Stock 2022 Rivian R1T Conquers Infamous Hell’s Gate Obstacle in Moab
Sure, lesser vehicles have climbed Hell’s Gate, but this marks the beginning of a new chapter for the famous obstacle.
Hell's Gate in the Moab has been around for a long time, but its popularity has grown considerably over the years thanks to automakers using it as a sort of "right of passage" for new and upcoming off-roaders. Hell's Gate is now to individual off-roaders and truck manufacturers what the Nurburgring is to sports car enthusiasts and high-end automakers. Then, it’s no surprise to see the new 2022 Rivian R1T climb up the slippery rock formation to become the first electric pickup truck to conquer the famous obstacle.
Uploaded to the Paddle Pedal Pedals YouTube channel on Monday, the four-minute-long video shows what appears to be a fully stock Rivian R1T climbing up Hell's Gate in Moab. Like in most videos of this sort, you can see a few spotters in front of the truck guiding the driver through the best route. In this case, the main spotter has a walkie-talkie and is in constant communication with the driver.
Per Rivian, the R1T can creep up slopes as steep as 45 degrees without causing much drama, partly thanks to its great off-road angles of 34º approach, 25.7º breakover, and 29.3º departure. With the suspension set to its highest setting, the R1T boasts 14.9 inches of ground clearance, which came in handy to clear some of the obstacle's trickiest sections.
Around the 2:30 mark, the Rivian faces the toughest section of Hell's Gate, which is then made worse by the driver taking the wrong line up the hill. After further communication with the spotter, the driver reverses a bit, corrects his course, and continues forward following a different line closer to the driver's side of the rock formation. Had the driver continued, chances are the shiny truck could've ended up on its side.
The rest of the climb, however, was performed with ease and without causing any commotion. With 835 horsepower, a staggering 908-pound-feet of torque, and torque-vectoring four-wheel drive, we didn't expect the R1T to struggle up Hell's Gate unless the driver was truly incompetent. We've seen stock Kia Sorento conquer this too, after all. Thankfully, the driver did a fine job and now everyone gets to see just how capable the new kid on the block is.
It's worth noting that the Rivian is not the first electric vehicle to climb up Hell's Gate. That honor belongs to an electric motorcycle. And if you thought it was sketchy doing this in a big truck, you should really give this video a watch.
Check out our full review of the 2022 Rivian R1T here.
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