K-Turn Mode is a feature that can reduce the turning radius of the vehicle when facing narrow off-road terrain.
Not only for narrow off-road trails, this feature is useful for maneuvering at narrow intersections.
Rivian’s K-Turn Mode works when one of the front wheels is rotated beyond the threshold of the steering wheel, for example when it encounters a narrow hairpin on a dirt track.
The system will adjust the forward torque of the two front wheels that turn so that they experience a little slip.
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Then for the rear wheels, the system will adjust one or both of the rear wheel motors to apply reverse torque.
The effect is that the two front wheels will rotate the car while the rear wheels act as anchors.
So the car can turn in those narrow turns without digging the ground.
K-Turn Mode isn’t the only tank-like turn trick owned by Rivian.
Previously, Rivian introduced Tank Turn. This feature gives the Rivian R1T and R1S the ability to rotate on its axis.
The trick is to apply forward torque to the two wheels on one side of the car and reverse torque to the two wheels on the other.
