R1T Truck

Make
Rivian
Segment
Sports Car

After more than a decade since their last epic motorcycle adventure around the world in the TV series "Long Way Round" and "Long Way Down," Hollywood star Ewan McGregor and his friend Charley Boorman are reuniting to attempt an even tougher challenge in their new show "Long Way Up".

Instead of using BMW bikes, McGregor and Boorman will be riding on electric Harley-Davidson LiveWire bikes through Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador Colombia, Central America and Mexico. In total, they covered 13,000 miles over 100 days and 13 countries. The journey started in the city of Ushuaia at the tip of South America and finished in Los Angeles, taking around three months to complete.

To film the challenging journey, the crew needed a capable, environmentally-friendly electric vehicle, so they enlisted two Rivian R1T pickup trucks.

Since there's no charging infrastructure in these rural areas of South America, charging proved to be one of the biggest challenges. To overcome this, Rivian installed a series of charging points throughout the route across southern and central America, so future owners will be able to recreate the epic journey and enjoy off-road adventures in the electric pickup in remote areas without experiencing any range anxiety.

It's not clear if these charging stations only supported the Rivian R1T unless the bikes were plugged into the electric truck for charging. The Rivian R1Ts filming the journey were also early prototypes with less power and torque than the final production model. Rivian claims the R1T's dual-motor setup produces 750 hp, enabling the electric pickup to hit 0-62 mph in under three seconds.

This epic journey enabled Rivian to evaluate how the R1T copes in extreme conditions from steep sand dunes to rocky terrain by stress testing components such as the battery, chassis, and suspension. The data gathered will allow Rivian to refine and improve the final production R1T.

Considering these aren't final production models, it's impressive that these R1T prototypes were able to take so much punishment during the grueling 13,000-mile journey. You'll get to see how it panned out when "Long Way Up" airs on Apple TV+ next month. The first three episodes will air on September 18, with a new episode following every week.