Rivian revealed the R1T in 2018 and shook up the EV industry. Around the same time, Tesla announced the Cybertruck, but production delays stalled its rollout. Ford announced the F-150 Lightning shortly after in 2021, but Rivian beat both trucks to the punch after deliveries began in 2021.

Ford was hot on Rivian’s heels, spending billions on development, advertising, and production to come offer the Lightning just a year later. Then, the Cybertruck FINALLY began deliveries. So, as a smaller company without the resources that Tesla or Ford had at the time, Rivian had to make sure the R1T stood out from its competition.

The R1T had a table that could slide out, it could do tank turns, and it had this thing called a “Gear Tunnel.” It’s a cavity just in front of the rear wheels that’s sealed to be waterproof, it’s about 65 inches wide, and it has a dedicated 120V outlet. Like most EVs, it’s a gimmicky feature that causes people to pause and say, “Wow, that’s neat!”

The Rivian’s ‘useless’ feature proved especially handy in the most wholesome way

However, for a man who was looking after his father-in-law while recovering in the hospital, it lifted spirits (and cooked some incredible ribs).

“My father-in-law had a stroke and is in a recovery facility. I smoked some ribs (his favorite BBQ) yesterday and cut some up to take along to enjoy with him for lunch today,” wrote a Redditor on the r/Rivian subreddit. “Having the outlet in the gear tunnel for my cooler and crockpot to plug into has got to be my favorite feature of the R1T.”

He posted a picture of the crockpot plugged into the tunnel, cooking away while sitting in the hospital’s parking lot. When he wasn’t sneaking in ribs, he was able to close the tunnel and keep them warm.

Other R1T owners recalled times when the feature helped them out

Another owner recounted a time their mother-in-law’s bicycle broke during the holidays. Because of the gear tunnel’s outlet, they were able to adapt to get the bike home.

“We had to take an angle grinder to our bike rack in the Harbor Freight parking lot so it’d fit on [the truck]. Nothing like plugging an angle grinder into your Rivian to do that. That was a fun adventure,” they wrote.

Someone else said they used the gear tunnel to keep their Thanksgiving meal warm on the way to a family member’s house.

“I kept turkey and fixings warm on the way to dinner,” they wrote. “Worked a treat!”

Another said they were able to make pizza rolls during a road trip from Las Vegas to Utah.