DCE Rivian R1S Mobile Data Vehicle for Amazon MGM Studios

Film and TV productions generate huge amounts of footage every day, and getting it from a remote set to the cloud usually means gas generators, borrowed power and a van full of equipment. Amazon MGM Studios asked a different question: could that entire workflow run on a battery-powered vehicle that can go anywhere a production goes?

Direct Current Engineering (DCE), Weistec Engineering's EV and new-energy division, took on the job. From our facility in Anaheim, California, we engineered, integrated and built two machines that work as one system: a Rivian R1S converted into a self-contained DIT-to-Cloud data vehicle, and a matching Towable Auxiliary Power (TAP) trailer that keeps it charged far from the grid.

The brief: a data center that drives to set

The platform had to be readily deployable to on-location and remote sets, fully self-powered, and battery-electric in line with Amazon's renewable energy goals. It also had to fit real production life: the whole rig needed to clear the height limit of the studio's parking structure and stay within practical towing weight.

The Rivian R1S was the right starting point: all-wheel drive, serious off-road ability and a large battery. Turning it into a working mobile data station, though, meant significant engineering and physical modification.

Inside the R1S: a rolling DIT station

We rebuilt the interior around the workload. The third row was removed and the rear of the cabin was repackaged as a digital imaging technician (DIT) workstation, so the data wrangler has a real place to work between setups.

• DIT workstation with a large display, full-size keyboard and trackpad, built into the rear seating area and running on Mac Studio
• External workstation on the passenger-side rear of the vehicle, with its own keyboard and mouse, so someone on set can check memory card upload status while the interior DIT station is in use for color and other checks
• Apple Mac Studio computers: the whole workflow runs on Mac Studios, mounted with the storage and network equipment in shock-isolated racking
• Rear cargo build-out with slide-out storage for cases and cabling
• Cable port distribution station: a rear quarter-window bulkhead so power and data run into the vehicle cleanly
• Rerouted rear air conditioning to deliver conditioned air directly to the equipment

Kuiper satellite internet, built into the roof

A DIT-to-Cloud vehicle is only as good as its uplink. Remote sets rarely have usable cell coverage, so the R1S carries Amazon's Project Kuiper satellite internet, integrated directly into the roof rather than bolted on top.

We recessed the Kuiper terminal into the roof system so it sits low and out of sight. That keeps the vehicle's clean profile and, just as important, keeps the whole rig under the studio parking structure's height limit. The terminal's power and data cabling runs through the vehicle to the equipment rack, so the crew can offload footage and upload it to the cloud from wherever the production is shooting, with no external dish to set up and nothing extra to pack.

Kuiper isn't the only link. Peplink 5G equipment lets the R1S run on cellular or satellite internet, whichever the location offers, and Ubiquiti routing and a wireless access point handle the network in and around the vehicle.

Outside: built to go where productions go

Remote locations are rarely paved, so the exterior is outfitted with DCE's own overland hardware:

• DCE Rock Sliders and the DCE R1S roof rack system
• Lockable side storage boxes with integrated power access
• LED lighting surrounding the vehicle for night work
• Off-road wheels and tires
• A full custom wrap with Amazon MGM Studios, Prime Video and AWS sustainability branding

TAP: Towable Auxiliary Power

A data vehicle that has to leave set to charge isn't much use, so we designed and built the TAP trailer to recharge the R1S in the field. It's a purpose-built battery trailer with its own fabricated battery chassis, solar inputs and an EV charging output:

• 105.6 kWh of NMC lithium energy storage
• 1,000 W fold-out roof solar array, plus optional auxiliary solar panels that can be deployed on the ground in the field
• Shore power input for when grid power is available
• Wallbox Level 2 EV charger to recharge the Rivian
• Emergency AC outlets and USB-A/USB-C ports
• LED lighting and a wrap matching the R1S

How we built it

Every part of both builds was engineered in-house. We scanned and digitized the R1S inside and out, along with the supplier components, so everything could be packaged in CAD before a single part was cut. We ran system-level DFMEA and PFMEA reviews, built interior layout bucks and foam mockups to prove out packaging and ergonomics, produced full harness drawings, and fabricated the racking, bulkheads and TAP battery chassis in our own shop. Both builds then went through final assembly, paint and functional testing, and we followed up with service support and operational training for the crew.

It's the same engineering process we use for our performance products, applied to a completely different problem.

Behind the build

Everything on the TAP was fabricated in our Anaheim shop. The steel chassis and enclosure frames were TIG welded on our fixture tables, powder coated, and loaded with the battery modules. We laser cut and fitted the control panel plates, wired in the Wallbox Level 2 charger and breaker panel, built the aluminum solar array frame and mounted the panels, then wrapped the trailer to match the R1S before hitching it up for testing.

Delivery day at Amazon MGM Studios

In December 2024 we delivered the R1S and TAP to the Amazon MGM Studios campus in Culver City, California. The trailer's solar array was deployed right in the courtyard, and our team supported the crew with service and operational training as they put the system to work.

On display at AWS re:Invent 2025

The R1S and TAP were unveiled at AWS re:Invent 2025 in Las Vegas as part of Amazon's "From Camera To Cloud" exhibit on reducing the carbon footprint of TV and film production. The exhibit presented the build as a first-of-its-kind modified EV from Amazon MGM Studios, with built-in mobile connectivity for uploading to AWS-based Studio in the Cloud workflows.

The build got plenty of attention on the show floor. See what the Rivian community on Reddit had to say about it at re:Invent.

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