S5E6 Alex Anderson & Lilly Macaruso | Rivian & The Rebelle Rally

Being an Engineer

Alex and Lilly are engineers at Rivian who recently competed in and won the 2022 Rebelle Rally, the longest off-road navigation rally in the US. They discussed their experience in the rally, engineering behind Rivian vehicles, and women in STEM.

Main Topics:

• Details of the Rebelle Rally competition and challenges
• Engineering aspects that helped/hindered using an EV in the rally
• Training process and balancing work/life as engineers
• Relationship with their Rivian vehicle over the 8-day rally
• Favorite things about Rivian vehicles and the brand
  

About the guests: Alex Anderson and Lilly Macaruso are both engineers at Rivian, an innovative automotive company specializing in electric vehicles, and known for its commitment to sustainability and cutting-edge technology in the EV market. They recently competed in the Rebelle Rally, which is the longest off-road rally in the United States, an eight-day, 1,600-mile test not of speed but of endurance, technical driving and precision navigation using only a map and compass.

Links:
Alex Anderson - LinkedIn
Rivian website
About Being An Engineer

The Being An Engineer podcast is a repository for industry knowledge and a tool through which engineers learn about and connect with relevant companies, technologies, people resources, and opportunities. We feature successful mechanical engineers and interview engineers who are passionate about their work and who made a great impact on the engineering community.

The Being An Engineer podcast is brought to you by Pipeline Design & Engineering. Pipeline partners with medical & other device engineering teams who need turnkey equipment such as cycle test machines, custom test fixtures, automation equipment, assembly jigs, inspection stations and more. You can find us on the web at www.teampipeline.us

Chapters

1. Introduction to the podcast and guests: Alex Anderson and Lilly Macaruso from Rivian (00:00:00)

2. Details about the Rebelle Rally competition: longest off-road navigation rally in the US, spanning 1600 miles over 8 days (00:28:28)

3. Engineering challenges of competing in the rally with an EV: charging logistics, drive modes, terrain capabilities (00:50:20)

4. Favorite things about Rivian vehicles and engineering: interior/suspension comfort, attention to detail, performance (01:01:34)

5. Training process for the rally while working full-time jobs: balancing work and intensive multi-month training (01:25:30)

6. Relationship with their vehicle over the 8-day competition: seeing it as a "third teammate," trust and respect developed (01:34:02)

7. Most challenging situations faced and how they overcame them: time pressure, navigation difficulties, physical/mental fatigue (01:43:26)

8. Changes in roles and lessons learned from previous year: improved communication, conflict resolution, self-management (01:43:26)