Mitsubishi Motors has been quite the busy automaker in recent years, and after Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) launched its corporate social responsibility initiative, “Small Batch – Big Impact”, the company has been busier than ever. The campaign was all about giving back to the community and helping to make the world a better place right here in our backyard, and with the disasters that 2020 has brought to the nation, and the world, we all could use a helping hand. Throughout 2019, Mitsubishi made several donations to charities and non-profit organizations, one of which was “Record the Journey”, a non-profit military veteran organization that helps military veterans transition back into civilian life and cope with their military experiences, such as combat, injury, and/or loss. Last year, Mitsubishi Motors and Record the Journey competed in the 2019 Rebelle Rally with a modified Eclipse Cross, and this year, the automaker and organization returned to the 2020 Rebelle Rally with the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.
This year, Record the Journey (RTJ) founder and navigator Sergeant Major Rachael Ridenour (Ret.), a 32-year U.S. Army combat veteran, experienced team navigator, multi-time Rebelle competitor, and past winner of the Rebelle Rally, returns to the cockpit. Last year, Air Force veteran Karah Behrend was in the driver’s seat, taking the Eclipse Cross through the slopes of Lake Tahoe, California to the Imperial Dunes of Glamis, east of San Diego. This year, a new driver was getting behind the wheel, and RTJ needed another female veteran with the heart, grit, and tenacity that can handle more than 10 grueling days and more than 2,000 kilometers across the Nevada and California deserts in a blood-boiling competition of vehicles. After a long national search, RTJ found Master Sergeant Kristie Levy, a 25-year U.S. Army combat veteran and current federal law enforcement officer to get behind the wheel.
Rebelle Rally is the longest event of its kind in the lower 48 states, making up a total 10-day, 2,000 km navigational course. All of the drivers are women, and the vehicles entered into the race are competing for one of three categories: 4×4, Crossover, and battery-powered electric vehicle (BEV) and hybrid or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). Plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles were recently entered as a car segment for the Rally in 2020, allowing Mitsubishi Motors to enter the Outlander PHEV. With RTJ getting in the cockpit, the plug-in hybrid SUV needed a name and affectionately nicknamed “Electra” as it drove across the Nevada and California deserts, accumulating 1,034 points in the X-Cross class. This landed the Outlander PHEV another place on the podium in 2020.
“Electra served faithfully and reliably, impressing us with her versatility, capability and grit, not to mention her ability to travel on smooth, quiet electric power…Just completing the Rebelle is an accomplishment, and doing it in an electrified vehicle was a bit of an experiment, but the Outlander PHEV proved more than up to the task. She was a reliable partner in extreme circumstances – and being able to make coffee using the 110-volt outlet in the back was a luxurious taste of civilization in the middle of the desert.” – Ridenour
Looking to help Mitsubishi Motors give back? Want to help the world with a green vehicle? You can find your Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV at Miami Lakes Automall today.