Ryan Luaces with the Rivian corporate fleet starts to demonstrate some features.
But it's also a $70,000 luxury truck, so you're not exactly roughing it. He's a lawyer and a ski patroller, which kind of sums up Rivian's whole vibe.ĬHEN: OK, so you wouldn't wear the Brooks Brothers suit to go camping or adventuring or the ski hill, but you would wear your Patagonia.ĭOMONOSKE: This pick-up truck is designed for off-roading and adventure. So who are these companies? Let's start with Rivian.ĬHEN: So if you think of Tesla as the Brooks Brothers suit, we're the Patagonia.ĭOMONOSKE: That's James Chen, who leads Rivian's policy work in D.C. Both companies also have a ton of cash in the bank and big plans to scale up. They're actually producing and selling their vehicles today. You can punch it a little bit.ĬAMILA DOMONOSKE, BYLINE: Last week I took Rivian's electric pickup truck for a spin.ĭOMONOSKE: Both these electric vehicle startups have hit a huge milestone. JAMES CHEN: Once the light turns green - yep. NPR's Camila Domonoske explains why these two companies are out in front. Rivian and Lucid are each worth more than Ford right now even though they've only made a few hundred vehicles. Cru wins, and offers Bart a spot in Rad Racing as the film ends.”įor this trailer was written a good essay about Rad Racing and motors involved in the progress of machines.A lot of car companies are racing to be the next Tesla, but right now two little-known startups are at the front of the pack. Bart, who leads the race, slows down so that he and Cru can face each other one-on-one in the final stretch. Smith tells Cru to “pretend he’s in the lumberyard….Go balls out.”ĭuke has his riders hold back while ahead of Cru in an attempt to sabotage his race, without success. Timmer (Ray Walston) and the founding of “Rad Racing,” a small t-shirt business started by Cru’s classmate Matt Weston., Cru is finally able to enter Helltrack. With the help of one of the townsfolk, Mr. Christian provides Cru with an idea for how he can still enter the race. Duke Best and his flunkie step over to the punchbowl, and “wake up those drinks” to which the mayor/restaurant manager says “don’t mind if I do.” After being blocked from the race due to a last minute rule change on participant sponsorship, Cru is ready to give up his dreams of winning Helltrack. Christian and Cru have an interesting scene at the local high school dance where, instead of dancing like the other couples, they perform freestyle bike stunts on the dance floor, to the awe of many. Racers from all around come to this small town for the Helltrack and Cru meets Christian Hollings (Lori Loughlin), who becomes Cru’s romantic interest. Best keeps adjusting the rules in order to keep Cru out of the race and to ensure BMX star Bart Taylor (1984 Olympic gymnastics champion Bart Conner) has an easy road to victory, thus providing a financial windfall for Mongoose Racing, Bart’s sponsor. The Helltrack race is endorsed by the city and a duplicitous Duke Best (Jack Weston), president of The Federation of American Bicyclists and owner of Mongoose bicycles. Cru chooses the latter option, ignoring his mother’s wishes. However, winning Helltrack means a lucrative sponsorship deal and fame. Cru is faced with a tough decision: the qualifying races for Helltrack are the same day as his SATs, which he must take in order to attend college. The film’s story focuses on Cru Jones (Bill Allen), a young BMX racer who lives in a small town with his mother (Talia Shire) and sister. High School, and at Bowness Park, both in Calgary, Alberta. Parts of this movie were filmed in Cochrane in Cochrane, Alberta, Canada, Colonel Macleod Jr. The film was written by Sam Bernard and Geoffrey Edwards and directed by Hal Needham. Rad is a film about BMX racing, first released in the USA in 1986.