Rivian's New RAD Division Is Here. But What Is It Really?

"Rivian is channeling that into an official in-house performance division, similar to Mercedes-AMG and BMW Motorsport, and it's calling it RAD. It stands for Rivian Adventure Department, and its goal is to explore the limits of Rivian vehicles and how to push them to become even more capable."

"Quad-motor Rivians already have the RAD Tuner, an entire screen packed with sliders that lets you tweak every possible setting to tailor the way the vehicle drives to your requirements. It lets drivers tweak 10 variables, from front-rear torque split to damping, roll stiffness, and brake assistance."

"Automakers invest in performance and motorsport-style divisions as extreme use cases break hardware and software faster than normal driving ever will. This also helps with innovation that may later trickle down into mass-market vehicles."

Rivian has established RAD (Rivian Adventure Department), a public-facing performance division modeled after Mercedes-AMG and BMW Motorsport. The division builds on Rivian's existing in-house performance skunkworks team. Quad-motor R1 owners now have access to the RAD Tuner, a comprehensive software interface allowing customization of 10 vehicle settings including torque distribution, damping, roll stiffness, and brake assistance. Users can create and save custom presets for different driving scenarios. Rivian indicates RAD may expand beyond software features into specialized products or experiences, though specific details remain undisclosed. Performance divisions help automakers stress-test hardware and software while generating innovations applicable to mass-market vehicles.

Read at insideevs.com