Illinoisans Voted For This As “Coolest Product Made In Illinois”

There are plenty of things about Illinois worthy of criticism or being made fun of, but there are a tremendous amount of things in our state deserving of applause, too.

The Illinois Manufacturers' Association (IMA) has, for the last three years, done a great job of shining the spotlight on those applause-worthy things with their annual vote for the coolest product made in Illinois.

It's a great way to show off some really outstanding Illinois-made products, some of which I had no idea were made right here in the Land of Lincoln.

Like this year's winner of the coolest Illinois-made product, the Rivian R1T:

Here it is being assembled at a plant in Normal, Illinois.

Wait, they make vehicles in Normal? Yep. Have you seen this nameplate before?

Here's an interior look at Illinois' coolest product.

Now, the exterior.

Here's how it would look in your driveway.

And on the road.

Even Though It's Manufactured In Normal, Rivian's R1T Is Anything But Normal

Check out some of these specs and you'll see what I mean about the Rivian R1T being far from the average electric vehicle:

• The first electric truck in production that features four motors
• Eight driving modes
• Up to 400 miles of range on a single charge
• Off-road capabilities with the driving style of a sports car
• Zero to 60 in three seconds
• Towing capacity of up to 11,000 pounds

Over 400 products Were Submitted For This Year's Competition And Over 200,000 Online Votes Were Cast

Here's the list of finalists, which features several Rockford area companies:

• Power-Grip LB-7Gx2 Lift Magnet from Rockford, Illinois
• Orion Spacecraft Capsule’s Aft Bulkhead, barrel, and tunnel from Rockford, Illinois
• Fruit By The Foot from Belvidere, Illinois
• Orion Spacecraft module control switches from Carpentersville, Illinois
• Bison Pull-tight Pool Cover Gearmotor from St. Charles, Illinois
• TexWalk Print Media from McHenry, Illinois
• TCFW375 Series Ice Rink Chiller from Niles, Illinois
• John Deere Combine from Moline, Illinois
• Libman Tornado Spin Mop from Arcola, Illinois
• Jackpoint Jackstands from Montgomery, Illinois
• Camper Van Foldaway seat and table from Chicago, Illinois
• Freeze Flake Ice Maker from Chicago, Illinois
• Custom Semi-Trailer Bar from Easton, Illinois
• Caterpillar Track-Type Tractor from East Peoria, Illinois
• Custom Blazed Diffraction Grading from Champaign, Illinois