R1T braving some of the toughest off-road challenges with relative ease. We've also seen it cross deep water, which is something some EV makers are emphasizing. Since an electric pickup truck doesn't have an intake, it should be able to go through deep water without having mechanical issues, though there are certainly exceptions.
Essentially, with a properly sealed battery pack and watertight doors and cargo areas, an electric vehicle should prove safer and more successful than most gas-powered vehicles at dealing with deep water and even acting as a boat for a short time.
Rather than driving the Rivian electric pickup into a river or lake – we've already seen plenty of that type of footage, and we understand why people might hesitate to reproduce it – Average Car Guy gets out a garden hose to rain all over the truck. He covers all the doors seals and cargo areas with plenty of water. This way, he can then open up all the entry points and assess the worth of the weatherstripping and seals.
If a car is properly designed, this should be a no-brainer. There obviously shouldn't be water inside the vehicle in any location. However, what's also very important is what happens when you open the doors. The water that has collected on the truck and around the door seals shouldn't drip or pour into the car upon opening the passenger or cargo areas.
As you'll see in the video, it appears that due to the R1T's design, your cargo won't be getting wet when it rains. It also won't be getting doused with water when you open the frunk or gear tunnel.
That said, Average Car Guy does point out that the charging port door automatically opened after being hit with some water. You can see that the water then ended up inside the charging port.
While this is something Rivian may want to look into, it's probably not a cause for major concerns. The R1T owner's manual suggests locking the charging port before washing the truck, and these ports are designed to handle heavy rain, snow, and exposure to water that may happen while driving.
