Rivian is bringing back the popular powered tonneau cover option after it stopped making it in October 2022 to redesign it.
CEO RJ Scaringe made the announcement on his personal Twitter account in a video filmed at the Normal, Illinois factory. The executive said both manual and powered tonneau covers are coming this summer.
The video features Clare Frigo, Rivian’s chief of staff for manufacturing operations, who talks about the updates made to the powered tonneau cover.
Rivian R1T owners and reservation holders will be happy to learn that the new version is much quieter and much more robust than the original iteration, which has been one of the most criticized features of the electric pickup truck.
She also demonstrates the powered tonneau cover in the video, and it appears to operate more smoothly than before, at least during the opening sequence. It will be interesting to learn if the new powered tonneau cover will be available for retrofit onto existing customer vehicles.
Clare then shows the manual tonneau cover on a different R1T truck, and she says it’s super easy to use. She shows how the tonneau cover can be removed, piece by piece, after pulling a strap under the first panel.
When they’re not used, the four pieces of the manual tonneau cover can be stored in a special carrying case designed by Rivian specifically for this. The case has separators for each piece so that they don’t get scratched, which is a nice touch. Another neat touch is the fact the carrying case fits snugly in the gear tunnel.
The manual tonneau cover will be available for both upcoming and current R1T owners, which is great news.
In a different Twitter post, RJ Scaringe showcases another cool accessory for the R1T pickup, a bike pad that attaches easily to the tailgate using four straps, protecting it on both sides.
The bike can be put in the truck bed with the front wheel outside the tailgate, and it can be secured in place using straps at the top of the bike pad. There are four straps available, so this accessory theoretically allows Rivian R1T owners to carry up to four bikes in the bed.
Another cool feature of the bike pad is the fact it’s transparent in the upper part so that the R1T’s rear light bar remains visible. RJ Scaringe says this accessory will be available later this summer. None of the videos includes pricing information for the tonneau covers and bike pad, but we assume Rivian will release details in the coming weeks.
