Remote aid stations are the unglamorous underbelly of ultrarunning. Get 80 miles into a mountain race and your reward is usually warm Gatorade, a bag of half-melted ice, and a droning diesel generator.
Rivian and Nike ACG think they can do better, and their answer is the R1T Recharge Truck, a purpose-built electric pickup anchoring what the two brands are calling the Ultimate Aid Station.
A Bodega Built by Skunkworks
Assembled in just 12 weeks by Rivian’s Special Projects division (the same outfit behind the Grey’s Anatomy ambulance and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream truck), the Recharge Truck starts life as a quad-motor R1T with a roughly 140kWh battery. That pack powers everything on site, no generator required.
The main event lives at the tailgate, where a slide-out station houses twin slushie machines. One pours Coca-Cola, while the other serves a mango-pickle blend developed by Nike nutritionists that supposedly smells like pickles and tastes like mango. We’ll take their word for it.
The frunk hides two ice bins, one for water bottles and one for runners to press directly onto overheated bodies, while the Gear Tunnel has been reborn as a slide-out snack rack loaded with gels and water additives.
Shade With a Venturi Effect
Overhead, massive perforated sail panels ring the truck 360 degrees. Made from ACG’s Radical AirFlow recycled polyester, the same fabric found in the brand’s racing apparel, the material’s 3D texture actually accelerates airflow for a localized cooling effect. And the entire setup breaks down without tools and packs back onto the truck.
The Seven-Vehicle Supporting Cast
The Recharge Truck is part of a full electric fleet. The R2 powers a motion-activated misting corridor that runners will pass through without ever breaking stride. Three’s an R1S to handle blister and nausea triage, and another R1T flips protein pancakes off Rivian’s Camp Kitchen, and a repurposed Coachella DJ rig supplies the morale. Two more trucks shuttle ice in Dometic 65L coolers.
Parked at the Quitting Point
Now, the placement is the really clever part. Nike says roughly 30 percent of Brink 100 entrants drop out, most around mile 80, which is precisely where this whole circus will sit for the race’s full 38-hour-and-40-minute duration.
ACG plans to tour the Recharge Truck at other ultras afterward, and Rivian is reportedly weighing whether some of the custom kit, like the seat-delete cargo platform, could reach actual customers.
Spec Sheet
Base Vehicle: Rivian R1T Quad-Motor
Battery: ~140kWh
Builder: Rivian Special Projects
Build Time: 12 weeks
Key Equipment: Twin slushie machines, frunk ice bins, Gear Tunnel snack shuttle
Canopy: Nike ACG Radical AirFlow (recycled polyester)
Support Fleet: 4x R1T, 2x R1S, 1x R2
Debut: Brink 100 Mile Trail Run, Siskiyou Out Back Festival
Pricing & Availability
The R1T Recharge Truck is a one-off, so you can’t buy it, but you can catch it stationed at mile 80 of the Brink 100 in Ashland, Oregon this weekend, July 10 to 12. Nike ACG will haul it to other ultra events in the coming months.
Recap
Rivian R1T Recharge Truck x Nike ACG Ultimate Aid Station
Rivian and Nike ACG converted a quad-motor R1T into a fully battery-powered trail race aid station, complete with slushie machines and a cooling canopy, debuting at Oregon’s Brink 100 this weekend.
